One of the most foundational parts of working as a nurse is being trustworthy and caring. Your patients, doctors, and other co-workers rely on you to keep your patients’ interests as a top priority and to focus your energy on providing the best care possible. If you end up breaking that trust in any way, including mismanaging pharmaceuticals, your nursing license may be in jeopardy.
Drug diversion is a serious issue for nurses in the greater Spokane, Washington, metropolitan area. As a nurse, part of the trust your nursing license invests in you is that you’ll safely handle and distribute medications. For Spokane area nurses who abuse this trust, the consequences can be severe.
If you’re a nurse in the greater Spokane area and you’re facing allegations of drug diversion, you need the support of a proven legal team. The Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm has years of experience defending nurses in Washington and Idaho against accusations of drug diversion and other misconduct. Call us at 888-535-3686 or complete our confidential contact form to learn more.
Working as a Nurse in the Greater Spokane Area
The Spokane metropolitan area includes Spokane as its major city, along with Spokane Valley in Washington and Coeur d’Alene in Idaho. Life for nurses working in this area isn’t easy. Nurses in the region suffer from increasing incidents of violence and harassment at work, while staffing shortages often lead to excessive workloads and burnout.
High percentages of healthcare workers struggle with drug dependence, and a stressful work environment can easily lead to increased drug usage among nurses. Substance abuse of any kind can end in disciplinary action against nurses, and drug diversion is among the most serious forms of misconduct.
Types of Drug Diversion for Spokane Area Nurses
Drug diversion involves a nurse illegally redirecting prescription drugs for personal use, sale, or distribution. There are many ways a nurse can illegally divert drugs. Examples include:
- Tampering, such as replacing a liquid drug with water or saline and keeping the narcotic.
- Claiming to administer a drug to a patient but instead holding onto it personally.
- Giving a patient only a portion of the prescribed drug and keeping the rest.
- Stealing medications you have access to at work.
- Inappropriately disposing of medications, including scavenging leftover drugs from syringes or waste containers.
Because nurses have access to so many pharmaceuticals and are often responsible for dispensing them, it can get a little too easy to find ways to divert these drugs for yourself or to sell to someone else.
For nurses in the greater Spokane area facing drug diversion allegations, the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team can help you through the disciplinary process and make sure you get the best defense available to safeguard your license.
Drug Diversion Disciplinary Procedures for Spokane Area Nurses
The Washington State Board of Nursing is responsible for overseeing nurses in Washington. In Idaho, the Board of Nursing, which is part of the state’s Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, regulates the practice of nursing in Idaho.
If either of these boards receives a complaint against you for drug diversion, you’ll have to go through an established disciplinary process. The process varies from state to state, but essentially, an investigation will follow the complaint. Investigators will collect evidence and interview those involved.
Following the investigation, you’ll have an opportunity to settle, which means accepting some amount of guilt and resulting penalties. If you and the board can’t come to an agreement, the case will move to a hearing, and both sides can present their cases. After the hearing, the board can impose sanctions against you. At this point, you can still appeal the board’s decision if you have new evidence or proof of procedural errors.
The board may also refer your case to a recovery program that helps nurses with substance abuse issues—CARES (Compassion, Accountability, Recovery, Empowerment, and Safety) in Washington or the Health Professionals Recovery Program in Idaho.
It’s in your best interest to have legal representation throughout this process. The Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm can help you through each stage of the disciplinary proceedings, work with the state nursing board on your behalf, and represent you at a hearing.
Sanctions for Drug Diversion for Nurses in the Greater Spokane Area
If the Washington State Board of Nursing or the Idaho Board of Nursing finds you guilty of drug diversion, the penalties can be harsh. Depending on the frequency and severity of your misconduct, the board can:
- Suspend or revoke your license
- Put you on probation
- Assess fines
- Require that you go through some type of counseling or rehabilitation program
- Require random drug testing
Keep in mind that drug diversion is a criminal offense. You may also face criminal charges separate from any action the nursing board takes.
Clearly, drug diversion can have a lasting impact on your career and your life. That’s why it’s so important that you enlist the LLF National Law Firm to spearhead your defense and help you achieve the best possible resolution.
The LLF National Law Firm Can Help
Working as a nurse in the greater Spokane area is stressful enough on its own. If you also struggle with substance abuse issues, it’s easy to imagine how you can take a wrong turn in your professional life and get involved in drug diversion. In this situation, you need a legal team on your side that can help you through the disciplinary process so that you can get your career and your life back on track.
The Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm can:
- Help you understand the severity of the drug diversion allegations against you.
- Identify and gather the best evidence to support your case.
- Work with the nursing board to negotiate a lenient settlement.
- Represent you at a hearing.
- Determine whether an appeal is in your best interest and handle the appeal process for you.
Drug diversion is serious business for Spokane area nurses, and the consequences can quickly derail your career. At the LLF National Law Firm, we understand how working as a nurse can sometimes lead you down a scary path. We also believe that your mistakes don’t define you or negate your value as a nurse. Our Professional License Defense Team is committed to giving you the strong drug diversion defense you deserve and helping you get back to the business of caring for your patients. Call us at 888-535-3686 or complete our online contact form to schedule a consultation and get started.