Pubdate: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Copyright: 2009 Winnipeg Free Press Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/info/letters/index.html Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502 Author: Jen Skerritt Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) MANITOBA NURSES ON CARPET OVER DRUGS Four Manitoba nurses were disciplined after they were caught abusing alcohol, cocaine and other narcotics on the job -- including instances where mood-altering drugs were stolen from the hospitals or health-care facilities where they worked. The College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba suspended three of the nurses who were caught abusing drugs by their employers or colleagues, while another nurse who reported herself has been stripped of the ability to practise alone. The cases are not connected. Each nurse must provide proof of having entered into a treatment program. They will also undergo mandatory random urine tests to prove they're clean. One nurse has been banned from practising in critical care or emergency trauma, and has been banned from working more than 48 hours in seven days. The four incidents, which resulted in disciplinary action in 2008, were made public this month, when the names of the nurses and a report by the college's complaints committee were posted online. The four cases raise the total number of nurses disciplined for their addictions in the last six years to 13 -- more than half of the total number of discipline incidents in that time. Zenon Lisakowski, a nurse who works for the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba and sits on the college's discipline committee, said nurses who are disciplined for substance abuse have repeatedly failed to get proper treatment or are unwilling to do so. He said the discipline process is the last resort, and outlines strict orders the addicted nurses must follow in order to keep their licences and protect public safety. Lisakowski said nurses are considered at a higher risk of abusing substances than the general public, and that an average of three or four nurses a month seek addiction treatment through AFM. Nurses are obliged to report a colleague who is drunk or high to their employer, who, in turn, reports the incident to the college. Sandi Mowat, president of Manitoba Nurses Union, said nurses who battle addictions are put in a tough position since they have high-stress jobs and access to powerful medications. Mowat said the discipline process is much more positive than it was two decades ago, when harsher penalties meant nurses were less likely to report either themselves or a colleague who was addicted. "In emergency (rooms) there are some pretty potent drugs there that are pretty accessible. Having said that, I worked in emergency for 15 years and I only worked with one drug-addicted nurse," Mowat said. The news that four nurses were disciplined comes the week after a Brandon-based anesthetist was stripped of his ability to administer narcotics after an investigation found he created fictitious patients to hide painkillers he had in his possession. The doctor was censured and ordered to pay a $2,500 fine. He denied using the painkillers himself. 13 cases in six years While experts say the number of nurses struggling with substance abuse is low, 13 of 23 nurses disciplined by the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba since 2003 were drug-or alcohol-addicted. The breakdown of nurses disciplined for substance abuse, based on numbers provided by the college: 2008 4 2007 1 2006 1 2005 5 2004 1 2003 1 - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin