A registered nurse at a New Jersey community medical center was terminated in or around November 2015 for suspected diversion of hydromorphone (Dilaudid). The hospital's pharmacy staff had discovered that two single-dose ampules of the opioid had been tampered with.
During the employer's investigation, the nurse gave a signed statement saying she had accidentally discarded full doses intended for two patients. Fearing punishment if pharmacy records did not match the ampule count, she said she took a third ampule, gave half to each of two different patients, refilled the empty ampule with saline, and returned it to the medication storage unit. The consent order notes she did not address why the hospital found two tampered ampules rather than one.
The nurse voluntarily enrolled in the Board of Nursing's designated intervention program, the Recovery and Monitoring Program, and remained in compliance with all of its requirements. All of her drug screens were negative, and she completed coursework on patient safety and minimizing medication errors.
The Board found the conduct could have endangered patients and constituted professional misconduct under New Jersey law. The matter was resolved by consent order without admissions, and the nurse was reprimanded.