Nurse drug diversion cases
402 documented cases, 1983–2026.
Figures are derived from the 931 case records collected on this site, not from any official total. A record counts here when its Role field, or failing that its title, names one of these roles: 100 from the Role field, 302 from the title.
Roles counted: Registered nurse (RN) (91) · Licensed practical / vocational nurse (22) · Nurse practitioner / APRN (15) · Nurse anesthetist (CRNA) (12) · Nurse (role unspecified) (262).
Monetary penalties stated
Median: $5,500
Smallest $500 · largest $4,500,000
Median of 37 amounts in US dollars (civil settlements and penalties, criminal fines, restitution, forfeiture) stated in 35 of 402 records. 367 records state no dollar amount.
Custodial sentences stated
Shortest: 3 months
Longest: 120 months (10 years)
63 prison or jail terms stated in 63 of 402 records. Probation, supervised release, home confinement and suspended terms are not counted.
Drug classes involved
| Drug class | Records |
|---|---|
| Opioids | 285 |
| Other controlled substance | 65 |
| Benzodiazepines | 14 |
| Stimulants | 8 |
| Anesthetics / sedatives | 6 |
| No drug stated | 44 |
A record naming drugs from two classes counts in both.
States with the most records
| State | Records |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 22 |
| Iowa | 18 |
| Michigan | 16 |
| Connecticut | 15 |
| Mississippi | 15 |
| Wisconsin | 15 |
| Oregon | 14 |
| New Hampshire | 11 |
52 states and territories in all; every state.
Settings involved
| Setting | Records |
|---|---|
| Hospital / health system | 159 |
| Other / not classified | 150 |
| Long-term care | 25 |
| Ambulatory surgery / OR | 9 |
| Home health / hospice | 6 |
| Fertility / reproductive | 2 |
| Retail pharmacy | 1 |
| No setting stated | 50 |
Other roles
Cases
Newest first · page 14 of 17, 326–350 of 402
- Registered nurse accused of diverting hydromorphone at Memorial Hospital of Converse County by replacing it with saline 2017-06 · Douglas, WY · Hospital / health system
- Metro Jackson Hospital Nurse Charged With Embezzling Opioids 2017-05-24 · Hospital / health system
- Scottsdale Surgery Center Nurse Surrenders License After Diverting Fentanyl and Dilaudid 2017-05-02 · Scottsdale, AZ · Ambulatory surgery / OR
- Registered nurse reprimanded for misappropriating narcotics from employer for personal use 2017-05 · Other / not classified
- Hospital nurse accused of embezzling Dilaudid and morphine for diversion 2017-05 · Jackson, MS · Hospital / health system
- Alaska registered nurse reprimanded for diverting narcotics from employer for personal use 2017-05 · Other / not classified
- Hudson Valley nurse surrendered licenses after admitting unordered medication withdrawals she could not account for 2017-03
- Traveling nurse surrendered license after admitting to stealing fentanyl from Massachusetts hospital 2017 · Newburyport, MA · Hospital / health system
- Illinois nursing home nurse diverted hydrocodone by falsely recording resident requests 2016-10-17 · Long-term care
- Illinois emergency room nurse diverted hydromorphone from Pekin hospital 2016-10-06 · Hospital / health system
- New Jersey hospital nurse reprimanded after hydromorphone ampules found tampered with 2016-10 · Hospital / health system
- Mississippi registered nurse's license revoked over medication misappropriation and unauthorized drug possession grounds 2016-10
- Mississippi registered nurse's license revoked over unauthorized drug handling and falsified records grounds 2016-10
- Mississippi registered nurse's license revoked over unauthorized drug possession and misappropriation grounds 2016-10
- Registered nurse admitted diverting controlled dangerous substances while working in an Oregon regional corrections system 2016-09 · Wasco County, Oregon · Other / not classified
- Advanced practice nurse diverted phentermine through unauthorized prescriptions at Seacrest Village 2016-05 · Little Egg Harbor, NJ · Other / not classified
- Nurse diverted hydromorphone from an automated dispensing cabinet system at place of employment 2016-04 · Other / not classified
- Hospital emergency room nurse diverted controlled substances from an automated medication administration machine 2016-04 · Hospital / health system
- Emergency room nurse suspended indefinitely for diverting controlled substances from an automated medication administration machine 2016-04 · Hospital / health system
- Nevada nursing board found a licensed practical nurse withdrew morphine from patient dispensers at a rural hospital without documenting it 2016-03 · Caliente, NV · Hospital / health system
- Wayne County LPN Sentenced to Jail for Diverting Oxycodone from Nursing Home Patients 2016-01-06 · Newark, NY · Long-term care
- Mississippi Nurse Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2016) 2016 · Mississippi · Long-term care
- Worcester Nurse Pleads Guilty to Stealing Oxycodone from Nursing Home Patients 2015-11-05 · Worcester, Massachusetts · Other / not classified
- Mississippi registered nurse voluntarily surrendered license amid self-administration of drugs ground 2015-10
- Mississippi registered nurse voluntarily surrendered license amid record falsification and misappropriation grounds 2015-10
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Disclaimer
Case summaries are based on public records (DOJ press releases, court documents, licensing-board orders, news reports). Charges are allegations unless a conviction is noted. Analysis is educational, not legal advice.
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