When a Nurse Returns to Work After Substance Abuse Treatment
When a Nurse Returns to Work After Substance Abuse Treatment
A substance use disorder (SUD) that impairs a nurse's ability to practice poses a safety risk. So it's reasonable to ask: What are adequate safeguards to put in place when a team member returns to work after treatment for SUD? Ideally, nurse colleagues would know how to support a nurse in early recovery from SUD while simultaneously protecting patient safety. But more often, they feel uncertain about how to do both at once. In my role as an educator, I've found that nearly every nurse I ask has a story about a colleague with a substance abuse problem—yet has little confidence in addressing the issue and virtually no specialized training.
SUD prevalence among nurses resembles that of the general population—about 10%. That's a large number, amounting to nearly 300,000 U.S. nurses. Apparently, our specialized knowledge of pathophysiology offers little protection from the risk of becoming addicted.
Most nurses diagnosed with SUD receive treatment and return to the workforce. Many become known to their nursing board and enroll in a program where their practice is monitored through a formal contract to ensure patient safety. Using 2009 data, researchers estimated about 12,000 nurses were enrolled in disciplinary monitoring (probation) programs or nondisciplinary (alternative) monitoring programs. Nearly half of nurses monitored in probation and about 75% of nurses who complete alternative monitoring programs return to work.
The nursing profession provides guidance in this area, in the form of the American Nurses Association's Code of Ethics for Nurses. The Code states that nurses must advocate for appropriate assistance (including treatment) for colleagues when indicated. Furthermore, advocacy includes supporting nurses in early recovery when they return to work. (See Nurses' ethical obligations when a colleague is in recovery.)
Introduction
A substance use disorder (SUD) that impairs a nurse's ability to practice poses a safety risk. So it's reasonable to ask: What are adequate safeguards to put in place when a team member returns to work after treatment for SUD? Ideally, nurse colleagues would know how to support a nurse in early recovery from SUD while simultaneously protecting patient safety. But more often, they feel uncertain about how to do both at once. In my role as an educator, I've found that nearly every nurse I ask has a story about a colleague with a substance abuse problem—yet has little confidence in addressing the issue and virtually no specialized training.
SUD prevalence among nurses resembles that of the general population—about 10%. That's a large number, amounting to nearly 300,000 U.S. nurses. Apparently, our specialized knowledge of pathophysiology offers little protection from the risk of becoming addicted.
Most nurses diagnosed with SUD receive treatment and return to the workforce. Many become known to their nursing board and enroll in a program where their practice is monitored through a formal contract to ensure patient safety. Using 2009 data, researchers estimated about 12,000 nurses were enrolled in disciplinary monitoring (probation) programs or nondisciplinary (alternative) monitoring programs. Nearly half of nurses monitored in probation and about 75% of nurses who complete alternative monitoring programs return to work.
The nursing profession provides guidance in this area, in the form of the American Nurses Association's Code of Ethics for Nurses. The Code states that nurses must advocate for appropriate assistance (including treatment) for colleagues when indicated. Furthermore, advocacy includes supporting nurses in early recovery when they return to work. (See Nurses' ethical obligations when a colleague is in recovery.)
Source...