Nurses and Substance Abuse Problems

Wheeler has called the problem of impaired nurses due to substance abuse one that affects the entire profession and one that is associated with high health care costs--this in terms of both the costs necessary to help the nurse through recovery and the costs associated with any damage she might due as a result of her impaired performance. Some authors have theorized that the major contributors to the problem of substance abuse among nurses are occupational or job-related stress and positive attitudes toward drug use.

However, in a study designed to examine whether occupational stress levels and positive drug attitudes were associated with differences in a wide variety of drug usage, usage (with the exception of one over-the-counter medication) did not differ as a function of either occupational stress or attitudinal differences. Despite the forego

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e program can be either self-referred or referred once a complaint has been filed. Successful completion of the program results in the dropping of all charges and the expulsion of any record of the complaint or treatment for substance abuse being kept on the nurse's license record. In other words, there is absolutely no record that the nurse ever had a problem with alcohol or drugs and, as a result, she does not have to answer for it upon re-entry into the profession. As to how the program works, Bronson notes that program entry is decided based on an evaluative interview. The nurse who is accepted then meets with the diversion committee and together they develop a mutually acceptable treatment plan. This plan (treatment contract) specifically delineates all details involved in recovery including not only the treatments that will be used but also what the nurse is expected to do. In California, the treatment modality given to nurses through the Diversion Program is, essentially, that of the 12-step program. However, in addition, nurses are expected to attend a weekly support group which is facilitated by nurses with both experience and expertise in the area of substance abuse. The objectives of this support group are descr
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Scope Wheeler, Summary Conclusions, Absenteeism Job, Diversion Program, Programs EAPs, Diversion Programs, California Participants, Ashton Bay, Social Support, Introduction Alcohol, substance abuse, diversion program, social support, occupational stress, job performance, abuse nurses, substance abuse nurses, impaired nurses, nurse managers, nurses engage, risk substance abuse, complaint filed, result substance abuse, investigative policies practices, abuse changes job,
Approximate Word count = 2764
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

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