Substance Abuse Among Nurses Essay - 920 Words

Introduction Over the years, substance abuse in the United States has become a persistent issue affecting many individuals. In 2008, it was estimated that 17.8 million Americans over the age of 18 where substance dependent (Epstein, Burns, Conlon, 2010). Many of these individuals being affected are nurses. Ponech (2000) stated that approximately 10% of the nursing population has alcohol or drug abuse problems, and 6% has problems serious enough to interfere with their ability to practice (as cited in Talbert, 2009, p.17). Studies show that nurses have a 50% higher rate of substance abuse compared to the rest of the public (Epstein et al., 2010). Among the many factors that contribute to the nurse’s issue of substance abuse,†¦show more content†¦As in the emergency department, nurses were 3.5 times as likely to use marijuana and cocaine (Young, 2008). Nurses are using substances as a coping mechanism to their stressful work environment. Excessive workload due to the nursing shorta ge, shift rotations, working longer hours and floating to different units leads nurses to high stress levels (Epstein et al., 2010). In addition to alcohol and substances nurses can access in the streets, nurses can also abuse substances at work through their patients medications. Easy access to the drugs is another important factor contributing to nurses who substance abuse. As stated by Serghis (1999) the availability of medications in the workplace has been linked to substance abuse among nurses (as cited in Talbert, 2009, p.17). Part of the nurse’s duty every day is to give medication to their patients, which exposes them to have easy access to drugs. Nurses who take medication from their patients for their own personal use are always using the maximum PRN dosage when other nurses use less (DeClerk, 2008, p. 12). The healthcare field accepts the use of medication and so nurses may perceive the wrong idea by making use of patients drugs themselves. Medications are easily accessible to nurses, who may believe erroneously that they have the ability to control their own medications use because of their experience with administering medication to patients (Talbert, 2009, p. 17). In the caseShow MoreRelatedSuicide And Substance Abuse Among Nurses1687 Word s   |  7 Pages Suicide and Substance Abuse Among Nurses Associating nurses with the word suicide or drug addict is a taboo concept. Nurses are seen as the gate keepers to those that are sick and disabled. Due to the increase in incivility and workplace bullying in healthcare nurses are experiencing an increase in mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety disorders. Organizations currently do not impose mental health screening for new and current nurses ranging from a numerous amount of reason. 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