Substance Use in Registered Nurses: Where Legal, Medical, and Personal Collide

Abstract

Introduction Registered Nurses (RNs) who are reported by their employer, or interface with the criminal justice system due to substance use, will typically appear before a board of nursing. In some states, this appearance becomes a legal record with documentation available to the public. Objective The purpose of this study is to qualitatively analyze the court documents of RNs whose licenses were placed on probationary, suspended, or revoked statuses by the Indiana State Board of Nursing (ISBN). Methods A descriptive content analysis was conducted on 236 court documents associated with 51 RNs. The study presents the typical paths of RNs appearing before the ISBN. Results From the qualitative data, five themes emerged: (a) critical junctures experienced by RNs during the disciplinary process; (b) emerging groups who appear before the ISBN; (c) individual contexts versus standardized discipline; (d) deliberate diversion, deceit, and deception; and (e) significant threat to public safety and quality health care. Conclusion Understanding regulatory oversight of substance use in RNs in Indiana offers potential directions for targeted interventions. These include identifying periods of vulnerability and understanding the dynamics of appearances before the ISBN across time.