Healthcare Compliance Perspective:
Employees for healthcare companies shall adhere to a level of conduct and behavior. It is unacceptable behavior for an employee to reports to work apparently under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs or narcotics, or in a physical condition making it unsafe or unsatisfactory to continue employment, included using substances while working at the healthcare provider.
The Washington State Pharmacy Commission immediately suspended a pharmacy technician pending further legal action for diverting and consuming morphine taken from a patient’s prescription. The technician is also charged with coming to work after consuming alcohol and making errors while she was compounding medications. She admitted to investigators that she regularly consumes three to four shots of alcohol prior to going to work in the evening.
The charges state that in May 2017, the pharmacy technician diverted and consumed a morphine tablet taken from a patient’s medication supply, and that she came to work after drinking alcohol and made several errors while compounding medications. A urine sample taken from the technician tested positive for alcohol, marijuana and morphine.
The technician’s coworkers reported that they had “smelled alcohol on the technician’s breath, observed that her eyes were red and glassy, and her face was flushed. They also noticed that her speech was slurred and she was unable to understand simple instructions.”
The pharmacy technician entered into a rehab treatment program, but failed to complete it.
Until the charges are resolved, the woman cannot work as a pharmacy technician in the state of Washington. She has “20 days to request a hearing to contest the charges and the suspension.”
