Chemical Dependency in Nurses

Paper Summary:

This paper state that nurses, who are in need of rehabilitation, often find it very difficult to seek help because alcohol and drug addiction is considered to be a moral stigma rather than a physical disease, especially within the nursing profession. The author points out that, when a nurse is a victim of escalating addiction, it is not only in the interest of the nurse to help her but also in the interest of patients, the hospital, and the nursing profession in general. The paper relates that nurses are reluctant to report their addicted colleagues because of fears of what their colleagues may go through in terms of scandal and social misunderstanding, of causing a rift in friendships, of spreading rumors and (4) of being a trouble maker.

From the Paper:

"The successful image radiated by many of the nurses with substance problems also makes it difficult for those around them to realize that there is a problem. When the problem does manifest itself, it is therefore already in its advanced stages. A further ethical problem is the reporting issue. According to Dunn (2005) and indeed according to the paradigm of the nursing profession, nurses have an ethical obligation to report harmful activities that may result in harm to patients. Patients' rights in this regard are very important."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adlersberg, Mary. (2004, Apr.). Registered Nurses and Substance Misuse or Abuse: RNABC's Role. Nursing BC. Database: Find Articles.com
• Dunn, Debra. (2005, Oct.) Substance Abuse Among Nurses - Defining the issue. AORN Journal. Database: FindArticles.com.
• -- (2005, Nov.) Substance Abuse Among Nurses - intercession and intervention. AORN Journal. Database: FindArticles.com.

More papers on Chemical Dependency in Nurses:

• Term Paper # 46558 : "Nurses and Substance Abuse"
• Term Paper # 102930 : "Drug Addiction in Professional Nursing"
• Research Paper # 115224 : "Substance Abuse Among Nurses"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: