Chemically Impaired Nurses - 1052 Words

Chemically- Impaired Nurses Jaime Littles Christina Mazzeo Sociology 101 Research Paper When deciding to enter the stressful and demanding field of nursing, I asked myself how will I physically, mentally, and emotionally deal with the demands of the profession? It takes a lot of long hours, knowledge of procedures and practices, and devotion to patients and their families. So how do nurses deal with the demands of their job? It has surprised me that in researching the profession that ten to twenty percent of practicing nurses have substance abuse problems. Substance abuse is defined as using excessive amounts of drugs or alcohol beyond their specified purpose. I chose to research this particular social problem†¦show more content†¦In comparing the different sociological perspectives, I believe it is important to use both micro and macro analysis to investigate this social problem. Micro analysis can be used to analyze individual problems in the nursing profession that cause many nurses to turn to drugs and alcohol. Macro analysis will look at the profession as a whole to see what can be done to improve conditions for nurses and to rehabilitate nurses who are in recovery. I personally would choose both methods because it is important to use different points of views to solve problems in our communities. When looking back 50 years, I believe that chemically impaired nursing was as much a problem then as it is today. There was less documentation back then to account for lost medication. I believe there was an assumption that nurses are respected, trusted, and would never put the patients life in danger. With all of the technology today, I believe it is a lot harder to get away with stealing medication. When administering drugs, there is a lot more documentation and security in the hospitals. Medications are secured in lock boxes which must be accessed by more than one nurse. If I were a sociologist given a grant to investigate chemically impaired nurses, I would go around to hospitals and have a group discussio n. I would ask the nurses to voice their concerns about their workShow MoreRelatedNurse Impairment And Its Effects On The Health Care Organizations837 Words   |  4 Pagesthe most critical problem, such as chemically impaired nursing practice, on a daily basis. All areas of the nursing profession are affected by a chemical dependency and the cost associated with this problem is a great concern for the health care organizations. According to Church (2000), â€Å"nurse impairment affects the safety of the public, the nurse’s well being and the profession as a whole† (p. 2). 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The disease of substance abuse disorderRead MoreEvidence-Based Practice and Applied Nursing Research Essay2938 Words   |  12 PagesUniversity Evidence-Based Practice and Applied Nursing Research Article critique Sayre, M.M., McNeese-Smith, D., Leach, L.S., Phillips, L.R. (2012). An educational intervention to increase â€Å"speaking-up† behaviors in nurses and improve patient safety. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 27(2), 154-160. AREA|METHOD OF REPORT (HOW IT WAS ADDRESSED)| 1. Background information2. Review of the literature3. Discussion of methodology4. Specific data analysis5. Conclusion |Ø