Rohr-English 100, 101
Research Paper-RL 4
Erika Aguirre
Research Log Assignment 4
Nursing is a highly esteemed profession but it still has its negative aspects. A growing number of nurses are being identified as drug addicts but what is causing them to abuse drugs? Job stress, job work area, and easy access to the medication are just some of the several reasons for why nurses are abusing drugs. Being a nurse is a very stressful job since they work for long hours. Nurses are also entrusted with the well-being of patients. Yet the pressures of this responsibility, particularly in intensive care units where patients are often on the verge of death, can become difficult to bear. The lure of drugs may often seem irresistible. Also, nurses working in ICU, ER, OR, or anesthesia have the highest prevalence of drug abuse since these are considered very high stress work settings (Heacock).
Treatment Art Card.
First Lady Nancy Reagan hosts a conference on drug...
English: "Nancy Reagan speaking at the United Nati...Another reason for why nurses are abusing drugs is simply because it's so easy for them to get access to the medications. According to Lisa Wolfe the accessibility of a clean and safe drug supply combined with an appreciation of its ability to alleviate pain has made nurses, like other health professionals, two to three times more vulnerable to drug abuse than other professionals. For example, Penny Offer, a nurse in an intensive care unit took medicine home from the hospital to help her sleep after her father died of heart failure and started being disturbed by visions of death that surrounded her on the job. Many nurses are falling in the traps of drug abuse but with help they can recover.
Works Cited
Heacock, Sue. "Nurses and Substance Abuse." Nurse Together. NurseTogether, 6 Jan. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nursetogether.com/nurses-and-substance-abuse>.
Wolfe, Lisa. "Nurses and Drug Abuse: New...