Source: Addition Center Photo Source: Addiction Center Doctors and nurses can be affected by addiction just like anyone else. If left untreated, this can lead to many negative effects for medical professionals and patients alike.
Substance Abuse In Health Care
Source: Addition Center Shidonna Raven Garden and Cook
Doctors and nurses account for one of the highest rates of addiction in the workforce. According to USA Today, “Across the country, more than 100,000 doctors, nurses, technicians and other health professionals struggle with abuse or addiction, mostly involving narcotics such as Oxycodone and Fentanyl.”
Like many other working professionals facing an addiction, there are many reasons a medical professional might turn to drugs or alcohol. They could be looking for a way to stay alert on an all-day or overnight shift or a way to escape the emotional pain from a day of hard decisions and upsetting outcomes.
What sets doctors and nurses apart from other professionals is their accessibility to highly sought-after drugs — because it’s easier for them to get the drugs, it’s easier to create or feed an addiction.
The rate at which doctors and nurses suffer from addiction may be high, but this subgroup of people also has a high rate of recovery when they get treatment.
Signs Of Addiction Within Medical Professionals
Recognizing drug or alcohol dependence in doctors or nurses can be difficult because many are considered to be highly functional addicts. This means that they are able to maintain their career, home life and substance abuse for a period of time without others noticing.
Common signs of addiction in doctors and nurses include:
Changing jobs frequently
Preferring night shifts where there is less supervision and more access to medication
Falling asleep on the job or in-between shifts
Volunteering often to administer narcotics to patients
Anxiousness about working overtime or extra shifts
Taking frequent bathroom breaks or unexplained absences
Smelling of alcohol or excessively using breath mints or mouthwash
Extreme financial, relationship or family stress
Glassy eyes or small pupils
Unusually friendly relationship with doctors that prescribe medications
Incomplete charting or repeated errors in paperwork
Why Medical Professionals Turn To Drugs of Alcohol
There are many unique aspects of a doctor or nurse’s profession that makes them more likely than other occupations to form a substance addiction.
A common reason that medical professionals may be tempted to abuse substances such as Oxycodone or Fentanyl is due to the easy access they have to powerful prescription medications that aren’t properly accounted for as they are administered. They also have an extensive understanding of the effects these substances have on an individual and this may motivate them to try to mimic these sensations in themselves in order to produce a high or euphoria.
Along with their unpredictable and exhausting work hours, medical professionals are required to make spur-of-the-moment decisions regarding their patients’ health and wellbeing. If they feel responsible for a certain outcome or come to regret a choice that was made, this can greatly affect their emotions and mental state, leading to substance abuse.
The Effects Of Addiction In The Workplace
An addicted medical professional is more likely than their non-addicted colleagues to cause an accident in the workplace or neglect patients’ health. They may be distracted on the job or abruptly leave important appointments or surgical procedures to use drugs.
Sometimes I’d be standing in the operating room and it’d look like I had the flu. So I’d excuse myself and I’d run into the bathroom, eat 10 [Tylenols with codeine], and in maybe five or 10 minutes I’d be normal again.- Richard Ready, former chief resident of neurosurgery at a prominent Chicago hospital, LA Times
Doctors and nurses suffering from addiction are not only putting their own health at risk, but also the wellbeing of patients in their care. It may be hard for a medical professional to accept they have an addiction, but the sooner that the addiction is faced head on, the better. This can help prevent accidents on the job or neglect of important signs of health issues in patients.
Medical Professionals Substance Abuse Statistics
20 percent – According to Journal of Clinical Nursing, approximately 20 percent of all nurses struggle with an addiction to drugs or alcohol.
1 in 10 physicians will fall into drug or alcohol abuse at some point in their lives, mirroring the general population.
Treatment For Addiction Among Medical Professionals
While doctors and nurses are in a highly-regarded and respected line of work, they are certainly not immune to addiction. Fortunately, there are treatment programs that cater specifically to medical professionals and offer them a fresh, healthy start.
There are a number of states that offer programs to help doctors and nurses recover from an addiction while ensuring they won’t lose their license or practice. These programs also help guide medical professionals through recovery and provide ways to avoid triggers once back in the workplace.
Aspects that addiction treatment for medical professionals will address include:
How to restore your career and reputation
The process of returning to a professional practice
Addressing licensing and disciplinary matters
Avoiding potential triggers in and outside of the workplace
Participation in monitoring programs
Establishing continued after-care
There is definitely reason for a medical professional to be optimistic while in recovery, as they share a much higher than average rate of maintaining sobriety after treatment.
The highest rate of success stems from being enrolled in a treatment program where the staff members are familiar with treating medical professionals and the challenges that come with this type of addiction. Not unlike programs that cater to law enforcement, fire fighters, and other first responders, these treatment programs are acutely aware of the addiction and recovery struggles which are inherent in the medical profession. They will work alongside you to get to the root of what caused your addiction and guide you through the process of restoring your health. If you are a doctor or nurse facing an addiction and need help finding a treatment center, please contact a dedicated treatment provider today.
During this week you read, NBC News, how McKinsey settled for their marketing role creating the opioid crisis and how they will benefit from the treatment center tasked with “curing” people from opioid addiction. What are the affiliations of treatment centers such as these? How are medical professionals becoming addicted to drugs? Why are these considered additions rather than “medical treatments”?
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