Analysis Of The Case Of Deborah Mcneal
Deborah McNeal, an R.N. in the state of South Carolina committed a crime that reprimanded McNeal’s licenses to be placed on probation. McNeal admitted of January 8th, 2011, that she was arrested for two counts of obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud. McNeal forged her prescriptions in the name of her employer at CVS pharmacy and Walmart Pharmacy in Charleston, South Carolina. She was prescribing herself Ambien/Propoxyphene at CVS and Lortab Darvocet and Ambien at Walmart (2011). Propoxyphene is an opioid analgesic and is now a drug that is now not administered to patients (PROPOXYPHENE). A Lortab is a drug that combines hydrocodone and acetaminophen (“Hydrocodone Addiction and Abuse – Prescription”). Both propoxyphene and Lortab are for pain relief. According to the Consent Agreement, McNeal was prescribed Lortabs for the tearing of her rotator cuff the year before, and used the Lortabs for treatment but admitted she abused them for migraine headaches (2011). When McNeal went to the doctor to get pain medication for headaches, she called in a prescription for Darvocet and Ambien, as her employer for herself (2011).
McNeal was later diagnosed with Opiate Abuse, but was not fired from her employer and was placed under restrictions as a probationary period of six months but no longer than one year (2011). McNeal was not allowed to hold supervisory duties for six months, she was unable to call in prescriptions and she was not allowed to write a prescription for the doctor to sign (2011). McNeal also took a significant pay reduction in salary (2011).
To reobtain her license, McNeal had to follow specified conditions on her probationary status over the course of a year. The Consent Agreement involved many conditions, which included McNeal paying a Civil Penalty of 250 dollars within sixty days from the date of agreement of probation, attending the Board’s Legal Aspects Workshop – Teaching Regulation through Education and Experience (2011). She then had to give written documentation within six months from the date of action stating her attendance of the Workshop (2011). McNeal also attended a Board-approved Ethic Course and had to provide written documentation within six months (2011).
McNeal was strictly limited on her place of practice, where the Board approved the location, and any changes had to be approved by the Board (2011). McNeal lost all access to controlled substances during her probation, and the Director of Nursing, or the Surgical Services Supervisor have the right to decide the access of the substances after reobtaining her full license (2011).
Another action included in the Consent Agreement, was she had to have every employer submit quarterly reports to the board that includes assessment of her “professional integrity, commitment to professionalism and applicable standards of practice” (and follow the terms of the Consent Agreement until one year of compliance was fully documented. She had to abstain from the consumption of alcohol and if prescribed medication, she had to report the drug to the Board within 10 days after the date of treatment (2011). McNeal also had unannounced blood and urine alcohol and drug analysis and had to pay for the drug test within 30 days (2011). She had to provide a written contract and be active in activities of the Recovering Professional Program until at least five years of documented sobriety had been established (2011). Within 30 days of the date of the Consent Agreement, McNeal had to provide written verification of a written contract of each program. If McNeal failed to complete any of those tasks, it resulted in a violation of the Consent Agreement (2011).
Agreement and understanding that if any of these conditions were not met, her license would be “immediately administratively suspended” (“Consent Agreement,” 2011, p.5). She reobtained her license on December 14th, 2011 because she complied with all terms of the agreement and did not break any violations.
