SUBSTANCE-USE DISORDER IN NURSING: RECOGNITION, REPORTING, AND SUPPORT FOR FLORIDA NURSES (2HRS) (MANDATORY)

Course overview

This course meets the new Florida mandate to teach all nurses how to recognize signs of impairment in their colleagues and how to realize if they are impaired themselves. The target audience for this program is Florida nurses who want to enhance their ability to recognize and legally and ethically intervene when colleagues show signs of impairment related to substance-use disorder. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, the learner should be able to: 1. Describe the current state of the problem of substance-use disorder among nurses. 2. Differentiate between myths and truths as they relate to substance-use disorder among nurses. 3. Identify signs and behaviors of substance-use disorder among nurses in the workplace. 4. Discuss employer initiatives to ensure a safe patient environment as it relates to substance-use disorder among nurses. 5. Identify elements of Florida's mandatory reporting laws, Section 464.018. 6.List the essential steps to make a report or referral for the nurse who is impaired because of substance use/abuse. 7.Describe employer initiatives to provide assistance for the nurse who has substance-use disorder. 8.Identify treatment programs for practitioners whose practice is impaired in Florida, Section 456.076. 9.Explain treatment interventions for the nurse dealing with substance-use disorder. In summary, the problem of the impaired nurse poses a real danger to patient safety and the effective delivery of patient care in all health care organizations. Florida nurses must be aware that they are mandatory reporters and take action to safeguard their patients and help colleagues to recover. All health care organizations must have policies and procedures that address the problem of impairment, steps necessary to protect patient safety, reporting procedures, and steps to help the impaired nurse recover. A workplace environment that focuses on safety first while providing compassion and help for nurses struggling with addiction will ultimately provide the best avenue for successful treatment and recovery.