When TikToker @the.legal.np was 21 years old, she turned her first nursing director into the board. She had just started her career as a nurse and was extremely excited to help patients.
Her first job was working on a cardiac step-down unit. She initially loved her nursing director, Deb, because she always took the time to teach her.
But one day, Deb told her that she had just given a patient, Mr. Smith, some pain medication. @the.legal.np did not recall Mr. Smith asking for pain meds, so she double-checked with him as she was doing her rounds.
Mr. Smith said he hadn’t asked for any pain meds since he wasn’t in pain. So, she walked back over to Deb to clarify with her. Deb told her that Mr. Smith probably didn’t remember because he was yapping on the phone the whole time.
About a week later, Deb came to help her move a patient. She could see an IV hidden under Deb’s sleeve. They locked eyes, so Deb knew she had spotted it.
Afterward, Deb raced out of the room. She followed Deb and asked her what was going on.
Deb told her that her cancer had returned, and she had been receiving treatments at another hospital. She asked her not to tell anyone and started crying.
She also didn’t have enough money to afford her treatment for this weekend. All she needed was $100, which @the.legal.np gave to her because she happened to have the money in her wallet.
“I felt so bad at that moment,” said @the.legal.np. “Like, I literally believed everything she said to me because I was young and I didn’t know at that young an age that there might be a different motive for what was going on.”
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So, she decided to take it up with her supervisor. He explained that Deb was a code blue in the ICU, where she was working previously.
She was revived and went to rehab. She got hired as a director because she was such a good nurse, and the position kept her away from bedside narcotics.
The next week, @the.legal.np decided to bring up the issue with her manager. The manager said that if they told on Deb, she would lose her license.
If @the.legal.np wanted to, she would have to report her to the board. Her supervisor helped her make a complaint. The following week, security came to escort Deb out.
“I sat through depositions, and I also had to meet with the police because it actually became part of a federal drug investigation,” said @the.legal.np.
“So, I’m here to tell you if something is wrong in your gut, your job, first and foremost, is to protect your patients, not your coworkers, because something bad could have really happened.”
She still feels guilty about turning in her director, but she is also thankful that Deb was able to get the help she needed and was no longer in a position to endanger patients.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
