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A former Oregon State Penitentiary nurse has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to surrender his nursing license after being convicted of tampering with drug records.
Jason Hofmann, 44, of Stayton, pleaded no contest to two counts of tampering with drug records. In a petition filed in Marion County, he stated he made false entries on drug records at the prison infirmary.
The Oregon State Nursing Board investigated allegations that Hofmann stole hundreds of medication pills, including hydrocodone, oxycodone and other narcotics, from hospitals in Albany, Corvallis, Lincoln City and Salem.
According to court records, Hofmann worked as a registered nurse for the Oregon Department of Corrections from 2013 to 2014. In February 2014, prison staff noticed missing medications and narcotics logs. This led Oregon State Police to launch a six-month long investigation to determine whether narcotics were being stolen from the prison.
Investigators discovered Hofmann, along with another nurse who was also arrested, administered almost three times more medication than other employees. They found numerous discrepancies between the medication logged out and the amount given to inmates. Video surveillance of Hofmann’s graveyard shift at the infirmary allegedly showed him keeping pills in his hands and regularly taking things out of his pocket and putting them in his mouth.
Hofmann told detectives he frequently ate candy while on duty. He also admitted a drug test would come back positive because he was taking painkillers for a shoulder injury. He blamed the logging discrepancies on being too busy.
The other involved nurse at the prison, Linda Jones, 58, of Salem, pleaded guilty in 2015 to possession of oxycodone, delivery of a controlled substance and two counts of tampering with drug records. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 18 months probation. Jones was also ordered to resign from DOC employment and surrender her nursing license. Jones told investigators she and Hofmann both diverted medications while on duty.
According to court records, Hofmann worked at Salem Health hospital from 1996 to 2004 and was fired for improper documentation and falsifying hospital records. After the hospital began investigating missing narcotics, Hofmann claimed he was too busy and had “sloppy documentation” practices. Patients at the hospital reported not receiving the listed amounts of medication; others had no reported pain, but the logs indicated they received pain medication.
Hofmann went on to work at Samaritan Albany General Hospital, Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center and Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital. All three reported massive discrepancies in narcotics medications logged out and administered, according to a nursing board investigation. Investigators attempted to work with Hofmann’s lawyer to have him voluntarily stop working as a nurse.
The American Nurses Association estimates that 6 to 8 percent of nurses use alcohol or drugs to the extent it impairs their on-the-job performance. A report from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing said others estimate that nurses misuse drugs and alcohol at about 10 to 15 percent— the same rate as the general public.
Licensing for nurses and nursing assistants working across the state are handled by the Oregon State Nursing Board. At the time of his conviction, Hofmann’s license was restricted. Barbara Holtry, the communications manager for the nursing board, said the restriction was part of an interim consent order with the board. Hofmann agreed to cease practice in October 2015 until further notice from the board.
Holtry couldn’t comment directly on Hofmann’s case because it remains open but said the allegations made against him were not uncommon.
“Each case is handled differently,” she said, adding that repercussions can range from probation to a license revocation.
The board meets monthly to decide disciplinary actions against nurses who’ve violated the law or nursing standards. Of the 31 nurses who received disciplinary actions in September, five allegedly diverted drugs from their workplaces for personal use. Seven were disciplined for using intoxicants in a manner injurious to themselves or others.
A total of 370 disciplinary actions were taken by the board in 2016. Just under 10 percent were for diversion of a controlled substance, and another 10 percent were for failure to maintain accurate records. About one in five included unsafe practice or substandard care by reason of alcohol or other substance abuse.
Actions ranged from the voluntary surrender of licenses to 2-year probation followed by monitored nursing.
According to 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, 32,490 registered nurses work in Oregon. With an annual mean salary of almost $84,000, the state boasts some of the highest nursing wages in the country.
Health care professionals have many unique workplace characteristics that could increase their risk of developing a substance abuse problem. The top four risk factors for nurses in the workplace are stress, access, attitude and a lack of education and stigma about addiction, according to a report by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
Following his no contest plea, Hofmann was ordered to spend the first month of 2017 in jail. He was also sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation and required to undergo substance abuse evaluation. As part of a special condition of his sentencing, Hofmann agreed to immediate surrender of nursing license and to never reapply.
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