This post was originally published on this site
A registered nurse faces drug charges after allegedly diverting narcotic pain medication from a local hospital, court records state.
J. M. Rothermel, 34, is charged with acquiring or obtaining possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, intentional possession of a controlled substance by person not registered and refusal to keep records as required by act, according to court record.
The incidents allegedly happened at UPMC Susquehanna Muncy, 215 E. Water Street, Muncy, court documents state.
According to arresting officer Duane Musser of the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and Drug Control, Rothermel diverted multiple vials of narcotics through an automated drug dispensing system called Pyxis.
The Pyxis system tracks narcotic medication by user fingerprint. Standard best practice for a nurse is to mark any unused medication as “wasted” to avoid diversion or incorrect dosage, according to the affidavit.
On March 31, 2018, Rothermel allegedly pulled Oxycodone from Pyxis without documenting it as administered to the patient, returned to Pyxis or wasted.
On April 12, 2018, Rothermel allegedly asked two co-worker nurses to document that they had witnessed the waste of a morphine vial that they had not actually seen. Rothermel allegedly claimed the morphine already was wasted during the day shift. When both nurses refused to document the waste as witnesses, Rothermel allegedly “found” a morphine vial from her pocket and wasted it in front of them.
Rothermel previously was terminated from Reading Hospital for suspected diversion of Dilaudid, a pain medication, after testing positive for Dilaudid.
She also filled monthly prescriptions for Oxycodone medication from January 2016 to April 2018, indicating a need for pain medications, according to Musser’s affidavit.
Rothermel is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Jon E. Kemp on December 21, 2018.