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Read comments (19)The Tennessee Board of Nursing revoked Tamara Ann Patterson's status as a licensed practical nurse and Amy J. Atchison's registration as a pharmacy technician.
Patterson, who is listed as a Dyersburg resident, failed to appear at the disciplinary hearing June 4 in Nashville. Her practical nurse license, which was initially granted on Oct. 31, 1996, expired on Dec. 31, 2006.
A Board of Nursing order stated that Patterson was employed by Dyersburg Manor Nursing Home from July 26, 2005, to April 23, 2006. The nursing home discovered on April 18, 2006, that 120 hydrocodone pills were missing. Drug screens were performed on all staff members, including Patterson, who tested positive for hydrocodone use. She reportedly admitted that she did not have a prescription for the painkiller.
Patterson called Dyersburg Manor on April 24, 2006, and said she wouldn't come to work the following day because a family member was sick. She never returned to the nursing home and was, therefore, fired.
The nursing board determined Patterson was guilty of unprofessional conduct and being under the influence of drugs while on duty.
In addition to revoking her license, the board assessed Patterson a $1,000 fine and the costs of the disciplinary action.
Atchison, whose address is listed as 1041 Harness Road, was a pharmacy technician at Newbern Discount Drug from Oct. 15, 2007, to May 16, 2008. She is accused of taking hydrocodone, alprazolam and diazepam from the pharmacy without authorization.
Atchison agreed July 2 to the revocation of her pharmacy technician registration, which would have expired on Oct. 31, 2009.
The disciplinary actions were listed in a Tennessee Department of Health press release issued this month.
Would you still say ohhhhh give them a second chance if this nurse was taking care of your grandmother or grandfater and due to an impaired judgement you have the loss of one of your grandparents. It's not just nurses it's doctors,policeofficers etc...... you get the picture. These professionals should be held at a stiffer penalaty. They can make mistakes but are you willing to be on the other end knowing that the person was impaired at the time. I have wittnessed a horrific seen and if the person had not been impaired maybe the little boy would not of been ran over. We as people make enough mistakes and have to live and deal with them the best we can. But dealing with mistakes due to being impaired is a total jump in the other direction. We should push for stiffer penatlies on these so called proffesionals
I agree with kitkat we are all human we all fall short and everyone deserves a second chance but i also think that because this is a growing problem that there needs to be safety measures put in place to protect the patients such as lots of random drug testing and no fail inventory checks on meds...then when 120 pills come up missing there is no second guessing on who took them..i think that they both should have been given an opportunity to receive some help and then drug tested randomly very often...the reason i agree to set the record straight is because noone was hurt to my knowledge now if a patient had lost their life due to someone being under the influence while on duty then my opinion would change..the consequences need to fit the severity of the crime..
Illegal drug use in the medical profesion is a very prevalent problem. These professionals are humans, too, subject to the same problems and weaknesses as everyone else. They are subject to a higher standard because they are responsible for other's lives and health and well-being. They should be afforded a chance to redeem thmselves and enter rehab before their many years of dedication and hard work are just erased. No account addicts who come before judges time and time again are given
more chances to continue their theiving, unrepentant ways than people who may still be productive members of society.
I was always taught to have both side of a story before you go and print something that could run someone elses life. The only thing in that story that is accurate is the dates. I quit the manor because i was tallkd if i didnt come in that day TO WORK i would lose my job. and I didnt go in because my uncle was sick and died. I did have a minute trace of the drug in my system i suppose from soem cough medicine i had taken of my uncle a few days before. They wanted me to retake the test & i had no poroblem but my family came first. I had several jobs after that one also. If i had ever even received anything stating my license was in jeopardy i would have been fighting tooth and nail and been in nashville. Having to hear about this from a friend that read the paper is not only embarrassing but shocking. Anyone that knows me as a person knows that I love my career and those that choose to judge me from something i had no idea was happening can kiss my well u know the rest
Let's get this thing going in the right direction. Youknowimright and opinionated you both can kiss my brown eye. I was just trying to make a point. First of all one of those girls was not charged PERIOD!!!! It was a personal matter, and not a drug problem!!!!!!!!! That girl has changed her life. Everyone makes mistakes. Now let me end this. If you two are such gods of grammer and you don't have anything better to do. I will give you something get your lazy butts off the couch. YOU know you need it
Hehe...maybe they took off some comments but the ones that i read have absolutely nothing to do with the article. Who cares how people spell? People just love to bicker. Everyone is not going to have the same opinion. Thats what makes life fun. Also proving or trying to prove your smarter or wise and that everyone else is just simple. Well there is an old saying treat others as you would have others treat you. Hence, stop putting others comments down. Everyone is entitled to their own spelled wrong or right. Anyway, the two women in the article have drug problems. They will probably get more than a slap on the wrist beside the fact that they will no longer have a career. If people would only get as upset about bad spelling as the bad law enforcement bad politicians bad lawyers bad judges etc...maybe things would change for the better. So yes people get angry but put it towards fairness and justice.
What's up with you people tonight? Chill out! I guess some people just need someone to pick on.
Hahaha with cadizpub!!! Okay, that was probably inappropriate but still funny! :)
WAAAAAH........WAAAAAH....
Now, now, children, let's all take some hydrocodone and settle down a bit.
Besides...if you are going to get on here and make a comment for everyone to read, not to mention say that people are "half rate personal (whatever that means...)" then at least TRY to use the right punctuation and grammar. I'm no scholar, and I understand people make mistakes, and that's fine. What I have a problem with is people getting on here and calling others names and acting like they are stupid when they can't even find the period or comma key themselves!!
Hmmm isn't a sentence either. Smarty.(oooh, wait, that wasn't one either!!!!)
oh my, did I end up on the wrong blog page ? It seems I have been misdirected to an English 101 page..... geeeesh people get over it. It is pretty obvious everyone knew what the person was saying or you would not have been able to correct the mistakes. Also, "And spelling" is not a sentence. What is that old saying ..... wash your own dirty laundry before washing someone else's ? hmmmmm
"Their" homework (homework is one word, not two), not "there" because "there" is a place not a word showing ownership such as "their". And "thats" should be "that's" which is the contracted word meaning "that is". These blogs are very revealing as to just how ignorant some folks are.
I agree with justme30.
well, info hound, you should do your homework on punctuation also. And spelling. Your writing looks like YOU could be one of those half rate PERSONNEL.
thats what the blog is for so if the reporting is false info hound then please set the record straight
the information in this story is not all true i believe the author should do there home work before releasing an article but thats what you get when you hire half rate personal
hydrocodone is a very addictive drug
MAN, ALL THE HARD WORK PUT IN JUST TO LOSE YOUR LICENSE.......THIS RANKS UP THERE WITH A CRACK ADDITION.....IT WILL BE HARD TO PRACTICE IN THAT PROFESSION AGAIN...