2024

16 FEBRUARY 2024 ausdoc . com . au

The impact on her life ‘ outweighed ’ the small benefits of theft .

Paul Smith A NURSE who was suspended for two years under emergency powers after stealing cannula equipment worth a few dollars has been given the green light to return to work .

Back in June 2019 , the Filipino-trained nurse was working on a hospital night shift and had placed bungs , cannulas and saline ampoules in her handbag to administer to herself a so-called Glutanex drip : a beauty product widely used in the Philippines to whiten the skin .

When the cannula items were spotted by a staff member in the handover room , she denied that the handbag was hers but then promptly confessed her wrongdoing to the nurse unit manager .

Although she had an unblemished record at that point , two weeks later , she was sacked by the Melbourne hospital , which then made a notification to AHPRA .

She was immediately suspended by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia under section 156 of the National Law because she was deemed a potentially serious risk to public safety .

TIME SAVING Concise and easy-to-use drug information for busy practitioners .

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal said the suspension had remained in place for two years before her lawyers successfully applied for it to be lifted , arguing she did not pose a threat to the public .

The nurse said she and a nurse friend had paid $ 680 so they could import the Glutanex drip , an S4 poison that usually needs TGA approval and a doctor ’ s prescription before being brought into Australia .

Both had used it many times before with no adverse effects , she added .

The tribunal acknowledged she had been extremely remorseful and noted the significant impact the emergency suspension had had on her life .

“ She faced severe financial pressure . Coming from overseas , she did not have strong financial supports to fall back on . She had to move interstate to live with her sister . With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic , she had difficulty finding employment in order to pay her debts .”

The tribunal said she was also “ significantly ” affected emotionally and psychologically .

“ She said she had a hard time coping and coming to terms with the loss of the profession she had worked hard to qualify for and which her parents had worked hard for as well in order to send her to Australia to make a better life .”

The nurse said : “ I felt I had no purpose anymore .

‘ I felt I had no purpose anymore .’