Dawn Drum, RN, accepted a plea deal that stated she replaced vials of fentanyl with saline and put them back into the hospital’s automated medication dispensing system, making the tampered vials available for use on other patients. Ms. Drum refused a drug test and resigned from her position when hospital management confronted her over the matter.
On May 8, she pleaded guilty to one count of product tampering while employed as a registered nurse at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Janesville, Wis., according to a Sept. 14 Justice Department news release. At her sentencing, she expressed remorse for her actions and noted her conduct was driven by her addiction to opioids.
