Over 3,000 Medical Nurses Addicted to Drugs in Wisconsin - Wisconsin nurses slower to self-report drug abuse

MADISON, Wis. — The first time Ann Stanton stole drugs, she says, came after she watched one of her patients die in intensive care.

Feeling responsible, she pocketed pain medication intended for an elderly patient soon after, setting off a six-month run of stealing that didn't end until she was caught in a hospital bathroom injecting a drug often used to treat anxiety disorders.

"I was dangerous, for sure," Stanton said of those months using. "I was high, and I was definitely impaired."

Stanton is one of the thousands of Wisconsin nurses who deal with addiction. At least 41 states have created non-disciplinary programs for such nurses, aimed at getting them to seek help before patients may be hurt.

Wisconsin is among those states, but its program has low participation rates that may be the result of a government-run model that some say deters nurses from self-reporting.

CLICK FOR MORE