A female nurse who sometimes tries to save time by putting medications in her uniform pocket is accused of what?

• A. Diversion
• B. Theft
• C. Negligence
• D. Insubordination

Answer: (A)

Medication diversion is the act of a healthcare worker taking medications for personal use, effectively misappropriating drugs from their proper use. Pocketing meds to save time fits this definition because it removes controlled substances from their intended use and places them into the worker’s possession. It’s a serious professional violation that endangers patients and violates policies and the law. This isn’t negligence, which would be a failure to meet the standard of care, nor insubordination, which is disobedience to orders. While theft is a related concept, the term most often used in healthcare to describe this behavior is diversion, emphasizing the inappropriate transfer of medications from clinical use to personal use.