CLEARFIELD – A Penfield nurse accused of stealing drugs while working at Penn Highlands DuBois will lose her professional license for two years.
Kaitlin Danielle Rucinksi, 25, was charged Oct. 28 by an agent of the attorney general’s office with two felony counts of acquiring or obtaining possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, two misdemeanor counts of furnishing false/fraudulent material information and two misdemeanor counts of intentional possession of a controlled substance in connection with an incident on April 26 at the hospital.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Rucinski entered a verbal order into the computer claiming a doctor had prescribed 4 mgs of liquid morphine for two different patients.
When the doctor who had supposedly ordered the medication was reviewing the orders for her approval, she saw Rucinksi’s orders, printed them out and wrote on them, “I did not verbally order this medication” before signing them.
Rucinski was asked by a representative of human resources to explain the situation. She insisted the doctor had authorized the medication.
In an interview with investigators on Oct. 15, Rucinski told the agents that during her employment at the hospital, she had taken liquid narcotics before through false wasting procedures.
She reportedly admitted to loading syringes while at work with liquid narcotics including Dilaudid, morphine and Fentanyl and then injecting them into her leg at home.
She confessed to falsely creating the two orders for morphine on April 26 and taking the medication for her personal use, according to the criminal complaint.
On Monday during accelerated rehabilitative disposition court, Rucinski was accepted into the program for first time offenders for two misdemeanor counts each of possession of a controlled substance and furnishing false records.
She must serve two years ARD probation and lose her license for two years. She was ordered to pay $650 plus court costs and to complete 60 hours of community service.
Rucinski will also complete drug and alcohol counseling.