Depending on his story and the urinalysis I would almost question if he did some stuff and was trying to cover it by pre emptively claiming exposure so if he had to take a drug test and it came back positive, he had an excuse.
But like others say, document everything. Most medical professionals know that's not how exposure works and that if he had issues, it was most likely anxiety.
Tbh I think this is the only non stupid answer (still stupid to do drugs but you've got to be some kind of real idiot to believe in contact exposures at this point)
~~Well you absolutely can get fentanyl into your system without intentionally doing it. I mean the stuff is extraordinarily potent, as you know, and normally what happens is there’s some in an actual/makeshift bag or something. They open/close/whatever the bag which puffs a bunch of it into a fine particulate cloud, and then they inhale it which absorbs through mucous membranes in the nose, mouth, throat, etc and OD. I’d be skeptical about pretty much every substance besides fentanyl and it’s analogs. Oh and LSD~~ edit: i stand corrected
Nope. Not how it works. You would need to absolutely bury your face in there and take a nice deep breath, and even then you would need a decent amount. You’re not absorbing any meaningful levels through some passive method such as a puff coming out of a bag.
I did some reading just now and it seems I’m a victim of the fentanyl panic misinformation. I didn’t realize it would have to be a situation like a manufacturing lab to have enough in the air for a meaningful dose. Had some cop buddies tell me this stuff a while ago and i took their word for it. I wonder if they were ever corrected as well? Cause I’m reading this bad info has cause people to delay life saving treatment for fear of ODing when there’s no risk.
Media is such a blessing and a curse. I likely got bad second hand info from social media and now I’m learning what I thought was wrong from it. Wild
Kudos to you for looking at new information and forming a new thought on the issue, a rare sight these days. As I'm sure you're aware, out of all of the reported LEO "accidental exposures" not a single one has resulted in a toxicology report that has confirmed fentanyl much less an amount to OD on.
Im reading about it now. I have no clue how this information isn’t more widely disseminated. I guess it doesn’t make for a good headline like fear of invisible death does, eh?
Correct. It's known as "Copaganda" which serves a dual purpose of making people feel bad for police, and thus getting them more $upport when it comes budget time.
My guess is that it was started as an honest mistake/assumption but continues to be spread as a way for LEOs to garner sympathy in the current social climate.
This is why you should always double or even triple check anything that you read on the internet. Every argument that has been brought up regarding the fentanyl OD's has been disproved multiple times, but most people just read the scary headline and don't fact check anything, which just creates a really dangerous environment for everyone.
Yeah it turns out a couple of terminally on tik tok police officers aren’t the best place to get your info. I don’t know why I didn’t read about it sooner.
The thing is, a lot of these cops actually believe in what they're saying, and when they are faced with fentanyl, they get panic attacks which are then played off by the media and the cops themselves as "fentanyl OD's". It really is rough out there.
Good on you for realizing your mistake and taking the word of people closer to the subject in order to springboard your own education on it. That's how it should be done.
I'm sure your cop friends are misinformed as well and not deliberately being misleading, but opioid/fentanyl misinfo is a *huge* issue. At best, it causes a big increase in ER/911 calls for what essentially amounts to a panic attack because people *think* they've been exposed, and at worst causes people to avoid seeking help altogether for fear of legal trouble. Not to mention perpetuating harmful stigmas about drug abuse, which also leads to less care being sought/given.
Again, good on you for realizing your blindspot and educating yourself about it.
I’m not one to double down on a thing, especially if it’s outside of my area of expertise. I probably should’ve just not piped up in the first place, but that’s how you learn, so oh well lol. And no doubt, I don’t think they’re trying to be misleading, but they’re meant to keep their skills and knowledge on the cutting edge to better protect and serve and they clearly haven’t, which is annoying. Especially given all of the negative impacts it had second hand. Not only that, but they’re perpetuating misinformation that’s easily refuted online
I wonder if what they were referring to was carfentinil that was out a year or 2 ago. We had a surge of it in British Columbia and because it’s a synthetic opiate, narcan wasn’t working and reported as 100x stronger than fentanyl . Heard all kinds of horror stories about that stuff and warnings by our employer
I think Narcan wasn’t working because carfentanil is simply insanely strong. Narcan should work with any opiate or opioid, synthetic or otherwise as drugs like methadone, tramadol, fentanyl, oxycodone etc are all either synthetic or semi synthetic opioids and narcan works on them fine. It has to with binding affinity to mu receptors and relative potency. Narcan has the power to kick most of these drugs in recreational doses out easily, but drugs like carfentanil is potent to the point that it might require a huge amount of narcan to pull it off the receptor and keep it blocked. I was reading a medical paper earlier that it has to do with the bioavailability of narcan and ideally for a carfentanil OD one should get an IM shot and the nose spray. But I’m just some dude, so take with a grain of salt. Shits deadly regardless I’m sorry you had to deal with it
Yeah you'd essentially have to [Scarface yourself](https://64.media.tumblr.com/827220bdf9cb5784e38cd52d17570515/tumblr_n9l84nc2m91rgxx9to1_500.gif) to get any amount of load in your system that would be metabolized.
Fentanyl is a synthetic drug. It's not made to be absorbed by inhalation, which is why you would need a lot more of the drug in order to get enough in your system for it to metabolize, let alone OD.
Think about how useless endotracheal med admin is. It's because you're using a drug formulated to be metabolized in the bloodstream and hoping it's absorbed via alveoli first.
This is a good take. I also would be sure to document if the partner seemed afraid of contacting patient and belongings at the time, or if the paranoia of touch-contact-overdose only showed up after being in the ER.
Yeah, but did he have the results back before claiming exposure? Is he maybe doing something in his personal life and 'I can claim exposure now and it'll be positive and I'll get away with it.'
He probably believes the myth of passive fentanyl exposure:
>There is clear evidence that passive exposure to fentanyl does not result in clinical toxicity. Descriptions of the signs and symptoms of those who have supposedly experienced passive toxicity vary widely. They include dizziness, blurry vision, pallor, weakness, sweatiness, high blood pressure, chest pain, heart palpitations, anxiety, and occasionally seizure-like activity. These findings are usually transient and resolve on their own, often far faster than would be expected, and are incompatible with the known duration of the drug’s effect. What’s more, they aren’t consistent with the signs and symptoms of opioid poisoning — the triad of slowed breathing, decreased consciousness, and pinpoint pupils.
>
>Testing of biological specimens, though performed in very few cases, has been nearly uniformly negative for the presence of fentanyl.
([source](https://www.statnews.com/2018/12/21/passive-fentanyl-exposure-myth-reality/))
Yep, all these videos of exposure related incidents I'm pretty sure are mostly anxiety and hysteria. The mind is a powerful thing and a panic attack can make you feel like you are dying.....I think they are panicking cus they think they are gunna die
Just say what you saw. If was you saw didn't include a clear explanation for an exposure, that's it.
This almost sounds like those videos of the cops "Overdosing" after seeing white powder. Could be your partner worked themselves into a panic.
Sometimes people in EMS just need to tap out for a while. There are worse ways.
To my mind, the ideal incident report in this scenario is brief, factual, and neither deliberately corroborates your partners story nor goes out of its way to throw them under the bus.
Didn’t you know that drug users diffuse pure fentanyl from their pores at all times? You can OD just by being in their presence /s
In seriousness, just tell the truth. Don’t speculate. Your management almost 100% knows for sure that he is full of shit
He may have had an actual heat emergency but is trying to come up with a wild
Or he's faking it, you never know. If I were you i'd say just explain the facts. Everything you know. And what you don't know, they'll figure out. Reminds me of a time when I worked security, my coworker claimed to be exposed to fent. Said he wasn't feeling well. Hazmat investigated the exposure area and said there was nothing airborn he could have been exposed to. Dude still rode to the hospital and they found nothing.
I think he started to honestly worry that he had been somehow exposed, possibly to the point of being paranoid about it due to also being sick from being overheated.
Don't bend any truth, say everything as you saw it. Make it detailed. Don't draw and conclusions in the statement, just facts as you saw them.
I've never seen a case where I was asked for a statement that was worth lying about. Definitely not this.
Also you can't absorb narcotics through your skin unless it's a medication patch and that takes ages.
Be honest. You are a clinician, first. We all know absorption routes and such so they should know better.
I've dealt with a similar case of "I touched fentanyl and now I'm dizzy" and had to explain that there is no scientific way that happened and the individual was having an anxiety attack due to ignorance.
Just state what you witnessed. Anecdotally I think your partner is full of bs, probably just anxiety or something like that. In my area we respond to fentanyl overdoses on a very frequent basis, the whole “second hand exposure” thing is mostly a myth that’s perpetrated by the media.
First of all, as others have suggested, speak the truth. It's times like these where you have to cover your own ass first.
Second, what's with the epidemic of first responders touching a person who may have had fentanyl at some point in their life and all of a sudden having seizures and needing narcan? Is it a mass hysteria thing?
It's as bad as a person at work the other week who told me to keep away from her so she doesn't catch the covid vaccine from me.
Don’t forget, he is a CO-WORKER. We are closer to our co-workers that most are but at the end of the day, you and your family are what matters. Be honest and do the right thing for you and your family. If you f**k up your life, you will still be suffering 5, 10, 20 years from now while your partner and even the rest of your coworkers, won’t even remember your name.
Tell the truth. Plus, narcotic exposure isn’t a thing. There’s a lot of literature out there disproving it. Think about how hard fentanyl is to absorb through the skin. Hell, I spill some IV fentanyl on my hands sometimes - still breathing. This guy is being wack.
All you can do is just state what you saw and that's it.vlwt them make their own opinions once they have done their investigation.
I had someone claim a work injury due to a fall at station and put me as a witness. In my statement I said I was checking equipment in the car. Heard something fall onto the ground and my partner then called out asking for help. When I got outside they were sitting on the ground complaining of falling. No point making stuff up or pointing out things I didn't see.
You should hit them with the multiple studies that say you literally can not OD by touching fentanyl and maybe the study about how L.E. who "overdose" by touching fent are having panic attacks caused by their own hysteria.
Did he hit something while backing or something? Cause this is my thinking. If he was feeling shitty why didn't he just go home. He may have gotten written up sure, but why go to the ED? Why claim he was "exposed to narcotics"
If he thought he was gonna piss hot why not save your career and resign on the spot? I am super tired, so I could be speaking straight non sense, but this makes no sense to me.
General question, has there ever been a documented case of "exposure" by dermal contact? Evidence like clean UA before, tainted after? Just curious.
OP, I hate to sound like a broken record. Tell the truth, say what you saw, anything else is on them. I'm beyond rabid about backing a partner, but I'm skeptical on this. Were you exposed to the same material, in the same way ? Did you have any issues?
So others have said the same thing but my advise is to tell the truth. I really hate this whole "but they're my partner so I have to defend them" argument. Not if what they're doing is wrong.
I had a partner one time put our company at risk because they did some shady shit. I reported that shit because they could easily have put a patient at risk with what they did and tbh they probably would do something in the future that could really hurt someone if they were willing to do what they did.
You have no obligation to anyone but yourself. Also understand if the roles were flipped odds are your partner wouldn't go down for you. This is your career. Don't risk that for some bullshit "honor among thieves" code that doesn't exist. Tell the truth and nothing but the truth.
Is this in the US? I ask because drug hysteria like this is completely alien to where I practice.
I genuinely feel bad for everyone that has to work in these conditions. What a difficult spot for you to be in professionally, and a terrible environment where people are faking exposures to toxic drugs. There are so many other real dangers and reasons to need time off.
RN here, he likely did have anxiety or heat related issues but has been over hyped by the "touch it and overdose". I've seen one legit contact exposure during an emergency response. Even then I don't recall them falling out or anything just feeling off. He was negative and many others handled the same PT and belongings, I'm going with not exposed. Faked? Hard to say. As others have said just answer honestly. You may be saying "not that I observed" a lot
Nih uh! It's real! I know a guy, he said his cousin knows someone that saw a hundred dollar bill on the ground. And when he picked it up he started sweating and breathing fast, classic opioid overdose, and then he passed out. And when he woke up, he was in a bathtub full of ice and missing a kidney.
So yeah. They soak hundred dollar bills in fentanyl and then steal your kidney. Happens all the time. I even read it on Facebook. So you know its true
Better safe than sorry at the end of the day CYA, if you can’t prove or deny he’s lying tell the truth as you know it to be, don’t make up things for other people and possible get yourself in trouble
I would just be as truthful as you can. Don't flex the truth for them because it'll be you on the line if something comes up suspicious and they find you either lied or didn't tell the whole truth. I'm sorry your partner put you in that situation, that's not fair to you.
Your best bet is to just tell the truth. You don't have to lie to support him. If you don't want to come out and say "He's lying" you could just note that you didn't personally witness any exposure so can't say one way or the other
You don’t know what you don’t know. Don’t lie and don’t give them your opinion , just the facts as you know them. Let sleeping dogs lie. “No Pun Intended “
The only advise is to tell the truth and nothing else. You are not obligated and shouldn’t support his claims.
I like your flair
I like your funny words, magic man
I like ir lime squiggles edit: meant line but lol
Depending on his story and the urinalysis I would almost question if he did some stuff and was trying to cover it by pre emptively claiming exposure so if he had to take a drug test and it came back positive, he had an excuse. But like others say, document everything. Most medical professionals know that's not how exposure works and that if he had issues, it was most likely anxiety.
Tbh I think this is the only non stupid answer (still stupid to do drugs but you've got to be some kind of real idiot to believe in contact exposures at this point)
i’ve known people that have been in ems for >5 or even >10 years and still believe it
Do they get free days off work if they do believe and get ""exposed""?
they’re also not the type to overreact or take off for no reason, so i doubt it
This was my first thought too
That's what I always assume happens when cops say they overdosed by touching illicit fentanyl.
~~Well you absolutely can get fentanyl into your system without intentionally doing it. I mean the stuff is extraordinarily potent, as you know, and normally what happens is there’s some in an actual/makeshift bag or something. They open/close/whatever the bag which puffs a bunch of it into a fine particulate cloud, and then they inhale it which absorbs through mucous membranes in the nose, mouth, throat, etc and OD. I’d be skeptical about pretty much every substance besides fentanyl and it’s analogs. Oh and LSD~~ edit: i stand corrected
Nope. Not how it works. You would need to absolutely bury your face in there and take a nice deep breath, and even then you would need a decent amount. You’re not absorbing any meaningful levels through some passive method such as a puff coming out of a bag.
I did some reading just now and it seems I’m a victim of the fentanyl panic misinformation. I didn’t realize it would have to be a situation like a manufacturing lab to have enough in the air for a meaningful dose. Had some cop buddies tell me this stuff a while ago and i took their word for it. I wonder if they were ever corrected as well? Cause I’m reading this bad info has cause people to delay life saving treatment for fear of ODing when there’s no risk. Media is such a blessing and a curse. I likely got bad second hand info from social media and now I’m learning what I thought was wrong from it. Wild
Kudos to you for looking at new information and forming a new thought on the issue, a rare sight these days. As I'm sure you're aware, out of all of the reported LEO "accidental exposures" not a single one has resulted in a toxicology report that has confirmed fentanyl much less an amount to OD on.
Im reading about it now. I have no clue how this information isn’t more widely disseminated. I guess it doesn’t make for a good headline like fear of invisible death does, eh?
Correct. It's known as "Copaganda" which serves a dual purpose of making people feel bad for police, and thus getting them more $upport when it comes budget time.
My guess is that it was started as an honest mistake/assumption but continues to be spread as a way for LEOs to garner sympathy in the current social climate.
This is why you should always double or even triple check anything that you read on the internet. Every argument that has been brought up regarding the fentanyl OD's has been disproved multiple times, but most people just read the scary headline and don't fact check anything, which just creates a really dangerous environment for everyone.
Yeah it turns out a couple of terminally on tik tok police officers aren’t the best place to get your info. I don’t know why I didn’t read about it sooner.
The thing is, a lot of these cops actually believe in what they're saying, and when they are faced with fentanyl, they get panic attacks which are then played off by the media and the cops themselves as "fentanyl OD's". It really is rough out there.
Good on you for realizing your mistake and taking the word of people closer to the subject in order to springboard your own education on it. That's how it should be done. I'm sure your cop friends are misinformed as well and not deliberately being misleading, but opioid/fentanyl misinfo is a *huge* issue. At best, it causes a big increase in ER/911 calls for what essentially amounts to a panic attack because people *think* they've been exposed, and at worst causes people to avoid seeking help altogether for fear of legal trouble. Not to mention perpetuating harmful stigmas about drug abuse, which also leads to less care being sought/given. Again, good on you for realizing your blindspot and educating yourself about it.
I’m not one to double down on a thing, especially if it’s outside of my area of expertise. I probably should’ve just not piped up in the first place, but that’s how you learn, so oh well lol. And no doubt, I don’t think they’re trying to be misleading, but they’re meant to keep their skills and knowledge on the cutting edge to better protect and serve and they clearly haven’t, which is annoying. Especially given all of the negative impacts it had second hand. Not only that, but they’re perpetuating misinformation that’s easily refuted online
I wonder if what they were referring to was carfentinil that was out a year or 2 ago. We had a surge of it in British Columbia and because it’s a synthetic opiate, narcan wasn’t working and reported as 100x stronger than fentanyl . Heard all kinds of horror stories about that stuff and warnings by our employer
I think Narcan wasn’t working because carfentanil is simply insanely strong. Narcan should work with any opiate or opioid, synthetic or otherwise as drugs like methadone, tramadol, fentanyl, oxycodone etc are all either synthetic or semi synthetic opioids and narcan works on them fine. It has to with binding affinity to mu receptors and relative potency. Narcan has the power to kick most of these drugs in recreational doses out easily, but drugs like carfentanil is potent to the point that it might require a huge amount of narcan to pull it off the receptor and keep it blocked. I was reading a medical paper earlier that it has to do with the bioavailability of narcan and ideally for a carfentanil OD one should get an IM shot and the nose spray. But I’m just some dude, so take with a grain of salt. Shits deadly regardless I’m sorry you had to deal with it
Our ER doc said youd have to be actually huffing it😂
Yeah you'd essentially have to [Scarface yourself](https://64.media.tumblr.com/827220bdf9cb5784e38cd52d17570515/tumblr_n9l84nc2m91rgxx9to1_500.gif) to get any amount of load in your system that would be metabolized. Fentanyl is a synthetic drug. It's not made to be absorbed by inhalation, which is why you would need a lot more of the drug in order to get enough in your system for it to metabolize, let alone OD. Think about how useless endotracheal med admin is. It's because you're using a drug formulated to be metabolized in the bloodstream and hoping it's absorbed via alveoli first.
But everything besides marijuana is out of your system so quick, it would be an odd move.
This is a good take. I also would be sure to document if the partner seemed afraid of contacting patient and belongings at the time, or if the paranoia of touch-contact-overdose only showed up after being in the ER.
OP said the urine was clean
Yeah, but did he have the results back before claiming exposure? Is he maybe doing something in his personal life and 'I can claim exposure now and it'll be positive and I'll get away with it.'
Exposed to narcotics? How is he claiming that happened? Is he also a cop? As above just tell ur truth, nothin more.
Your partner's name is Officer..........
Damn, beat me to it 😅
As other commenters have said, simply explain what you experienced. Don’t try to speculate about any of it.
Yes, OP needs to be objective, factual only.
I have this funky feeling his results are not clean. I would only state what exactly happened in a linear fashion from point A to B.
Bingo
He probably believes the myth of passive fentanyl exposure: >There is clear evidence that passive exposure to fentanyl does not result in clinical toxicity. Descriptions of the signs and symptoms of those who have supposedly experienced passive toxicity vary widely. They include dizziness, blurry vision, pallor, weakness, sweatiness, high blood pressure, chest pain, heart palpitations, anxiety, and occasionally seizure-like activity. These findings are usually transient and resolve on their own, often far faster than would be expected, and are incompatible with the known duration of the drug’s effect. What’s more, they aren’t consistent with the signs and symptoms of opioid poisoning — the triad of slowed breathing, decreased consciousness, and pinpoint pupils. > >Testing of biological specimens, though performed in very few cases, has been nearly uniformly negative for the presence of fentanyl. ([source](https://www.statnews.com/2018/12/21/passive-fentanyl-exposure-myth-reality/))
Yep, all these videos of exposure related incidents I'm pretty sure are mostly anxiety and hysteria. The mind is a powerful thing and a panic attack can make you feel like you are dying.....I think they are panicking cus they think they are gunna die
Just say what you saw. If was you saw didn't include a clear explanation for an exposure, that's it. This almost sounds like those videos of the cops "Overdosing" after seeing white powder. Could be your partner worked themselves into a panic.
Lol is your partner a cop too?
Sometimes people in EMS just need to tap out for a while. There are worse ways. To my mind, the ideal incident report in this scenario is brief, factual, and neither deliberately corroborates your partners story nor goes out of its way to throw them under the bus.
Didn’t you know that drug users diffuse pure fentanyl from their pores at all times? You can OD just by being in their presence /s In seriousness, just tell the truth. Don’t speculate. Your management almost 100% knows for sure that he is full of shit
He may have had an actual heat emergency but is trying to come up with a wild Or he's faking it, you never know. If I were you i'd say just explain the facts. Everything you know. And what you don't know, they'll figure out. Reminds me of a time when I worked security, my coworker claimed to be exposed to fent. Said he wasn't feeling well. Hazmat investigated the exposure area and said there was nothing airborn he could have been exposed to. Dude still rode to the hospital and they found nothing.
I think he started to honestly worry that he had been somehow exposed, possibly to the point of being paranoid about it due to also being sick from being overheated.
Don't bend any truth, say everything as you saw it. Make it detailed. Don't draw and conclusions in the statement, just facts as you saw them. I've never seen a case where I was asked for a statement that was worth lying about. Definitely not this. Also you can't absorb narcotics through your skin unless it's a medication patch and that takes ages.
Maybe your partner should try the police academy instead
Be honest. You are a clinician, first. We all know absorption routes and such so they should know better. I've dealt with a similar case of "I touched fentanyl and now I'm dizzy" and had to explain that there is no scientific way that happened and the individual was having an anxiety attack due to ignorance.
Is he an officer? I hear being around a fentanyl user is enough to kill ya.
Handling this comment without gloves unfortunately killed me...
He must have blue blood.
Maybe he’s embarrassed or confused? Heat can do that to big people.
I have nothing to add other than tia in advance made me laugh.
They were worried they might pop hot on the UA or their fat ass was wrecking their world and they're too embarrassed to admit it.
The truth shall set you free.
Could they have medical anxiety/ panic? You need to state the truth because your own job depends on it
Did he self narcan?
He did not
Tell the truth because you've lost your honor & integrity if you don't, and I don't think that's who you are or want to be.
Just state what you witnessed. Anecdotally I think your partner is full of bs, probably just anxiety or something like that. In my area we respond to fentanyl overdoses on a very frequent basis, the whole “second hand exposure” thing is mostly a myth that’s perpetrated by the media.
First of all, as others have suggested, speak the truth. It's times like these where you have to cover your own ass first. Second, what's with the epidemic of first responders touching a person who may have had fentanyl at some point in their life and all of a sudden having seizures and needing narcan? Is it a mass hysteria thing? It's as bad as a person at work the other week who told me to keep away from her so she doesn't catch the covid vaccine from me.
Don’t forget, he is a CO-WORKER. We are closer to our co-workers that most are but at the end of the day, you and your family are what matters. Be honest and do the right thing for you and your family. If you f**k up your life, you will still be suffering 5, 10, 20 years from now while your partner and even the rest of your coworkers, won’t even remember your name.
Tell the truth. Plus, narcotic exposure isn’t a thing. There’s a lot of literature out there disproving it. Think about how hard fentanyl is to absorb through the skin. Hell, I spill some IV fentanyl on my hands sometimes - still breathing. This guy is being wack.
Is your partner a cop?
All you can do is just state what you saw and that's it.vlwt them make their own opinions once they have done their investigation. I had someone claim a work injury due to a fall at station and put me as a witness. In my statement I said I was checking equipment in the car. Heard something fall onto the ground and my partner then called out asking for help. When I got outside they were sitting on the ground complaining of falling. No point making stuff up or pointing out things I didn't see.
He was not accidentally exposed to fentanyl. We know that fentanyl isn’t easily absorbed.
You should hit them with the multiple studies that say you literally can not OD by touching fentanyl and maybe the study about how L.E. who "overdose" by touching fent are having panic attacks caused by their own hysteria.
It’s bad enough we have cops doing this shit, probably is just looking for some paid time off lol
undercover cop
?? Just say what you saw and nothing else. No reason to liez .
You just say what you saw and what you did nothing more nothing less.
Did he hit something while backing or something? Cause this is my thinking. If he was feeling shitty why didn't he just go home. He may have gotten written up sure, but why go to the ED? Why claim he was "exposed to narcotics" If he thought he was gonna piss hot why not save your career and resign on the spot? I am super tired, so I could be speaking straight non sense, but this makes no sense to me.
Your partner will never read your narration on this matter.
General question, has there ever been a documented case of "exposure" by dermal contact? Evidence like clean UA before, tainted after? Just curious. OP, I hate to sound like a broken record. Tell the truth, say what you saw, anything else is on them. I'm beyond rabid about backing a partner, but I'm skeptical on this. Were you exposed to the same material, in the same way ? Did you have any issues?
So others have said the same thing but my advise is to tell the truth. I really hate this whole "but they're my partner so I have to defend them" argument. Not if what they're doing is wrong. I had a partner one time put our company at risk because they did some shady shit. I reported that shit because they could easily have put a patient at risk with what they did and tbh they probably would do something in the future that could really hurt someone if they were willing to do what they did. You have no obligation to anyone but yourself. Also understand if the roles were flipped odds are your partner wouldn't go down for you. This is your career. Don't risk that for some bullshit "honor among thieves" code that doesn't exist. Tell the truth and nothing but the truth.
Tell the truth. At the end of the day you need to be happy and content with yourself
Is this in the US? I ask because drug hysteria like this is completely alien to where I practice. I genuinely feel bad for everyone that has to work in these conditions. What a difficult spot for you to be in professionally, and a terrible environment where people are faking exposures to toxic drugs. There are so many other real dangers and reasons to need time off.
RN here, he likely did have anxiety or heat related issues but has been over hyped by the "touch it and overdose". I've seen one legit contact exposure during an emergency response. Even then I don't recall them falling out or anything just feeling off. He was negative and many others handled the same PT and belongings, I'm going with not exposed. Faked? Hard to say. As others have said just answer honestly. You may be saying "not that I observed" a lot
Nih uh! It's real! I know a guy, he said his cousin knows someone that saw a hundred dollar bill on the ground. And when he picked it up he started sweating and breathing fast, classic opioid overdose, and then he passed out. And when he woke up, he was in a bathtub full of ice and missing a kidney. So yeah. They soak hundred dollar bills in fentanyl and then steal your kidney. Happens all the time. I even read it on Facebook. So you know its true
Better safe than sorry at the end of the day CYA, if you can’t prove or deny he’s lying tell the truth as you know it to be, don’t make up things for other people and possible get yourself in trouble
I would just be as truthful as you can. Don't flex the truth for them because it'll be you on the line if something comes up suspicious and they find you either lied or didn't tell the whole truth. I'm sorry your partner put you in that situation, that's not fair to you.
Your best bet is to just tell the truth. You don't have to lie to support him. If you don't want to come out and say "He's lying" you could just note that you didn't personally witness any exposure so can't say one way or the other
Not legal advice, but if you don't want to be hated by everyone in your department, just corroborate his story and move on.
Just be honest. If they want to look like a goofy goober. Ain’t much you can do but be honest and distance yourself from that behavior.
Be honest, and keep it short and simple. Don't lie to cover his ass but don't be a blue falcon either.
You don’t know what you don’t know. Don’t lie and don’t give them your opinion , just the facts as you know them. Let sleeping dogs lie. “No Pun Intended “