I was sitting in my office when one of our veterinary technicians approached me to say that the drug cabinet was unlocked. Controlled substances must be kept in a locked box in a locked room. Our veterinarian must have left the cabinet unlocked when she went on vacation—a simple, stupid mistake.
I considered my options and decided that the easiest thing to do was to resecure the cabinet. Our veterinarian is the only one who has keys to the cabinet, and she would be upset if I touched her drugs. So, I broke out my lock picks and resecured the cabinet.
When the veterinarian returned to work, I explained what happened. She apparently was not a very good listener. I guess that she picked up on drug box and lock picks. Later that day, three detectives came to talk to me. We had a good laugh. Later, I heard that the State Board of Pharmacy issued her a warning letter. She had contacted the Board about me as well, and that backfired.
Some of your smartest people on staff can make simple mistakes. Make sure that you are open and honest in all of your dealings, and you’ll be fine. Most importantly, document everything that you do. The fact that you document is evidence that your intentions are honest.