Nurses Accused of Theft Still Licensed, Study Says

Hundreds of nurses accused of stealing drugs on the job still are licensed to work, a report says.

Among them are a Salem nurse accused of replacing a patient's morphine with water and trying to sell the drug to an undercover officer, and a Quincy nurse accused of stealing pain pills and stimulants from six nursing homes, the Boston Globe reported.

Over the last six years the state nursing board has stripped the licenses of 62 nurses, 15% of the 416 cases involving drug allegations.

Among repeat offenders, three-quarters facing multiple complaints still have licenses, the Globe found.