Iowa nurses issued warnings for on-the-job drug or alcohol use

State regulators have issued warnings to four Iowa nurses for allegedly using drugs or being impaired while working in hospitals and other care settings.

The Iowa Board of Nursing recently charged Wendy Jones, also known as Wendy Hackett and Wendy Hockett — board records give both spellings — with practicing nursing while under the influence or while impaired, and with failing to properly document or perform the disposal of medications.

The board alleges that on Jan. 30, 2026, while working as a registered nurse for the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Jones was found by a coworker on a bathroom floor, semi-conscious and slurring her speech. The board alleges Jones had just worked a case in which she pulled fentanyl, a powerful opioid painkiller, and Versed, a prescription sedative, for a patient. Two opened syringes were found Jones’ purse and the caps to both were located in the bathroom sink.

According to the board, Jones was unable to provide a reasonable explanation as to why she had the opened syringes, and she was subsequently placed on administrative leave. Another opened syringe was then found in Jones’ locker by a coworker who had been tasked with retrieving the locker’s contents for Jones.  When confronted, Jones indicated that syringe was used to lance an abscess on her eye, but colleagues did not observe any abscess on Jones’ eye, the board alleges.

To resolve the matter without taking it to a hearing, the board recently agreed to settlement that calls for Jones to retain her Iowa license subject to a warning that future violations could result in sanctions. As part of the settlement, Jones has agreed to participate in the Iowa Practitioner Health Program and comply with the program’s requirements.

State records indicate Jones was issued an Iowa nursing license in September 2006. That license expired in 2017, the same year she was issued a multistate license to work as a registered nurse license.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach Jones for comment.

Other Iowa nurses recently cited by the board for alleged drug or alcohol use include:

Ksenia Vickery of Cedar Falls — On Feb. 5, 2026, the Minnesota Board of Nursing suspended Vickery’s nursing license in that state for two years. The board alleged that while working in a nursing home in October 2024, Vickery was reported to be acting strange and appearing confused and wobbly before leaving her shift without passing medications or informing her colleagues.

The Minnesota Department of Health later concluded Vickery was guilty of mistreatment of a vulnerable adult based on findings that she had “a history” of signing out as-needed pain medications for nursing home residents who were not experiencing pain and were not receiving the medications. The department allegedly identified 47 instances of questionable medication issues and asserted that Vickery had admitted being under the influence of alcohol at work.

The Iowa board charged Vickery with having a license revoked or suspended in another jurisdiction, and with practicing nursing while under the influence or while impaired.

To resolve the matter without taking it to a hearing, the board recently agreed to a settlement that calls for Vickery to retain her Iowa license subject to a warning that future violations could result in sanctions. As part of the settlement, Vickery has agreed to participate in the Iowa Practitioner Health Program and comply with the program’s requirements.

Shaunna Santos of Clinton – The board alleges that on Dec. 8, 2025, while working as a registered nurse at MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center, Santos admitted consuming alcoholic beverages while on duty after being observed by her coworkers. The board charged Santos with practicing nursing while under the influence or while impaired.

To resolve the matter without taking it to a hearing, the board recently agreed to settlement that calls for Santos to be given a warning. As part of the settlement, Santos has agreed to participate in the Iowa Practitioner Health Program and comply with the program’s requirements.

Jodi Lynne Kneisel of Mason City – In 2025, the board charged Kneisel with practicing nursing while under the influence or while impaired, engaging in behavior that is contradictory to professional decorum, and being convicted of a crime related to the profession of nursing.

According to the board, Kneisel was working as a licensed practical nurse at a rehabilitation center in Mason City when the underlying offenses occurred. In other board documents, however, the board alleges the charges stem from Kneisel’s actions while working at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs.

The board alleges that Kneisel worked three shifts at the Council Bluffs hospital in August 2023 and that during each of those shifts she “napped,” and in one instance was found by her colleagues sleeping in a bed inside a patient room. Later that same shift, she was allegedly found sleeping in a “hallway cubby,” the board claims.

The board also alleges that during a 2024 nursing assignment in Norfolk, Nebraska, Kneisel “admitted to having a couple” — the board does not elaborate on the nature of that admission — before working a shift. Also in 2024, the board alleges, Kneisel was accused of being impaired while on a nursing assignment in Cedar Falls. In April 2024, the board asserts, she was convicted of drunken driving in Decatur County.

To resolve the case without a hearing, the board agreed in 2025 to issue a warning to Kneisel, who agreed to participate in the Iowa Practitioner Health Program and comply with the program’s requirements.

Recently, the board charged Kneisel with failing to comply with that agreement and with violating the terms of her contract with Iowa Practitioner Health Program. A hearing on those charges is scheduled for Oct. 22, 2026.