Former Baltimore nurse sentenced to 30 days for stealing morphine from child patient
A former Baltimore City nurse was sentenced to 30 days in jail for stealing and using prescribed morphine intended for a child patient at the University of Maryland Medical Center's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
Kaitlyn Elizabeth Chalmers, a licensed registered nurse, was found guilty of diverting a controlled dangerous substance from the PICU. She was sentenced to one year in prison, with all but 30 days suspended, followed by two years of supervised probation.
Chalmers is also prohibited from caring for children during her probation and is barred from participating in state and federal health care programs.
On June 25, 2025, Chalmers was assigned to care for a 10-year-old patient recovering from open-heart surgery. She was responsible for administering morphine to the child.
According to court records, Chalmers did not document the child's second dose of intravenous morphine and claimed the child's pain was not responding to the prescribed medication.
Staff did not believe Chalmers' claim that the patient had developed a tolerance to morphine.
During the same shift, a nurse reported that Chalmers emerged from a staff bathroom in a manner consistent with intravenous drug use. Other PICU nurses also reported that Chalmers showed signs of impairment.
Chalmers was removed from the PICU floor and later fired after she refused to submit to a drug screening.
