(AP) – A nurse has admitted to diluting morphine solutions at a Holiday Resort Nursing Facility in Salina to hide her thefts.

Melanie Morrison pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Topeka to consumer product tampering and adulteration of a drug. The plea is part of a deal with prosecutors in exchange for a sentencing recommendation of 36 months in prison. The 25-year-old nurse also agreed to permanently surrender her nursing license and never work in the health care industry again.

Morrison admitted that in February 2010 she put sodium chloride into solutions of morphine sulfate, reducing the drug’s quality and strength. Sodium chloride can cause bodily harm to some patients, particularly those with congestive heart failure.

She will be sentenced Feb. 24.