Imagine someone who has worked all his adult life in healthcare, an orderlie in high school, EMT, a paramedic supervisor 8 yrs, and RN 17yrs ( ER charge, ICU charge, specializing in open heart recovery & intrathoracic surgical care ), never had a single infraction pertaining to his career nor his personal life, other than a speeding ticket, then after several familly tragedies, he succumbs to Lortab addiction, pleads no contest to a single count prescription alteration charge, reports this to the oklahoma state board of nursing, enters 34 day rehab, lives clean and sober with random drug screening for 1yr, then is reliscensed and placed in PEER assistance for chemically dependant nurses, obtains a job in a surgical ICU open heart recovery, does everything the board tells him to do for 6 months, then one day he is terminated from his job due to his name being submitted to the Office Of Inspector Genreals exclusion list, meaning he can't work for a medicare or medicaid funded facility, now he is back out on the street with no other job experience to fall back on and can't wait tables to pay his 791.00 dollar a month child support, plus a felony on his record. Well this is real, this is me. To begin with the Oklahoma State Board did not advise me they had turned me over to the OIG, nor did the OIG contact me, thus denying me my 8th amendment right to Due Process and any appeal was out of time. This is Double Jeopardy, I'm being punished twice for the same offense, not to mention the two years of low wage jobs during the state boards denial of my license. I contacted several other state Board of nursing and was told they do not keep a person from being licensed after they completed rehab, that is what the dependant nurse assistance programs are for, this was a purposely wanton indifference not only to my pain and suffering but added more missery into the lives of my children. I was told I was huberus by one state board official. It is senseless, that when a person lives his whole life saving the lives of others, that after 2yrs of battling back form lotab addiction and getting my life back, that the Oklahoma State Board would choose to end my career. I know of several other nurses with felony convictions, related to drug diversion at work and charged at a later date than mine, that aren't on the Office of Inspector Genreal exclusion list, this is a good ole boy state, it's not what you know, but who you know. also worth noting, I was charged in another state while working there and never was I reported to that state board nor was my job ever put in jeopardy. Not until I came to oklahoma after being honest and forthright with the Oklahoma State Board was my job placed in jeopardy and my career ultimately ended, for what, I only hurt myself, my children were always taken care of, and what is sad, I did everything they told me to do and I corrected my problem and they still took everything away from me that I had worked all of my life for. I have been in charge positions all of my career and in a movie Rise and Walk the Dennis Byrd story, so I know I fit the part of a good nurse. If anyone has any advice as to what state would be more understanding please contact me. Update: my attorney emailed me and she now is recovering from cervical CA, she is also an RN, she has done so much for me, pro bono, I now will have to do most of the legal work on my own, although she said for me to email or call her with any questions, she's great, I now am a sales associate for a national chain of retail stores, while I'm working on getting my license back.
