lost license, now what

Nurses Recovery

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Hi all, I am a BSN educated former RN. I had to voluntarily relinquish my RN license. (I went to a therapist because I thought I might be an alcoholic and he threatened to report me, so I relinquished my license.) I have no discipline or complaint against my license. But Now what do I do for a career? I would like to utilize my education at least a little bit. Any suggestions?

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Is there a reason you gave your license up without a fight? I'm not sure what to suggest as you are no longer a nurse. You have the education, but not the license to go with it. That gets messy.

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Specializes in Dialysis.

Why did he threaten to report you? That must have been some session...

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Specializes in Urology, HH, med/Surg.

First, having the mods move your question to the 'nurses in recovery' forum will get you more informed responses.

Next, I would think a little more information is needed.

How long ago did you relinquish your license? What info/reason did you give the BON for relinquishing it?

Also, I'm going to assume if you went to a therapist because you thought you 'might' be an alcoholic that you probably are an alcoholic. Or at the very least you have an issue with alcohol that is serious enough to cause you concern. Have you sought any other type of treatment for it?

There are many nurses that are in recovery from addictions to drugs &/or alcohol and are still nursing. But only after treatment & (usually) a period of monitoring. So if you still want to nurse, it is possible.

I've got to ask though- you went to a private therapist, on your own, and he threatened to turn you in? Did he offer help in any form or just punitive measures??

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
First, having the mods move your question to the 'nurses in recovery' forum will get you more informed responses.
Thread has been moved to the Nurses / Recovery forum.
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to answer you're Q's:

I relinquished my license November 2014. You don't need to give a reason, you just mail it back with a note saying it is null and void. I may have had some issue with alcohol, but I have been seeing a (different) therapist for the last year and have done a lot of work on myself. I am not willing to do the 90 days inpatient (which is what they usually recommend) at $60,000 plus all of the monitoring. Its not worth it to me to keep my license. Nothing against anyone who does that, but its not my path. The therapist (who reported me) recommended 90 days in the treatment center he runs or else he would report me. He told me he does not treat out patient.

I am just trying to think of jobs that would utilize my healthcare background. I have 2 years med/surg experience.

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to answer you're Q's:

The therapist (who reported me) recommended 90 days in the treatment center he runs or else he would report me. He told me he does not treat out patient.

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Sounds like a case of blackmail or conflict of interest on the therapist's part. I can see recommending treatment, but why only at his facility? Is this the only facility and he's the only therapist in the universe?

I'd be checking with someone regarding how ethical this actually is.

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Actually he said his center or choose another but there isn't another one in my area. He was on the up and up. I have no beef with him really.

I was just hoping to get some career advice as to what to do with a BSN but no RN.

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Medical device sales or pharm sales. Many have BSN listed as preferred educational background.

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Specializes in Urology, HH, med/Surg.

I agree with enuf already, that does sound a little shady on the therapists part!

If you're still interested in nursing at all- you may want to contact your BON and tell them your situation to see what they might require of you. It may not be as bad as you think. You basically 'self reported' & suspended yourself & have been taking care of your problem. Your current therapist could provide proof of this. They might only require random drug screens which aren't too bad. The good thing for you is- they don't have a license to hold over your head right now. If you don't like what they say, you're no worse off.

If you're just done with nursing, the medical device & pharmaceutical sales is an excellent suggestion.

It's a topic that's come up here before- I believe if you put 'leaving nursing' or similar in search bar there should be other threads/posts that may be helpful.

Good luck & take care of yourself!

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Also intraoperative neuro monitoring, which I always thought would be interesting. They require at least a BS, and BSN is one of the preferred degrees.

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
Actually he said his center or choose another but there isn't another one in my area. He was on the up and up. I have no beef with him really.

I was just hoping to get some career advice as to what to do with a BSN but no RN.

I think you may be up poop creek. You can't really utilize your education in any meaningful and economically feasible way. You might look into tutoring or teaching nursing students skills or NCLEX Prep. I would honestly try to get your license reactivated. If you have addressed your issues and are currently sober you may not have to go in-patient but still do a period of monitoring. Did the therapist you were seeing actually report you to the BON?

Best of luck

Hppy

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