Need help fast about working with the board and my addiction.

[awsdig05]

I have recently told my boss I was abusing opiates and entered into treatment and have completed treatment. I have gotten the letter from the board of nursing, and they want a notarized statement from me and the surrounding events. My hospital obviously sent them the complaint as they have that duty and told them I entered treatment on my own and completed. My question really is this. I have been in treatment for an addiction to perks about 2 and a half years before completing nursing school and applying to the board. When I applied I got some very ill information and I did not disclose my addiction. I am more worried about this then the actual discipline from my relapse. I did not divert the drugs, they where all off the street. I am not sure if I should disclose my previous time in rehab or leave it out. I do not know what they do when they investigate. I am not sure if they will ask for the treatment centers medical records where they will be able to read that this was a relapse after 3 years of sobriety. Any advice would help

[Miss Mab]

Think it depends on the state as to whether you were actually supposed to disclose it when you applied the first time. For example, I know that California doesn't inquire about any past medical/psych/addicition issues on their licensing application form.

Now, assuming that your state did have a question about it on the form and you decided against disclosure at that time, well, that's a bit trickier isn't it? I wish I knew for certain the best answer but given that you came forward at work on your own, I suspect the idea of a full 'sunshine' policy would be wisest in order to cover all potential board concerns.... It's entirely possible it may end up that you complete your contract and they wouldn't have found out about the first rehab but probably better to err on the side of caution up front.

Regardless, yay for you for taking charge of the situation after your relapse. Best of luck to you!

[SWS RN, ASN, RN]

I want to say, first of all-congratulations on your sobriety and continued good luck!!!!!

The situation I went through is not the same but it is similar.

I have had my Fl RN license for 16+ continuous years. Always active and clear. 9 years ago I went to another state (Indiana) as a traveler. Without going into detail on this post, my Indiana license was suspended...before I could enter any sort of intervention program, my father died and my mother required very serious surgery--in the same month.

I returned to Fl. I did not hear anything from the BON and at the time I didn't really think about calling them and reporting.

Fast forward 9 years...I am now in recovery and went through the worst year of my life last year...but I am clean and sober(thank God) I self reported to Fl IPN and entered my contract last year. I have been working all of this time.

Because I thought it was the "right thing to do" I flew to Indiana several months ago and appeared before the BON to ask for reinstatement. I never want to work in that state again, but I wanted to clear all of the past skeletons out of my closet and get honest with everything.

Well, they did not reinstate then as they thought I did not have enough clean time (only about 3 mo then) ok, fair enough...........................BUT the Indiana BON notified the FL BON of my status this time and now I have an Administrative Complaint against me and I have to appear before the BON in June or risk losing my license.

The moral to my story is----be honest and don't try to hide anything....sooner or later it WILL turn up and the ramifications are worse that divulging it at the time.

Good Luck,

s

ps-of course, when I am feeling sorry for myself, I think "I never should have gone to Indiana to ask for reinstatement, the Fl BON would NEVER have found out" and it might be true...but I also know that is the type of "secretive thinking" that got me in trouble in the first place!

[Magsulfate, BSN, RN]

Yeah, it is always best to tell the truth when asked. That is a very simple lesson that I even try to drill into my teenage boys. I seem to be doing it daily now.

The thing is, you can't blame anyone else for your past discrepancies, they are your's to own. I am not saying that YOU in particular are blaming someone else, just making a general statement.

Right now you write as if you are so stressed out over the situation that it is causing emotional distress. That's what I'm reading. While in recovery, you do not need to be stressed out too much. Stress might cause relapse.

If there is something you can do, or someone you can talk to about this to help you stop worrying, please do it now. For the sake of your good recovery, don't let this worry you any longer. You should be focusing on your recovery, your health and your family, but you should not be this stressed out.

[imfree]

Hello aws. I'm sorry for what you're going through. Battling addiction is difficult enough. Then add to it, dealing with the BON and worrying about your nursing license, and WOW!...double whammy! I applaud you for coming clean with your boss and getting into treatment. I know the Boards have come a long way over the years in their methods of dealing with those of us who are addicted to drugs or alcohol. But unfortunately I believe we are still very stigmatized. Although the BONs are good to allow us a chance for rehabilitation and reentry into nursing, I feel some of their methods are more punitive in nature than they are rehabilitative. But my opinion on the matter is neither here nor there, as their mission above all is to protect the public, and rightly so. What I believe will happen is that you will eventually meet with the BON and be offered an "alternative to discipline" or "peer assistance program" or something along those lines in order to keep your license and eventually be able to return to work under very specific guidelines. I believe this will happen whether they know about your prior rehab before nursing school or not. I'm not sure the fact that you were in rehab before will have any impact on how things will play out. If, in fact, you purposefully left out the prior rehab when it was a required question to answer before being allowed to sit for boards....that could be a problem. I would almost think that technically they could say you weren't even qualified to test for licensure in the first place.

You might be doing yourself a favor by checking with a lawyer who specializes in dealing with Licensing Boards. They would be able to advise you much better than we can in terms of what the ramifications of disclosing this at this time would be.

I tend to agree with everyone else though.....Honesty is best. So much of our recovery has to do with having the willingness to be completely honest. I think if you're able to do that, you will feel better and maybe even be able to move forward in your recovery that much faster. If it were me though, and I already knew I was headed for an alternative to discipline program anyway.....I would have to know what it would mean to me, my program, my ability to retain my license, etc before I would be willing to disclose the past "sin" if you will. So gather your information and then hopefully you'll find that you can disclose your past misstep and go on, having to never worry about it again. I hope so. Hang in there and remember the most important thing is....YOU and your recovery from addiction!

[southernbeegirl, BSN, RN]

what is a "perk"???

i'm assuming that is probably percocets? please don't take this wrong, but if you continue to call drugs by their "street" name (hydros, etc) it sounds as if you are not a professional. sorry...pet peeve of mine.

[jackstem]

I completely agree with imfree...consult with an administrative law attorney with experience representing nurses before the state board. You can contact the state bar association for some assistance or contact The American Association of Nurse Attorneys.

Or you can call their Referral Hotline: [phone]

As you have discovered, sometimes doing the right thing can get you into more problems than you anticipated. Yes, attorneys aren't cheap, but if they save you further grief and possibly avoid additional penalties, they are worth their weight in gold.

Two things I recommend to any group of nurses I speak with regarding this disease, obtain your own professional Liability Insurance (including licensure defense clause) even if your employer provides malpractice coverage. Their policy covers THEM. If you deviate from policy, they may end up coming after you after their case is closed. Your own policy with the license defense clause will cover attorney fees and can even provide disability coverage if you have the proper coverage. Secondly, always consult with a license defense attorney as soon as you know there has been a complaint filed against you. Sometimes the information you provide in an attempt to be completely honest can end up burning you. I'm not saying to be dishonest. I'm saying retain an attorney in order to be sure your civil rights are protected. Some nurses think their testimony during a hearing or during an investigation is confidential. Not necessarily. Your attorney will know these things and provide you the guidance needed to get through these tough times.

Good luck and congrats on your continued sobriety!

Jack

[Magsulfate, BSN, RN]

I've got Jack's personal cell number and I'm selling to the highest bidder. :)

YEs, maybe the reason why I don't worry as much as I used to is because I have Liability Insurance. ANd because I am sober and don't worry about getting caught anymore. But now that my eyes are clear, I look around and can see some really strange things going on, of which I never want to be a part of . . . . I find myself wondering lately, where did all the good nurses go? I think they left my area.