Need some support Florida IPN

dds520 · Dec 5, 2010

I just got my license back after 10 mos. I am not on the internet, and have no narcotic restriction. Wouldn't you think that makes things a little easier????? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it does not. I cannot get a job, even though I did not divert, even in a nursing home. I am testd weekly, and have been clean and sober for over a year. I am very discouraged, and wondered what other careers nurses go into, because here'e the other bit of bad news. I will not make anything like I was making in the hospital for several years; I would say a deficit of about 10.00 per hour exists. So I'm thinking...I'm almost finished with a coding course on line, and I was ethinking of learning MDS, but truly, I'm no whiner...I got myself into this, but it seems like the monetary punishment is part of the package. I have learned slowly to love myself, and will not go to work for 20 to 25 dollars an hour. I'm thinking of real estate, finishing my coding class, taking the nursing home administrator's test, going tback to school for my MSN, I don't know. But I will not be demeaned by the hourly wage I'm being offered. Where do nurses go when they quit nursing?

anamcara517 · Dec 6, 2010

hey just want to 'test' this post 1st,spent over 1 hour on a post and it never took...sooo frustrating...here goes...

anamcara517 · Dec 6, 2010

hello fellow ipn'ers ok made it back not too sure why other post didn't take.as someone already mentioned just soo exhausting to keep going into this over and over it literally has been ruling my life since 2004.in a brief nutshell all that i have lost mostly due to lost wages,home,car,savings,legal fees,medical fees etc to date this has cost me $750.000,3 three quarters of a million dollars,all behind some coke i did at a party on my weekend off,got reported by co-worker,positive urine drug screen,[this was in nj]don never even gave me a chance at nj's monitoring program he went directly to the board...immediate suspension,mandatory 2 yrs.i was 30yrs an rn when this happened to me,a single mom with 2 daughters in college,i lost everything!!!so take heart,you were lucky to have been given the option of ipn,thus preserving the integrity of your license.i am now halfway through my contract and still continue to learn/struggle with the many road blocks i have encountered regarding employment.one thing for sure...not everyone's journey through ipn is created equal and it has no bearing on how bad your situation was or how well you are or not working a recovery program now.i am a behavioral health/addictions nurse over 30yrs,i have never had a narcotic restriction or any other legal charges.no hospital in the area will even interview me,good god if a certified addictions nurse in solid recovery herself with no restrictions in regards to her duties in the "recovery capital" of the world can't get gainful employment there is something very wrong with this picture!!i have found straight up,if you have a narcotic restriction almost all hospitals will not hire you until it is lifted.i would suggest,dialysis centers,detoxes and private type rehabs,vitas hospice and some other hospices have nurses manning the after hours triage phones[they love ipn nurses]also something like florida career college teaching patient care tech classes,dr's office,insurance companies,case management,utilization review.the only places that even offered me enployment where the drug detox/rehabs,poor quality ones at that,with 36yrs of experience $25/hr,midnight shifts only,per diem only and no health insurance since i arrived in fl over 3yrs ago.then there are girls in my ipn group with 10 felonies working at a local hospital which won't even interview me,i don't get it.once narcotic restriction is lifted then you will have no problem securing a job more to your liking.those with bon involvement with have a tougher journey as it will always read disciplined on your liscense and it will always remain on the national practioner data bank which by law all hopsitals/nursing homes must check in with a minimum of 1x every 2 yrs,plus more savvy hr folks use this for verification of any potential new hire.the office of the attorney general is the governing body that determines if you will be excluded,the exclusion usually extends beyond the reinstatement of a license and you must request reinstatement directly from them.i didn't even know any of this until recently,so this might be news to some,i suggest if the bon was involved go to these respective websites to see if you are in their data banks,if so by law any provider having anything to do with medicare/medicaid cannot hire you and severe fines,legal penalities are incurred if they breach this.a final parting word trust me when you obtain gainful employment and feel as though you are finally moving ahead ipn won't even be a second thought.right now i totally get it,when it continues to effect your ability to provide for your most basic of survival needs in the here and now it is very difficult to let the past go[don't you hate when people say that,the one's with jobs,no doubt!!]when it continues to directly affect you current life today and your future the challenge is huge.best of luck to all of you!

SEM626 · Dec 7, 2010

I would personally skip real estate. It's extremely expensive and you have to plan not to make any money for 6 months while you pay your desk fees, errors and omissions insurance, and many other expenses you will encounter. Plus, even after 6 months, you may not make anything unless you find a way to find qualified buyers that many of us old real estate pros haven't found.