Venting about BON involvement in DUI

jackstem · Mar 20, 2009

I so totally agree with you.
I think it is ridiculous that the BON should even have access to that information. Any please no moral or stereotyping stating "anyone who gets a DUI is an alcoholic and needs treatment." I know people who have gotten DUI's that are NOT alcoholics...
There are so many time in Nursing that we are treated differently than any other career and the sad thing is the compensation in dollars isn't there...we should make three times what we make with all that is expected of us and all the risks we take on a daily basis!
I so wish we had a union or all the RN's would come together and stage a walk out....hospitals would stop dead in their tracks without us but refuse to pay us what we are worth and often treat us like we are factory workers or work at the local BK or McDonalds...it is disgusting!!
Sorry for the rant!

I agree that there is a lack of respect for the profession. Unfortunately people treat us the way we teach them to treat us. If someone doesn't respect me as a person or a professional, the first place I need to look is at myself. The biggest lack of respect for the profession comes from nurses in the profession. I can't tell you how many times I've heard a nurse say, "...I'm JUST the nurse." If that's the way a nurse sees themselves and their own profession, why would someone else see them any differently. I'm not saying all nurses are like this, but entirely too many show up, do enough to get by and get that paycheck. Having a union wouldn't change things. Respiratory Therapists, Physical Therapists, and other health care professionals don't seem to have this problem.

I know this won't be a popular view...it's just my :twocents:

Trauma Columnist · Mar 24, 2009

Drinking and driving is against the law. Period. If you are a professional, licensed by the state (includes nurses, teachers, police, fire personnel), then you suffer the consequences. Period.

lolalolacherrycola · Mar 24, 2009

I agree that there is a lack of respect for the profession. Unfortunately people treat us the way we teach them to treat us. If someone doesn't respect me as a person or a professional, the first place I need to look is at myself. The biggest lack of respect for the profession comes from nurses in the profession. I can't tell you how many times I've heard a nurse say, "...I'm JUST the nurse." If that's the way a nurse sees themselves and their own profession, why would someone else see them any differently. I'm not saying all nurses are like this, but entirely too many show up, do enough to get by and get that paycheck. Having a union wouldn't change things. Respiratory Therapists, Physical Therapists, and other health care professionals don't seem to have this problem.
I know this won't be a popular view...it's just my

There is definitely some truth to what you say, however I still believe in what I say and the fact that nursing is predominately a female field at this point has something to do with it. Thanks much for you input.

gonzo1, ASN, RN · Mar 24, 2009

It is also our responsibility to make sure that we do not drive while to sick, or to tired. We have an obligation to keep ourselves and others safe.

It is true that we should be paid way more for what we do. And that we should all be working together to make our voices heard and nursing better for everyone. But until we can start to show compassion, pride and interest in each other it ain't gonna happen. And I'm not holding my breath.

jackstem · Mar 24, 2009

A few interesting tidbits:

According to the website "DUI Foundation" (http://www.duifoundation.org/):

On average, the first time drunk driving offender has driven drunk 87 times prior to being arrested.

According to Rebekka S. Palmer, Ph.D., Yale University School of Medicine, and Mary E. Larimer, Ph.D.,University of Washington: in a press release on March 26, 2007:

Most first-time offenders for driving while intoxicated need help for more than just alcohol
Driving while intoxicated (DWI) is a significant public-health problem in the US.
New findings indicate that many first-time DWI offenders also have high rates of other substance-use disorders as well as other psychiatric disorders.
Intervention programs may need to provide enhanced services to help this more severe subtype of DWI offenders.

Also in that press release:

"We found that 42 percent of first-time DUI offenders reported a lifetime history of drug abuse or dependence," Palmer said in a news release. "Marijuana abuse or dependence was the most prevalent, followed by hallucinogen abuse or dependence, and then cocaine abuse or dependence. Approximately 30 percent of the participants also indicated a lifetime history of anxiety or mood disorder. Social phobia was the most frequent anxiety diagnosis, and major depression was the most common mood disorder."

Atheos · Mar 24, 2009

Drinking and driving says EVERYTHING about your judgment which, fortunately, is a BON issue...

Don't drink and drive. It's simple.

ETA:

A DUI offender might not be an 'addict' but they are certainly a scourge on our society and a few other choice words I'll refrain from posting.

wed-a-lot · Apr 7, 2009

I have learned the hard way, perfection is the only color we can wear.

wed-a-lot · Apr 7, 2009

yes, after joining a peer group, not easy though.

sdholtz · May 13, 2009

So am I getting this right? Do many of you believe that if someone has a lapse of judgement in a non-work related environment, it should effect what could possibly be a perfect record of patient care? I know a DUI is bad, but for many it is a mistake. The levels that most states use for a DUI are below what most people would even feel a buzz. If you have ever had one glass of wine and drove home from a resturant you could be considered in this area. If you even have a trace of alcohol in your system (below the legal limit) you can be arrested for being a less than safe driver. If you have a prescription for xanax or a similar type medication beware.. if they give you a blood test and that medication is detected in your system you can recieve a DUI. It is my thought that many people drive around in a possible DUI status and do not know it.. the laws are stricter than you would think and MUCH easier to cross the line than you would guess unless you have been in that situation before you just might think you are making safe decisions. Regardless, it is in my humble opinion that if you have earned the title RN.. it should not be taken away by an off duty mistake. Our country is ran by people that have broken these rules time and time again.. and they are still working or in office.. why should we be held up to a level that our own elected officals are not held to? I can understand being more harsh on someone that has multiple DUI's, but an automatic judgement / sentence that denies your ability to work and support yourself and family.. thats too much in my opinion. I mean where does it stop, if you bounce a check... well that shows you are not keeping good records and show poor judgement.. should your license be pulled for that? NO!!! You can not correlate a lack of judgement with someones skills, job knowledge, or work ethics. Everyone makes mistakes, just because you believe that their mistake is worse than your's does not put you in a place where you can pass judgement.. If you believe the world is black and white, then any mistake is a punishable mistake and should effect all aspects of life.. Lets kick every single college kid out of school if they have ever drank underage, lets ban every person that has ever bounced a check or gone over their limit from having access to banking or credit cards because they made a mistake and are now deemed incompetient and untrustworthy, while we are at it lets ban anyone that has ever lied or told less than the truth from talking or interacting with others because they have failed us.. So come on who is with me.. lets start the book burnings and witch hunts now!!!

Basically I'm saying that anyone can make a mistake. Some are blantant disregard for the law and some are lapse of judgement.. each case is different and one blanket policy is not a good fit. Each state has lined up harsh punishment for DUI drivers and rightfully so. Are we so high and mighty that the state punishments are not enough so we must deliver it ourselves? Why; and to what good? If you made a mistake on your taxes.. Do you expect the IRS to handle it or the BON? Both are crimes that our legal system are designed to handle.

Why should one effect your job and the other not?

Tessaprn · May 13, 2009

If you have one drink and get into a car which you are the driver then you are DUI. You are breaking the law. What we do in our non-work environment oftentimes will determine our character. In areas of alcohol and drug use it can and usually does affect our professional lifes.

When you applied for you license do you not recall the questions about alcohol and/or drug use. I would not want someone who has been arrested for drug and alcohol abuse taking care of me or any member of my family without intervention and being monitored. I have had drunks as patients and it is not a good experience. Out of all the patient's that I have cared for the past 20 years, it is the ones that drink and drive that I have not had one shred of sympathy for. People who drink and drunk seem to only hurt those who are innocence. In my opinion and experience with the subject DUI's never hurt themselves physically to any lasting degree, but they do kill others.

I do not know how other BON handlers the nurse who is has been impaired? But Alabama takes it very seriously. I have knowledge of this because of my daughter who is an RN. In 2005 she came to the end of a bad time in her life. She was abusing Xanax. She drove to work with it in her system and worked while using it. In January 2005 during a period of 4 weeks, she properly disposed of a lousy husband and she was reported to the BON for being impaired, plus terminated.

I make no excuses for her and we her family do not let her make excuses for her lack of judgement while in her non-work related environment or in the workplace. She put her well-being as well as her patient's in jeopardy. She has had to jump through many hoops with her family and the BON for her lack of good judgement.

She had to attend out-patient rehab, 2 days a week for 6 months at her expense. She has to make 3 meetings a week with Narcotics Anonymous, send a monthly report to the board, anytime she sees a physician or dentist she has to make a note for her montly update, let the board know of any medication she takes and at her own expense has to make a daily phone call to see if she was selected that day for drug testing. That's $74 a pop. Her employer has to be aware of her restrictions and they too have to send a monthly report about her job performance. I won't even begin to list the amount of fines she had to pay to the BON. When she finally found an employer who would give her the opportunity to work she could not give meds for the first 6 months and cannot supervise anytime during her probation period. The only place that would hire her was because the supervisor herself had gone through the program and gave her a chance.

Here she is 4 years later doing great with another year to go. She has done well and took responsibility for herself and her actions. Because she did not have a job the cost of the things she had to do were financially a hardship and if not for her family she would never had be able to pay the cost of the programs, requirements and fines.

You want to compare DUI with dishonest elected officials, cheating on taxes, etc. Agreed this is in bad character, but their actions do not involve being an advocate for people who we care for. You also use the "well they did it too, so why should I be treated differently?" Apples and oranges. You do not say that you would arrested for DUI. If it was you or someone you know than take responsibility for the lack of judgement and stop trying to find excuses for the actions and why you should not be held accountable.

animal1993 · May 13, 2009

I am a VERY firm believer that you either don't drink, or you make sure someone who hasn't been drinking will be the one behind the wheel. I told my own husband that if I ever even suspected he was "drinking and driving" that I would call the police myself, as I would rather know he was in jail than in a ditch or possibly harming someone's family. I have children of my own, and I would be livid if someone willfully chose to put their lives at risk because they were "on their own time".

Everyone knows that you just don't do that, ESPECIALLY a medical professional.

jackstem · May 13, 2009

If a person makes errors in judgment that could harm themselves as well as others, why would you think they would be less likely to make errors in judgment that would only harm others? Substance abuse and chemical dependence target the areas of the brain involved in learning, motivation, and decision making. These effects don't improve these abilities, they suppress these abilities. Over time, these changes can become more pronounced until the line between substance abuse and addiction is crossed. Once that happens, the brain will never return to it's original state.

As health care providers, we are taught to recognize early signs and symptoms of potentially lethal diseases like cancer, heart disease, and others. We all know the earlier we treat a disease, the better the chance of cure or remission. If it's a disease that can't be cured (diabetes), we know early recognition and intervention coupled with stringent control of blood sugar with proper diet, exercise, and frequent testing and administration of insulin provides the best chance for a relatively normal life span with fewer complications and hospitalizations. Yet we don't do that with addiction.

We wait until the signs can no longer be ignored or a "near miss" like a DUI, an accident, criminal behavior, domestic violence, or an accidental overdose happens. Then we send them to treatment that isn't long enough or intense enough (if at all), with poor follow up and little monitoring. Then we're shocked when they relapse.

It's time to stop approaching this disease emotionally and start treating it scientifically. A DUI is often one of the earliest signs of a possible chronic and potentially fatal disease. If we tell patients to see their physicians for assessment of early signs of other potential diseases, why do we willingly ignore early signs of this potentially deadly disease? Health care professionals aren't immune to substance abuse and addiction. Our training provides no protection from this disease or any other.

What we do in our private lives is a more accurate reflection of who we are than anything we do when others are watching.

Is everyone who receives a DUI an alcoholic/addict? No. But it is a sign/symptom that warrants further assessment, just like a cough that won't go away, bloody urine, a mole that doesn't look right, etc. We have to remember the first DUI can be as fatal as the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th........

The board of nursing is charged with protecting the public from incompetent or impaired nurses. A DUI is most definitely something that needs to be taken seriously, and a board of nursing that does nothing when they become aware of a nurse with a condition that may impair their ability to practice safely isn't doing their job.

Jack