My dad is a nurse on long island. He became a nurse about 5 years ago after he got his associates degree from a community college. It is also important to know that my father suffers from bipolar disorder, and 10 years ago when my parents divorced he went into a deep depression and was drinking. to make a long story short my father ended up with 3 felony (class e) DWIs 10 years ago. As far as we know NY has no expongement so there is no way to get them off. He did a rehab program (10 years ago) and does not drink and went to nursing school to change his life and build a carreer that meant something to him. Now because of his record he must take the most stressful jobs despite the fact that he has good experience. He gets the leftovers, because once he tells a hospital or facility about his record (which he is incredibly embarrassed and ashamed of) they turn him away. Now in addition to this, at his last job in bellhaven hospital on long island, he was a supervisor nurse for the evening shift. Often if the overnight charge nurse went on his shift they would make him take a floor even though it was his shift to be charge... anyway, one night my father became very sick at work. He had been put on a new medication (depakote) and was reacting very badly (work did not know about his bipolar) He started sweating and his blood pressure went sky high despite his blood pressure medication, and he described that he had right flank pain that was at a 10. He called his supervisor and told her what was going on and that it was an emergency, he said his eyes were getting blurry and that he was in excruciating pain. His supervisor told him that she wouldn't come in and that he had to find someone, he reiterated his pain (to no avail).. so then he tried calling a few people. No one answered or would come in. My dad started feeling worse and he looked so bad one of the CNAs said that they would drive him to the hospital, my father was worried bcecause there was no other RNs on but him in the facility, but there was nothing more he could do and his blood pressure went even higher and he was keeling in pain... he went to the hospital with the CNA. They told him he had passed a kidney stone and possibly had a reaction to his new med. Then when he went back to work he was fired. Then my dad fought for unemployment stating he had been fired unjustly, NY state did an investigation and determined this was true. Then he started receiving unemployment, and then they took him to court to get back the unemployment. there were two witnesses, one told the truth and one lied. in the end they said my father had to pay back 8000 in unemployment that he had received. He is devastated, one because he truly felt he had no where else to turn that night, and he couldn't think straight, two because he feels like a failure as a nurse and in life (getting VERY depressed , and suicidal urges), three he worked so hard to get out of the whole he was in only to now owe all this money and be unemployed (and getting more and more depressed since he is 56 with no retirement saved, no house, few family members, lives alone), and finally he is so daunted to get another job because he is scared that maybe he just can't handle it and that he is a failure, and he is worried since he can only get the jobs that no one else wants because of his reccord. Does anyone have any advice, especially about any possibility of expongement in NY.... He is a very good nurse, and he cares more about patients than most other nurses I see, he is truly caring and wants to make their quality of life the best it can be for however long they have to be in care.... help! he really is hardworking and a good man... he's just not perfect, but he doesn't deserve this....
