APRN seeking employment after being reported to NPDB for substance use disorder

KathyMomRN, RN · Sep 21, 2024

You might be thinking if the OIG List (Office of the Inspector General) if you are on that list you cannot work for any place that accepts Medicare/Medicaid. You will land up in the NPDB if action was taken against your license. But you can still get a job, just need to be honest.

crna05, CRNA · Sep 23, 2024

KathyMomRN said:

You might be thinking if the OIG List (Office of the Inspector General) if you are on that list you cannot work for any place that accepts Medicare/Medicaid. You will land up in the NPDB if action was taken against your license. But you can still get a job, just need to be honest.

Thank you for the info!

sch76, MSN, RN · Mar 9

Hi,

I was just wondering if you have any updates on finding a job. I am a APRN as well and am not currently in a monitoring program as I haven't received my sentence for a DUI yet, but I am fairly confident that I will be required to as this is not my first one. I just applied for a new job and was told that they would not be able to credential me. I had supporting documents from my treatment providers and previous supervisor as I do not have a substance use disorder and have had no problems at work have 10 months of all negative UAs. I was told this 3 days after submitting documents - which means the credentialing committee did not evaluate everything as we all know it takes 2-3 months. So just wondering what if anything I can do? I emailed them for follow up but have not heard anything yet.

Healer555 · Mar 9

sch76 said:

Hi,

I was just wondering if you have any updates on finding a job. I am a CRNA as well and am not currently in a monitoring program as I haven't received my sentence for a DUI yet, but I am fairly confident that I will be required to as this is not my first one. I just applied for a new job and was told that they would not be able to credential me. I had supporting documents from my treatment providers and previous supervisor as I do not have a substance use disorder and have had no problems at work have 10 months of all negative UAs. I was told this 3 days after submitting documents - which means the credentialing committee did not evaluate everything as we all know it takes 2-3 months. So just wondering what if anything I can do? I emailed them for follow up but have not heard anything yet.

I know a CRNA who worked as a RN during her monitoring agreement because she couldn't get a job as a CRNA. MAYBE that's an option?

NurseJackie69 · Mar 10

Working as an RN instead of a CRNA? CRNA average salary = 250K per year. RN=90K per year. That difference is 160 K per year. Multiply 160 K x 5 years and that equals 800K LOST while working as an RN for 5 years instead of a CRNA. I would find a job as a CRNA if I were a CRNA.

Think Eye Center and GI Centers for CRNA's instead of hospitals. For NP's, think low income urban medical clinics. For Psych NP's, same thing, low income urban type medical clinics.

Healer555 · Mar 10

NurseJackie69 said:

Working as an RN instead of a CRNA? CRNA average salary = 250K per year. RN=90K per year. That difference is 160 K per year. Multiply 160 K x 5 years and that equals 800K LOST while working as an RN for 5 years instead of a CRNA. I would find a job as a CRNA if I were a CRNA.

Think Eye Center and GI Centers for CRNA's instead of hospitals. For NP's, think low income urban medical clinics. For Psych NP's, same thing, low income urban type medical clinics.

But sometimes CRNAS can't get hired as a CRNA. 90k a year is better than flipping burgers.

NurseJackie69 · Mar 10

Healer555 said:

But sometimes CRNAS can't get hired as a CRNA. 90k a year is better than flipping burgers.

What NP,s, CRNA's, even Midwives do who can't find work is work as an RN, land that job, then immediately continue on constant lookout for jobs in their Field. For CRNA's, eye centers and GI centers (outpatient centers) are often first choices for reentry to practice, especially GI centers where the one's in cities often are in need. They pay less, but only administer Propofol (one drug) and don't have to worry about Fentanyl or Versed. Same thing for NP's in urban area underserved clinics where the pay isn't as much, but these places often don't even prescribe narcotics and don't have a pharmacy or narcotics inside of the building, so in both situations, everyone is a little more at ease. I have several NP and CRNA friends that I've met in recovery. Nearly all of the CRNA's (about 5 of them I know) re-entered via a GI Center doing EGD's and Colonoscopies pushing Propofol 15 times a day and making 50K less than what they normally would, but still a re-entry, and then after doing that for a couple of years, get on at a hospital. Similar for NP's, most went to an underserved clinic, worked for a couple of years, then transitioned to a well established private practice or Hospital-Group practice making much more money.

For NP's, applying for those well established practices when trying to re-enter seems like a long-shot and same for CRNA's trying to apply at a Hospital. After months of searching, many of them (most of them) end up back at GI Centers (CRNA's) and underserved medical clinics (NP's).

For Advanced Practice Nurses, Get with your Peer Reps. NP's and CRNA's generally have Statewide Peer Reps through there Nationally Accrediting Organizations and these people know places and have connections for NP's and CRNA's to employers that are more friendly for Re-Entry. These peer reps can be found through their credentialing organizations websites. For RN's (not advanced practice nurses) many of your State Monitoring Program websites have a "friendly" list of employers who have a history of hiring those re-entering practice.

Some states for NP's are super friendly with the criminal system. The state criminal system seems all or none. They simply refuse to hire any NP in a monitoring program, and some absolutely are begging for them because they are so short and actually seek them out.

crna05, CRNA · Mar 11

sch76 said:

Hi,

I was just wondering if you have any updates on finding a job. I am a CRNA as well and am not currently in a monitoring program as I haven't received my sentence for a DUI yet, but I am fairly confident that I will be required to as this is not my first one. I just applied for a new job and was told that they would not be able to credential me. I had supporting documents from my treatment providers and previous supervisor as I do not have a substance use disorder and have had no problems at work have 10 months of all negative UAs. I was told this 3 days after submitting documents - which means the credentialing committee did not evaluate everything as we all know it takes 2-3 months. So just wondering what if anything I can do? I emailed them for follow up but have not heard anything yet.

I did but it took sometime. I went to gas work site and applied to every listing made available in my state. I found 2 places that were willing to work with me and I chose one. What state are you located in?

sch76, MSN, RN · Mar 12

Thanks, I'm in CO. I feel like no one will touch me until after the BON has completed their assessments, but I haven't even been to court yet. I have letters of recommendation but at the one hospital my application did not even get to the credentialing department before my offer was rescinded.

NurseJackie69 · Mar 12

sch76 said:

Thanks, I'm in CO. I feel like no one will touch me until after the BON has completed their assessments, but I haven't even been to court yet. I have letters of recommendation from my chief but at the one hospital my application did not even get to the credentialing department before my offer was rescinded.

For advanced Practice Nurses. WARNING.......Go AROUND Human Resources First and Foremost when you start your search. For example, get in touch with the Chief of Anesthesia-CRNA or Anesthesiologist. Get in touch with them FIRST and explain your situation and tell the truth. Same for NP's in Hospital Applications. Human Resources are non clinical people that have a checklist in front of them and if the checklist says, "under monitoring or been in trouble or investigated in past 2 years....etc....etc" they simply reject the application and toss it in the trash. If you go the backdoor route by getting in touch with the Anesthesia Dept Chief's First, they have pull with Human Resources and pull within the hospital. This applies to all APN's.

You will hear these words many times in recovery with NP's and CRNA's. "They wanted to hire me and the Department I would have been working for was fine with it, but I couldn't get past Human Resources and HR wouldn't credential me." These words have been used hundreds of times. Your biggest roadblock will NOT be the anesthesia department or for NP's, cardiology or neurology-etc. etc. Your biggest roadblock is ALWAYS Human Resources. You get around this by seeking out the department (anesthesia) first and they go to bat for your when it's time to credential. Does it always work for APN's? Of course not, but it often does and you would be alarmed at how many applications NEVER reach the anesthesia dept because HR throws them in the trash. Seek out the Chief CRNA in the department. For NP's, seek out the Chief in your Dept such as cardio, neuro, etc.

crna05, CRNA · Mar 14

NurseJackie69 said:

For advanced Practice Nurses. WARNING.......Go AROUND Human Resources First and Foremost when you start your search. For example, get in touch with the Chief of Anesthesia-CRNA or Anesthesiologist. Get in touch with them FIRST and explain your situation and tell the truth. Same for NP's in Hospital Applications. Human Resources are non clinical people that have a checklist in front of them and if the checklist says, "under monitoring or been in trouble or investigated in past 2 years....etc....etc" they simply reject the application and toss it in the trash. If you go the backdoor route by getting in touch with the Anesthesia Dept Chief's First, they have pull with Human Resources and pull within the hospital. This applies to all APN's.

You will hear these words many times in recovery with NP's and CRNA's. "They wanted to hire me and the Department I would have been working for was fine with it, but I couldn't get past Human Resources and HR wouldn't credential me." These words have been used hundreds of times. Your biggest roadblock will NOT be the anesthesia department or for NP's, cardiology or neurology-etc. etc. Your biggest roadblock is ALWAYS Human Resources. You get around this by seeking out the department (anesthesia) first and they go to bat for your when it's time to credential. Does it always work for APN's? Of course not, but it often does and you would be alarmed at how many applications NEVER reach the anesthesia dept because HR throws them in the trash. Seek out the Chief CRNA in the department. For NP's, seek out the Chief in your Dept such as cardio, neuro, etc.

I completely agree. When I was job hunting, I found that applying through HR often led to dead ends—I rarely heard back. The real progress came when I took a more direct approach:

1️⃣ I cast a wide net, sending out numerous applications.
2️⃣ I applied directly to anesthesia departments, reaching out to department heads instead of relying on HR.

Another key factor? Being open to relocation. In my case, I had to move five hours across my state just to secure a position. It wasn't ideal, but it was necessary to get my foot back in the door and avoid being out of practice for too long.

Your situation may be different, but if this is your second offense, finding a facility willing to work with you could be even more challenging. Persistence and flexibility may be key to securing an opportunity.

Big Blondie, ASN, BSN, MSN, APRN · Mar 18

Not sure how old this is, but I know of a CRNA who was in my group and he was able to work at an outpatient endo unit. He was blackballed by a former DON who blocked him getting hired at a couple of places. Don't give up. I am a NP and was able to continue practice with full scope of practice. It did take some negotiation with the monitor from my state. These programs are designed to assist us to safe practice. Not to destroy our careers. Many Providers including physicians are in recovery. Find a recovery group for professionals and network. You will find a job. Keep plugging, don't settle to return to basic nursing practice. You are an Advanced Practice Nurse, that is where you belong.