California Nurses

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I would love to connect with some fellow nurses in probation or diversion. I am in diversion and live in the Bay Area. 

bayarea123 said:

@Healer555 I will, and thank you for your response.  Did you go through a recovery program? I really hope that I can qualify 😕 . If I am accepted and start, and the BON gets a complaint,  from what I understood from the website "In the event there is a complaint filed against your license (and an investigation reveals you violated the NPA), the enforcement case will NOT be referred for disciplinary action as long as you continue to participate and complete BRN's Intervention Program." I hope this is true

I'm going through one now and it's pretty awful 

@Healer555 I am sorry to hear it's going rough 😕 from what I've read online it does seem to take over your life. did you self-refer? How long have you been in the program?

I'm curious if you've met other nurses in the recovery program, and if so, have you met these who enrolled primarily for mental illness? 
 

 

bayarea123 said:

@Healer555 I am sorry to hear it's going rough 😕 from what I've read online it does seem to take over your life. did you self-refer? How long have you been in the program?

I'm curious if you've met other nurses in the recovery program, and if so, have you met these who enrolled primarily for mental illness? 
 

 

I was reported to my states monitoring program for a sud I don't have so no I most definitely didn't self report.  I've been in for a year and no. 

Specializes in Mental health, Critical Care, Nurse Educator du.

Can you all include the length of the contract you signed on for? And what the offense was ? 

I'm considering transferring to California from Florida. I have a little over 2 years left in Florida, but have already moved back to California because of family issues. Trying to determine if California will give me credit for the time I've already done in Florida, or stick me on another 5 year contract.

Thanks! 

Does anyone know what the initial drug intake for the intervention program involves? Will they conduct a hair follicle test at the beginning?

I had never taken an opiate in my life until a couple of week when I fractured my arm while biking. I took 2 tablets of norco that my mom provided from her leftover medication from surgery earlier this year. I didn't have a prescription 😕

I am in the process of enrolling in the program for mental health reasons, as it is affecting my ability to practice as a nurse. 

Specializes in ER.

I am 16 months into Diversion in Orange County, CA, please feel to reach out. I would love to talk to other nurses in diversion or probation.

They will do a hair follicle test but it doesn't matter. It won't change anything. Two Norcos might not even show up. I tested positive for weed for months.

bayarea123 said:

Does anyone know what the initial drug intake for the intervention program involves? Will they conduct a hair follicle test at the beginning?

I had never taken an opiate in my life until a couple of week when I fractured my arm while biking. I took 2 tablets of norco that my mom provided from her leftover medication from surgery earlier this year. I didn't have a prescription 😕

I am in the process of enrolling in the program for mental health reasons, as it is affecting my ability to practice as a nurse. 

My initial evaluation was only a urine test.  If you still have any pain it'd be really good to get opiates prescribed to you so it's not more likely to be labeled a SUD. 

Thank you for your prompt response. I am going to follow up with my doctor.

bayarea123 said:

Thank you for your prompt response. I am going to follow up with my doctor.

Totally depends on the evaluator that day and your background. You may get a urine test, you may get a hair test, you may get both. Read up on the "SASSI". This test is what addictionologists use as the "gold standard" to diagnose SUD or rule out SUD and its 95% sensitive and I think specificity is also well above 90 percent. Many nurses going for an evaluation (not all, but some) will get this test administered. If you fail this test and have urine/hair that shows anything, you are getting an automatic SUD diagnosis. 

Here is where corruption occurs in my opinion. Many state boards who require a nurse to get a chemical/addiction/eval only allow the nurse to go to a "Board Approved" Center within that state. Now, you can imagine how that goes. If the evaluator says a nurse has an SUD, then guess what, that evaluators clinic just inherited a new patient which equals More Money.

Here's what you do if you truly don't have an SUD. Get your own evaluator on the side at a facility that is not affiliated with the the nurse Board and give the results to your lawyer. Then, go to the Boards approved evaluator place as well and when you walk in the door, give them a copy of the eval you just received on your own showing no SUD and that your lawyer also has a copy. Right off the bat, this let's them no you aren't messing around and they will be more inclined to truly diagnose you as not having an SUD (if you truly don't have an SUD).

If they try funny business and say you do, you have a lawyer and another facility that days you don't and these are situations where the Board often backs down or comes off lightly with punishment. If you truly do have an SUD and have a problem with opiates, then it is what it is. Get help. Get better. Get fixed. Enter the program. 

When I met with the evaluator for the program, she was a licensed therapist. I never saw an addiction doctor. I did not do any drug testing that day. Once I was enrolled in the program and signed up for drug testing is when I got tested. Urine first and then a hair test like the next week. Things may be different now because this was 4 years ago during Covid. 

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