Contact after completion of monitoring program?

malamud69, BSN, RN · Apr 19, 2020

Never ever ...not once

Got a random letter of completion from somebody in the program I never had any interaction with ever for the entire four years I was involved… My “case manager/director of the program” who supposedly had my back not one time wished me well/or even offered their congratulations for my completion...

pure and simple bs completion of a complete scam/ sham/mumbo-jumbo driven pseudoscientific horse$&@“ money making travesty

RK08 · Apr 19, 2020

Thank you! I did get a phone call and a congratulatory email, but I just want to make sure I never need to speak with them again. It’s only been a little over a week, but I’m still feeling uneasy about it.

malamud69, BSN, RN · Apr 19, 2020

8 minutes ago, Rbek said:
Thank you! I did get a phone call and a congratulatory email, but I just want to make sure I never need to speak with them again. It’s only been a little over a week, but I’m still feeling uneasy about it.

In my case they keep records for a certain number of years then those records are destroyed -that is essentially all I was told in the two or three sentence letter of completion… CONGRATS! And it does take a while for that “uneasy feeling“ to sort of dissipate. I’m about three months past my completion and still have that weird feeling every once in a while that I’m amazed that I don’t have to check in or go P into a cup...enjoy! Of course I was “free” and then C19 showed up! Ugh

catsmeow1972, BSN, RN · Apr 20, 2020

On the stupid ‘evaluation’ of thier program that I had to fill out and return, as in they supposedly wanted my opinion (really?, right, I’m sure they did, cough, cough, snort!) ironically BEFORE they would close the door on this poop show...(hmmm...tell them what they want to hear, oh it was wonderful, helped me so much, blah blah, ? so I can get this travesty over with or tell them what garbage crooks I really think they all are and risk them inventing junk to force me to stay....I had to think hard on that one)......anyway, one of the questions had to do with did I want to be on their mailing list (hell no...I don’t ever want to hear from you clowns again, please go drop yourselves off a steep cliff somewhere.)

Sure enough, I got the email followed a few days later by a snail mail copy of a vanilla blah form letter saying some crap about ‘congratulations on your completion and good luck in your continuing recovery” or some such dreck. I’ve heard nothing from them since and that is just fine.

It took a few weeks to stop waking up at 4 am automatically and a while longer to be able to get through a day without the thought of IPN popping to the surface. Of course I still come here to chit chat and I have a friend or two that I met through the last, least miserable nurse support group that I occasionally talk to, but beyond that I’ve moved on with my life and it’s so much better with that nightmare being over. With the end, I was also able to drop some of the depression meds I was on and drastically lower the doses of some others.
I think that proves that that program merely exacerbated my problems, likely like a lot of other people that don’t fit the only profile they have, that of the traditional substance user/alcoholic.

RK08 · Apr 20, 2020

Thank you! I’m happy you have been able to move on and get your life back and hopefully I will be there soon!

catsmeow1972, BSN, RN · Apr 20, 2020

You will be. I honestly think that those programs create more psychological abuse than is necessary, not that abuse should even be in the equation. Given the culture of fear, lack of credible information, lying and obvious profit motive that is ingrained in many of them (interesting how I’m hearing that since places can’t ‘recomandate’ inpatient treatment because of Covid, they are all pushing for IOP. Sooooo.....was inpatient ever even necessary?...or did they force people into it because it was financially lucrative when an IOP would have been just fine....or to spin this out even further, how many are forced into some 12 step voo doo based treatment program when it’s totally not necessary and even detrimental....?‍♀️.

When the ball and chain comes off, life does get better. Unfortunately though I think there is a part of me that will always bear scars of that horror. I have seen first hand how terrible people are capable of treating each other and it is saddening. I am much more circumspect in how much I trust people now. I used to think people were basically good until proven different. Now I reserve that opinion until the good is proven. It’s sad that I feel I have to be like that but 6 solid years of lies and dissembling and being a number in a file folder, existing for no other purpose than to generate money for a corrupt organization who held all I had worked for hostage to do it, makes a person like that.

RK08 · Apr 20, 2020

Thank you for coming back on here and giving others hope. I agree, I think there will always be scars from what these programs do to us, but hopeful to think they will at least start to fade.

crazin01 · Apr 20, 2020

4 hours ago, catsmeow1972 said:
You will be. I honestly think that those programs create more psychological abuse than is necessary, not that abuse should even be in the equation. Given the culture of fear, lack of credible information, lying and obvious profit motive that is ingrained in many of them (interesting how I’m hearing that since places can’t ‘recomandate’ inpatient treatment because of Covid, they are all pushing for IOP. Sooooo.....was inpatient ever even necessary?...or did they force people into it because it was financially lucrative when an IOP would have been just fine....or to spin this out even further, how many are forced into some 12 step voo doo based treatment program when it’s totally not necessary and even detrimental....?‍♀️.
When the ball and chain comes off, life does get better. Unfortunately though I think there is a part of me that will always bear scars of that horror. I have seen first hand how terrible people are capable of treating each other and it is saddening. I am much more circumspect in how much I trust people now. I used to think people were basically good until proven different. Now I reserve that opinion until the good is proven. It’s sad that I feel I have to be like that but 6 solid years of lies and dissembling and being a number in a file folder, existing for no other purpose than to generate money for a corrupt organization who held all I had worked for hostage to do it, makes a person like that.

BEAUTIFULLY SAID!!!

zoeintx · Apr 22, 2020

TRUST ME...nothing is destroyed. Your history will be accessible in a keystroke. I know from experience.

Don't make the same mistake again and stay outta trouble!

Congratulations and best of luck.

newnurse0131, ADN · May 11, 2020

Hello everyone. Hearing your stories has been really helpful. I am a new nurse in the state of California and I am currently waiting on a date to meet my probation monitor and settle everything about the start of my probation. I got conditions 1-16 for a period of 2 years and I am freaking out.

I am also waiting to start my new job on an ICU floor on night shift and I am honestly fearful that working nights will interfere with my ability to go and test and so forth. I am a single mom to a 7 year old and I have never worked nights before. I am trying to remain positive but I am afraid being a new grad on an ICU floor, working nights, and being on top of all this probation stuff will be overwhelming. Please help. I'm asking for any suggestions or advice from those of you who know.

Its already been a nightmare and I havent even started. I agree with everything that was said about how much fear they instill in someone. I feel that this process has been so depressing.

rn1965, ADN · May 11, 2020

1 hour ago, newnurse0131 said:
Its already been a nightmare and I havent even started. I agree with everything that was said about how much fear they instill in someone. I feel that this process has been so depressing.

I think the process is what I make of it. It can be fearful, and depressing, but, I feel thankful to have a second chance. I bought my ticket to ride this train, so I can either do it or get off. I am a recovering alcoholic (15 years) who decided to get back into nursing and therefore had to start a monitoring program (because I dropped out of a confidential one years ago). So, yes, there will always be a mark on my license and I will have to explain to people interviewing me until the end of time.

There are some people on here, who, IMO, should NOT have had to go through the programs. People with one DUI before nursing school, or one while off work, etc. I think an evaluation should have excluded them, but I think the BONs err on the side of caution. Right or wrong, it happens. If anything, for those people, maybe 3-6 months of monitoring would have been sufficient to handle things.

Working nights should make testing (UDS) easier, because you can go right after work. Working nights is an adjustment, and something I have never adjusted to, so I do not do them. However, I have met nurses who did it their entire careers and would never dream of working a day shift. Some people are great at it. Try to keep your sleep as regular as you can when working. Get blackout curtains for your room, wear earplugs or use a fan or noise machine. Sleep mask, etc.

Keep your chin up and be happy that you landed a job! That is a HUGE accomplishment and you deserve a pat on the back.

Stay strong friend!