Hi, Reading this just got to thinking about my own situation. I am in the DMU program not because I diverted, used or drank alcohol but because I am taking medication for depression. How about that? I know the feelings of guilt and shame but they seem to come from the program itself and the very nature of it. I feel scrutinized, publicly made to be on the spot and financially robbed because of this program not to mention the inconvenience it is to check for drug screens every morning. I have a biological illness and no it doesn't prevent me from doing my work.. Heck, Florence nightingale suffered from depression and no one had her go into a monitoring program . What is going on in nursing today? Why do people discriminate and even stigmatize those who have mental illness esp in the nursing field? I find this outrageous. I guess if I had diabetes I'd be more palatable or more accepted. I have 4years and 10 months left of this program because I take medication and I am being singled out like I never passed my boards. I did the work and I should be respected not made out to be a potential problem. Again I don't drink or do drugs. I find this feels like blackmail. If you don't participate in the program then you don't have access to your license. Now in order to practice you must tell all about your struggles why you are in the program, etc, etc. Nothing is private anymore. Everyone knows everything. This is emotionally painful.
So when is the stigma and discrimination going to end? All I can say is this is not what I signed up for when I spent 100000 on nursing school and years of sacrifice and hard work. I'm not any different than any other nurse just because I need to take 3 pills every day.
When are people going to treat us like we are human beings and not some horror story they heard on the news. This is fear driven and unbased on any fact that people with mental illness are violent out to kill their patients or a risk. I am beside myself and its about time we see people for who they are and not what meds they are taking. Nurses with mental illness have just as much potential as their so called healthy counterparts who may in fact not be so healthy afterall when they too feel they have to get help for something and then it is strewn all over the nursing boards. Disciplinary Monitoring? For an illness. Doesn't make sense. Who's going to step up and change this?
I wish you much luck. I have a mother who is bipolar who was also removed from her college because she though that one of her professors was experimenting against the students. She was escorted off the premises by police and also is not allowed to return to the school by court order. It was a devastating time for our family because before this incident, my mother had never displayed any breaks from realities. I in no way say this to upset you, but there is no court in the world who would grant a no-contact order against someone for simply parking on the grass. Also, violating a no-contact order is a serious offense that cannot be tolerated. I encourage you to follow through with whatever provisions you are required to do so that you can live a productive life. The stigma of mental illness is shameful....but you must confront the illness rather than blame the world for your current situation. Again, the best of luck!
OP, I think your best bet for this is to just suck it up, own up to your mistakes, take a refresher course, look for jobs when you are allowed, and move on with life.
Look at doctors and how when they are faced with the same issues they have no where near the same consequences. Not because they are simply doctors, but because as a whole thy support one another.
I wouldn't hold up physicians as any kind of model for us in this regard -- they are notoriously poor at monitoring/policing their own, even when it is a legitimate matter of protecting the public.
If you feel that you are being discriminated against or treated differently because of your disability, contact someone in your state's proctection and advocacy (P&A) office. National Disability Rights Network They do have the knowledge and resources to midiate problems like these.
I too am bipolar and it has given me some issues over the years. Good luck and keep your chin up.
I agreed with the no contact order in exchange for a B.S in Liberal Studies Degree after the parking on the grass incident and the removal from the school so I could go onto another school with my credits and pursue and finish my nursing degree. I broke the no contact agreement because I was excited for finishing nursing school not thinking by calling an old professor at the school letting her know about it. In no way am I blaming the world for my current situation. It just sucks and I hate it. I take full responsiblilty for what happened and I paid dearly emotionally but I feel I am still paying for it now financially. But when is enough enough? I now need to pay for it for the next five years in monitoring which will cost around 20,000. And that is difficult to face I am sure you would agree if you were in my shoes. As far as my illness is concerned I do what I am supposed to do with it. I go to my doctors appointments, I take my medication, I go to my therapist appointments and I also go to my support groups. There really is nothing else I can do. I guess now I am stuck doing what the state wants me to do for the next five years which seems a little overkill. In no way have I not confronting the illness, I have lived with it for 30 years doing what I need to do to take care of myself. I think you misunderstood my intent in my post which was to give a background into why I was in the DMU not to blame anyone for it. I am only expressing my disdain for it. I will keep this board updated bye for now
BeOne, I do the same thing as you for the same reason. While it sucks, you do have to make peace with it or it will be a long five years. I do not think the monitoring programs cost 20,000 dollars...that is for everything, including psychiatry appts and therapy appts. If you are keeping up with your Bipolar, then the appts would happen with or without DMU. My UDS run around 1700 dollars a year, for 36 tests. That makes it 8,500 dollars for the whole thing. That is only the UDS. If I add the therapy appts, which I would have to do with or without HPMP, it costs more.
You need to make peace with this, so you can go and have a career. Honestly, if I was an employer, I would be hesitant to put you, in this state, with psych patients. I think if you can get into a good place and learn healthy coping skills, you have a good background to be a good psych nurse.
I think the only thing that still stings a little is my info being public and I am working on dealing with that in a positive way.
wish_me_luck, BSN, RN
1,110 Posts
OP, what did your stipulations end up being?