Florida impared nurse program

[lavalamprn]

I have been asked by my employer to self report to the IPN. I have been told these are non-drug related issued I have had two drug screens recently One a patient accused me (falsely) of not giving him his narcotic medicine. The other I worked an extra shift and nodded off while charting There were also some patient complaints - had to wait too long for meds etc Both drug screens came back negative Anybody know what I should expect when I call to "self report"?

[Emilynn09]

Oh and the other conplaint was that my charting was behind

Welcome to my daily life. Patient care takes more importance than charting. How many nurses have had to stay after shift from time to time to finish up charting. This is not so unusual...

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

as per the terms of service we cannot offer legal advice. i would however seek legal assistance before you do any reporting to anyone. some states have seeking treatment as mandated reportable to the bon. if you have malpractice insurance i suggest you call them for they will also provide legal assistance/advice for licensure issues. another reason top be sure to have malpractice insurance....you just never know. i would also call you states bar association to seek the advice of an attorney that specializes in licensure issues.......there is always someone will to do pro-bono work.

[lavalamprn]

Yeh tell me about it, there are times we just cannot chart on time IDK I guess evertthing combined....?

I always thought that IPN was for some type or ETOH ro drug issue, they say they eval for medical issues - I think because some people are taking prescribed meds for medical reasons. The IPN website says that they mental issues is also a reason, but depression for instance, how many 1000's of nurses have some depression or are on depression meds?

I am wondering if anyone has heard on being put into the IPN program if you dont have a substance abuse issue

[lavalamprn]

Thanks to all that are replying, I am really at a loss here

[diva rn, BSN, RN]

Just a note....it is not the Florida impared nurse program.....the actual name is the Florida "Intervention Project for Nurses"

[Ruas61, BSN, RN]

Why do you have to self report?

They terminated you, correct?

If what you write about being drug frree is correct and truthful, it sounds like you are being railroaded.

Or am I missing something here?

[lavalamprn]

They are saying there is some kind of problem, and that I need to admit to the problem, even there is a medical problem underlying why I dozed off, that they dont just drug just for no reason

but I thought IPN was only for people substance abuse issues of some sort

[lavalamprn]

Oh thanks for the correction :-)

[lavalamprn]

.........and by medical problem

do they mean and actual medical problem like narcolepsy

or do they mean an medical problem that I am taking RX for (looking at medications that could cause impaiment not a medical diagnosis itself)

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Sounds like they WANTED to get rid of you. NEVER self report. The "system" will own you for years to come.

Lawyer up!

Good luck, keep us posted.

[jackstem]

There can be many reasons a nurse might be considered "impaired". Yes, Substance Use Disorder is a major (or THE major) reason. Others can include narcolepsy (as suggested), some mental health conditions, other health conditions, etc. The IPN program found in many states may evaluate the nurse and then recommend forther evaluation by specialists if they believe the nurse could pose a threat to public safety. If a nurse refuses to follow the recommendations of the IPN it's possible they might be required to report the refusal to the BON (should be spelled out in the laws that created the IPN as well as the NPA). The charge of impairment is nothing to sneeze at and could possibly lead to serious consequences for your license and ability to practice. If you think you are being wrongly accused, retain the services of a license defense attorney with experience in dealing with this issue and this BON. Trying to represent yourself could make things worse instead of better.

Good luck!

Jack

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

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