Has your Nursing License ever been in Jeopardy?

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  1. Has your Nursing Liscense ever been in Jeoprody?

    • 96
      Yes
    • 132
      No

228 members have participated

This months survey question:

Have you ever been put in a situation in which you think your license could be in jeopardy?

Specializes in CCU, Geriatrics, Critical Care, Tele.

Yes, the question is open to any form of Nursing Liscense ever been in Jeoprody? Not only just by things you have done, but staffing issues, investigations etc... Thanks for clarifying.

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This addicts, but yu recieved adequate trainning in nursing school and yu still remember yur nursing ethics, you should know that as an ethical nurse

going on drug is totally forbidden, somebody dealing with life it not a healthy development for nursing practice in this millenium.

you need a thorough rehabilitation(s). well, yur license may still be valid but you must refrain from such an act.

omotayo.

As it's been said in this thread and countless others: nobody chooses to be an addict, anymore than they would elect to have diabetes, schizophrenia or cystic fibrosis. I've been clean and sober for 6 years; it hasn't always been easy, believe me, and it's certainly not something I looked forward to doing, once I graduated college. Most healthcare workers who are addicts got started on drugs for post-op pain or, in my case, debilitating migraines (this was back in the days when all the migraine meds were ergot-ridden nightmares: no Imitrex or Maxalt). Show a little compassion. But for the grace of God...

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As it's been said in this thread and countless others: nobody chooses to be an addict, anymore than they would elect to have diabetes, schizophrenia or cystic fibrosis. I've been clean and sober for 6 years; it hasn't always been easy, believe me, and it's certainly not something I looked forward to doing, once I graduated college. Most healthcare workers who are addicts got started on drugs for post-op pain or, in my case, debilitating migraines (this was back in the days when all the migraine meds were ergot-ridden nightmares: no Imitrex or Maxalt). Show a little compassion. But for the grace of God...
:coollook:At least some have compassion and empathy. Congratulations on your 6 years. :p
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Specializes in LPN.

I don't want to be mean, but I worked with an addicted charge nurse. I was brand new on the job when the drugs started missing. I looked like the culprit, and management was looking at me awfuly hard. Narc's in multi-use vials didn't seem to have effect on some of our worst cancer patients. Then the plasic container holding syringes were broken. A lot of morphine was missing. I found out later - I almost lost my job.

I am glad you have gotten help. But, you left a legacy behind. I for one would not want to work with an ex addict. I saw way to much unresoved pain the first time around. I just don't want to have to deal with again. I have enough on my plate trying to keep my liscence intact with the overload of pts I deal with, without backup from supervisors.

I am not your sister, I am your co-worker. I don't have to be understanding of a major infraction. I would fear it could happen again.

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I don't mean to be mean, either, but you are the type of nurse that I hope to never work with again. Nurses that think they are infallible and perfect scare me more than those of us who tell the truth about their problems. I don't see where it was such a big problem to you that your charge nurse was using, as long as you had nothing to hide and could pass a drug test, then you had nothing to worry about.

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Specializes in Home Health Care,LTC.

I only work per-diem and when I did work full-time in HH I never felt like my license was in jeopardy. I can fully see and understand from the post above how I could easly feel that way with the staffing issues.I just want to say :balloons: CONGRADULATIONS:balloons: TO whose who have overcome their addiction. I wish you many years of staying clean from the addiction. Good luck.

Angelia

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Specializes in LPN.

Many people have their own little problems. This just happens to be a big one. btw drugs are illegal especially stealing them from a hurting patient. If you have a problem and can't keep it from hurting someone else, don't go were there are vulnerable people. You can't tell my a abuser who diultes morphine isn't aware the pt is being affected. I'ts not just a matter of poor me, I have a problem. It's a matter of not making good judgements,and of actually causing harm to the ones your are supposed to be helping. Sorry if you don't like it. What if it was your child or parent, and the drug given them was not full strength. Would you enjoy watching them suffer? Would you ask the doctor to have the amount increased, then be so understanding when the next dose snows him?

To me it may be more personal, as I did watch people suffer when the morphine just didn't kick in.

Then theres the little matter of having my good name "drug" through the mud. It was my very first job - could have been my last.

to me it's not so much the fact you are taking the drugs, it's the lying, the stealing, and the not caring which concern me.

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First, not every addict diverts from work. 2nd, as an addict, my patients NEVER received DILUTED pain medication. Nor was pain medication withheld from them so I could have it. I have never had a complaint from a patient or family member regarding the care they received from me. In fact, just the opposite, patients and family members would request me. I'm sorry that you had a bad experience at your job with an addict, but please don't judge us all by the actions of one.

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I only work per-diem and when I did work full-time in HH I never felt like my license was in jeopardy. I can fully see and understand from the post above how I could easly feel that way with the staffing issues.I just want to say :balloons: CONGRADULATIONS:balloons: TO whose who have overcome their addiction. I wish you many years of staying clean from the addiction. Good luck.

Angelia

:p Thanks for your support Angelia. It is sad that there are so many perfect judgemental people in this world...just makes you wonder... what skeletons are in their closet? :rotfl:

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.

Please let's not turn this into a flame fest. The question is "has your license ever been in jeopardy?" I admire those who are acknowledging their problem - that is the first step in recovery and many people will never make it that far. It seems like these are nurses who have a realistic view of their situation and are doing what it takes to avoid future relapses.

As to the original question, there have been very rare occasions where I felt the staffing situation was a sentinel event waiting to happen. Fortunately, nothing did. I no longer choose to work in those situations.

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I have felt at risk for lawsuit and risk for reporting to the BON many many times. When I speak out I have felt (and have been) at risk for my job as well. It is because of the 'squeeze' between by ethics and mandates of my NPA and the crazy workplace, politics, warm body syndrome, and other 'bottom line' health care tactics.

A nurse here once voiced this and it is so true: It is amazing how being a good nurse and a good employee are so much at odds today.

You nailed this one on its head!

I have postings elsewhere but I can not resist answering the original survey question.

My license is in jeopardy for carrying out my mandated responsibility to report in good faith to my state BON any and all illegal activities that I witnessed in my place of employment. I reported my Director Of Nurses to the BON for aiding and abetting unlawfull activities. The Bon dismissed my complaints against my Director of Nurses citing unsubstantial evidence. The Bon is now siding with my Director of Nurses who claims that because I named patients in my private and confidential report to the Board I somehow violated my patients trust. I swear that none of my former patients have ever brought charges against me for this or any other reason.

The Bon continues to prosecute me even though the hearing officer told the lawyer for the Bon to dismiss my case because prosecuting me will have chilling effects on nurses to ever report patient abuse, mistreatment or neglect again. For political reasons I suspect the BON will choose to never resolve their case against me. I expect they will leave me dangling for years to come.

Warm regards,

Tom

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Every time I ever worked in a Nursing Home, I felt my license was in jeopardy. There was always staffing shortages and one time on an 11 to 7 shift, we had two nurses and two aides in the building with 138 residents. A few days later State showed up, and by some miracle we passed. My license now has a restriction on it because of a medication error that happened last year when I tried to help out another nurse. For some reason, our count was right before I left that night but the next morning a narcotic was missing. Guess who got the blame? This taught me a lesson about trying to help someone when it could endanger your license. I have now learned to refuse to do anything that may endanger my license, but you will always find someone that wants you to do something that is not always kosher. Those are the ones you have to watch.

For those of you who are overcoming addiction problems, I commend you. I have been in pain for years due to an injury at work and I know the temptation. You just want the pain to go away. No one can judge you for that.

As long as employers see us nurses as commodities, we are going to have problems. They are looking for cost effective ways of keeping their companies afloat. A lot of times, they will cut nursing personel instead of administrative personel. I would rather have an employer who worried about Staffing & patient care and safety than one who worried about keeping the paper work up to date.

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