How will I know when I am truly ready to practice again?

dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN · Jan 27, 2016

I think it's kinda like having a kid. There is never a time to be "really ready." Life sucks and throws you curve balls all the time. In sobriety, I have been diagnosed with crippling gastroparesis, had an ectopic pregnancy, and am now looking at surgery for a chiari malformation. I couldn't have predicted any of that but I used my support system, my coping mechanisms, and stayed sober.

nurse_kee77 · Jan 28, 2016

Thank you for insight dirtyhippiegirl. I guess my ambivalence I need to process , is that I came into sobriety and my focus was returning to practice. It's evolved into something much bigger and I know I don't want to lose it for anything. I meet with the board in February.

1sttime · Jan 28, 2016

This is a hard question... when I was practicing impaired I thought I was ok to practice. After 1 year of sobriety I felt completely different about that, now at 4 years out I realize that each year sober I feel completely different about where I was the year before...

A slip up helped, time has helped, will I ever be "ready" to be around narcotics again? Was I really ready years ago before I even started?

I would say I am more prepared now than I was before- but I also have well worn neural pathways of addictive behavior. I have stepped away from practice- I picture myself around narcotics and shudder to think it would be possible to do it all again...

allnurses Guide · Jan 29, 2016

I've been clean and sober just shy of 10 months. When I first started the process for reinstatement , I had tunnel vision of returning to work. Now that I've worked the program of AA/NA I want to make sure I'm really ready. What challenges aside from normal stresses of being a nurse will I face? Advice please?

In short - You will face all the same challenges you did before this all started plus have restrictions and stipulations on your practice. Still if you have been working a program and not just going through the motions you will have a fantastic support system to help you.

Hppy