HPMP

Is your advice on whether you should do the monitoring program? First, don't listen to what you were "told." The bottom line is, until you get a consent order in your hand,  u really don't have any idea of the length. I can tell you this if the drugs you used in the suicide attempt were taken from the hospital, it's 3 years Minimum and that I can assure of. Zero chance of 3 months IF...again....IF...the drugs were taken from the hospital. 

The decision to stay in nursing will require a monitoring program. Only you can way the financial stuff how much do you like nursing, etc. The monitoring program is doable if you put the work in. Remember this, more people finish monitoring that quit monitoring so it's doable, and after all, why not give it a go? You will be required by the BON to get mental counseling treatment which is a good thing. You will not be allowed to touch alcohol or drugs. 

It's not treatment.  It's not about you. It's about "protecting the public  " 

I only do it because I make more in this profession than I would otherwise.  If you can see yourself in another line of work that would be satisfying financially or personally walk away. If not suck it up and go through the program. Good luck 

Thank you guys I appreciate the responses. 

Su, one thing to keep in mind. The monitoring program is not forever. There is an END to it. It will pass. Your monitoring program will look something like this from the Board.

1. Mandatory mental health treatment/counseling/therapy and that therapist sends a report once every 3 months to the Board for a total of 1 year or until the therapist says you have reached maximum therapeutic benefit.

2. Mandatory daily check ins for 3 to 5 years and its easy, you do it on your phone with an app and if selected to test that day, you test. On average for most nurses it's 2 times per month. Some nurse will chime in and tell you they test once per week. Don't listen to them. On average, it's 2 times per month and that often drops after 2 years.

3. 3 recovery type meetings weekly in the form of AA, NA or Celebrate Recovery, Smart Recovery, etc.

It's doable. After one year, if you apply yourself to recovery, you will meet lifelong nurse friends and might actually enjoy it. I do. 

Here's how to get through a monitoring program. Don't miss check ins. Don't do alcohol or drugs or eat cakes/icing after 5 pm. Guess how many times I spoke with my case manager when I did a 5 year program? 8. 8 times via phone was it for 5 years. Why? I didn't miss a check in, never had a late report monthly for my recovery meetings, obviously never failed a drug test. What happens? You drop off their radar. There will ALWAYS be the nurse out there that has a bunch of dilutes, misses check ins, and has reports turned in late, and they are always "doing battle" with the case manager and ON the RADAR. Don't be that nurse. Be the one I described above and they leave you alone.

This may have happened to you for a reason. Perhaps God or whatever your believe system is put you here in order for you to turn it around and save your life and make it way better. Only you can decide that. 

JB C said:

 

This may have happened to you for a reason. Perhaps God or whatever your believe system is put you here in order for you to turn it around and save your life and make it way better. Only you can decide that. 

God? More like Satan. 

Thank you for the encouragement JB C. I will get through it no matter the length of the program. Just want my life back! 

Thank you to all the responses...appreciate each one of them!

Healer555 said:

God? More like Satan. 

All depends. Sometimes, God allow us to fall in order to return to him. Why? Free Will. If I'm a man, do I want to force the woman to love me and make her say it? Is that love? Or, do I want her to truly love me by her own choice? That's true love. Same thing if I'm a woman or whatever one identifies with. 

Whether God (which can and does allow us to fall sometimes) or Satan (who wants us to fall and God allows him to act) or whatever one believes, it's often supernatural as to WHY we are here. Something in my opinion, supernaturally has given us this fall, even in the case of being unfair. We have a duty to overcome and when we do we are stronger in 10 years, 20 years, etc. If we can get through this, then in 10 or 20 years when a parent or spouse or heavens forbid, a child of ours dies, going through something like this now gives us a far better chance to get through the future tragic events (that come upon everyone) compared to someone who hasn't been through it. 

Is the above a very opportunistic attitude? Yep, but that's how you get through monitoring. It makes it far easier in my opinion.

Su-z said:

Thank you for the encouragement JB C. I will get through it no matter the length of the program. Just want my life back! 

Thank you to all the responses...appreciate each one of them!

You are welcome. One thing I want to be clear of and my case manager told me this on day 1 and he was right. If you don't do drugs and drink alcohol and check in daily you will return to nursing practice and your life will be BETTER than it was 5 years from now. He was correct. Mine is. My life was better 2 years after being in the program. It just became autopilot. Alarm goes off, muscle memory before getting out of bed, click phone app and check in (takes a a grand total of 4 seconds) literally, count to 4 and you've checked in for the day. If selected, go pee before 6pm. I did most of my recovery meetings by zoom app, wrote them up in the little spreadsheet the mo itorong program gives you, email that at the end of the month. That's it.  Is it fun? Heck no. Annoying? Hell yes. Is it super hard? Absolutely not.

JB C said:

All depends. Sometimes, God allow us to fall in order to return to him. Why? Free Will. If I'm a man, do I want to force the woman to love me and make her say it? Is that love? Or, do I want her to truly love me by her own choice? That's true love. Same thing if I'm a woman or whatever one identifies with. 

Whether God (which can and does allow us to fall sometimes) or Satan (who wants us to fall and God allows him to act) or whatever one believes, it's often supernatural as to WHY we are here. Something in my opinion, supernaturally has given us this fall, even in the case of being unfair. We have a duty to overcome and when we do we are stronger in 10 years, 20 years, etc. If we can get through this, then in 10 or 20 years when a parent or spouse or heavens forbid, a child of ours dies, going through something like this now gives us a far better chance to get through the future tragic events (that come upon everyone) compared to someone who hasn't been through it. 

Is the above a very opportunistic attitude? Yep, but that's how you get through monitoring. It makes it far easier in my opinion.

These monitoring agreements are not from  God. 

Healer555 said:

These monitoring agreements are not from  God. 

Haha.

Healer555 said:

These monitoring agreements are not from  God. 

Never said Monitoring Agreements are from God. I said...the situation we often find ourselves IS from God. The nurse that attempted suicide doesn't randomly wake up one morning and do that. She is in severe pain leading up to that point. Mentally tormented. Hurting. The fact that she is now alive, didn't die, got caught/BON is aware the drugs came from the hospital is from God (in my opinion). It's His way of giving her a chance, a choice, do over to get better and return closer to him/get help/get better which benefits Her, her family, her friends, everyone around her. Purely my opinion. 

JB C said:

Never said Monitoring Agreements are from God. I said...the situation we often find ourselves IS from God. The nurse that attempted suicide doesn't randomly wake up one morning and do that. She is in severe pain leading up to that point. Mentally tormented. Hurting. The fact that she is now alive, didn't die, got caught/BON is aware the drugs came from the hospital is from God (in my opinion). It's His way of giving her a chance, a choice, do over to get better and return closer to him/get help/get better which benefits Her, her family, her friends, everyone around her. Purely my opinion. 

Agree with all of what you said except the BON and monitoring. This person has enough to deal with. They are going to be treated like a drug addict and criminal needlessly by the BON. I'm glad this person didn't die.