Hx of PTSD and BON Licensing Question

[Camillus_Was_a_Murse, BSN, RN]

Hey y'all! 

New Mexico BSN Nursing Student here. 

To make a really long story short: Back in 2018, I had a TBI and a traumatic incident (at gunpoint) within days of each other. Developed Post-Concussive Syndrome and PTSD in short order. I was dealing with emotional abuse from my partner at the time as well, and my life was spiraling. After badgering from my partner, I was convinced to get a MMJ card for PTSD. I never liked the stuff, and it just made everything worse. So, I let the card expire in late 2019 without renewing. To be clear: I'm not a drug-seeker, I've never liked MJ, and I don't foresee that changing. It was a bump in the road, and it stayed in the past. 

Fast-forward to early 2020: I started therapy for PTSD, Panic Disorder, and Depression. After a year of therapy, I've not had any issues since. I haven't had any anxiety attacks since late 2020, even with the stress of nursing school. I was never prescribed an RX to treat, and I believe the only official diagnoses my therapist made were PTSD and Depressive Disorder. 

Here's the deal: I am in the middle of nursing school now, and I only just now began to hear stories of licenses being denied, revoked, or restricted d/t mental health hx. So my question for all of you lovely people is this: will my hx need to be disclosed (NM BON or Presbyterian or Lovelace) bc of the MMJ card from a few years ago? I've gotten a few background checks from the VA and from my nursing school, and the issue hasn't come up at all. 

I love nursing and all of the things I'm learning and doing in nursing school just make me feel like I'm on my purpose. Should I just give up nursing school altogether? I worked so hard to get into nursing school. I guess I just don't want the mistakes (MMJ card and therapy) of my past to keep me from pursuing my passion, nor do I want to have invested all of the time and stress and money into nursing school only to be told I wasted two years of my life and several thousand dollars. 

Any advice would be appreciated on this! 

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Rest easy, you don’t need to disclose your personal health information to anyone unless you’re requesting accommodations for a disability, which you aren’t. Don’t quit nursing school—your past will only make you more compassionate and give you a perspective that can benefit your future patients. Good luck!