In trouble with the BON

Lisacar130 · Mar 25, 2018

Hi Molleerose... I am also from Illinois. In IL, you have to self report before you are reported, even if only by a day, to have the chance to avoid probation. So you will almost for sure face probation, which is similar to the program for people who self reported except that you will have a mark on your license. A lawyer might be able to help you not have too many restrictions but won't be able to help prevent you getting a mark on your license or avoid the probation status... the only exceptions i have seen to the self report rule is someone who reported themselves after being reported but she was hospitalized after getting caught at work so she had that excuse as to why she didn't self report immediately. She self reported maybe a week or two after she was caught at work but it was immediately after being discharged from the hospital.

Have you contacted the Illinois Professionals Health Program yet? You'll have to sign up with them eventually so you might as well contact them now. It will look good if you do prior to your hearing and they usually come with you to the hearing and make you look good. Ask for Janet... she is the case manager and is extremely sweet.

When is your hearing? What I would recommend is to get a job now that you think will be OK with you being on probation. It is much much harder to find a brand new job with a license on probation than it is to simply stay at the job you already have with a license on probation. Janet has told me some hospitals will fire you upon finding out and others will keep you. But once you have the mark it is impossible to get a new hospital job in IL at least. I know dialysis would for sure keep you on, as I know people who have been allowed to stay at their HD job while on probation. Probably smaller facilities like nursing homes or assisted living (as opposed to hospitals) would be more likely to keep you on. Basically anywhere without an HR department would be more likely to keep you on. But you never know... if a condition of your probation is to not work with any controlled substances then even a NH wouldn't work (unless you have a non medication related position)... so that's why i would try for a dialysis job because they do not work with any controlled substances and are frankly used to working with our population. If your lawyer thinks you may end up with restrictions (like no passing controlled substances) then I would get a job now while your license is clean that is compatible with that (like wound care or case management... and not in a hospital). Sometimes no home health is a restriction, no nights, no overtime as well.

Lisacar130 · Mar 25, 2018

Also... we have a support group for ourselves (nurses in recovery)... one in Bolingbrook and one in Barrington. I go to both. Let me know if you're interested.

Humblednurse · Mar 25, 2018

Yes please.

SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN · Mar 25, 2018

Hey good luck!!!

All is not lost!!! I'm not in your state but here in Pennsylvania its similar. If you self report you can go into the monitoring program and upon completion these folks don't have a mark on their nursing license. If you don't there is. That is the entire difference. I know nurses in both categories. Both set of nurses can save their careers if they survive the hideous terms and conditions of the program. Everybody makes mistakes and has issues in their lives and there are some good people in nursing who do the hiring. I know nurses who were in monitoring who eventually got their careers back on track and are working as they want to in nursing. Its not easy at all but it can be done. God bless and good luck!!!