Kentucky Board KARE

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Hi there,

I just wanted to start a thread for anyone who is in the Kentucky Board of Nursing's KARE program. I thought this would be a good place to share/exchange info and lend some support to one another! :angrybird12:

If you are selected you have until whichever facility you choose to test at closes. Most lab corps are open till 5. There are urgent cares and a few other places that stay open later in the evening. You will be able to search the locations available on the spectrum app. When I interview and let them know I am in KARE, I make sure to explain I might be selected to test 2-3 times a month and I'm usually able to make arrangements around work but there may be a time or two I would need to leave work for an hour to an hour and a half to go complete the test. That has rarely ever happened though. And I do believe when someone validates your license no matter who it is the info is public. If you have any board orders or anything relevant I believe it's all on the nursys verification site attached to your name and license. If you go straight in to Kare, and not by discipline, meaning if you self report and request KARE and the board approves, it may just show you are enrolled in KARE and nothing more and say your license isn't eligible for compact license at this time. If you didn't self report and you enter through discipline it's all public info on the verification site. I believe I am telling you correctly but I might be wrong. When my 2 year suspension was over and I got reinstated they offered me an agreed order and it would show as discipline on my license for 10 years but I would only be monitored for 3 years or allowed me to request to go back in to KARE for 5 years and once I complete the five years it will not show in my license as previous discipline any more so I chose the 5. I hope I am telling you correctly. Make sure to ask all these questions to board staff as you go along to make sure there isn't any confusion in what they expect of you and all the other details. Do you have criminal charges you are looking at also or no? That can be a mess with the OIG exclusion list if so but that's a whole other topic. 

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Elliehenry3172 said:

How long do you have to complete the drug test once you sign in and get an order to test? Im worried about working and not being able to test on time. 

You have until 12:00 midnight on the day you're selected to complete a urine test. There are multiple locations where you can do this, depending on your area. Even in my rural location, I have three options within 15 minutes of my home. Using the Affinity app, you can easily enter your zip code to find a list of nearby facilities that participate in drug testing.

Elliehenry3172 said:

Also, is all information regarding your situation kept private from the public and your current employer? Like I know your employer will know you're in the program but the details of why won't be released?

When someone checks your license on the Nursys.com website, it will only show that you are a participant in the KARE program without providing any details. However, when it comes to informing your employer, you will need to explain the reason for your participation in the KARE program.

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How do you get you meetings initialed if you do zoom meetings? Can someone explain the 3x week meeting process?

And no criminal charges, thank goodness.

If I did everything they ask, does anyone know the quickest Id be able to return to work? Like is it always months and months or could it be quicker than that? Could I take a leave of absence from work? In my position I don't have to pass narcs, so that aspect would not affect me.

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"For Zoom meetings, I simply ask the host to send me a confirmation email to keep for my records. The process of attending 3 meetings a week is straightforward—you just need to participate in 3 meetings weekly. My sponsor hosts one meeting at his house, which I attend in person, and I join a Zoom group for the other two.

However, it's difficult to provide specific answers to your last paragraph without knowing more about your situation. The details of your KARE contract can vary depending on the substance involved. For example, if your issue was alcohol-related, your contract might be different from mine. I know someone who was placed in KARE due to alcohol-related DWIs, and while I'm not sure when they were able to return to work, their contract didn't involve restrictions on narcotics, which made it easier for them to find a job. My situation involved narcotics, so hospitals have been more hesitant to let me return to work."

 

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What can anyone tell me about the chemical dependency eval? Urine or hair drug screening?

1
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Specializes in Psych.
Elliehenry3172 said:

What can anyone tell me about the chemical dependency eval? Urine or hair drug screening?

Both 

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My eval was just chatting with a drug dependency counselor and urine drug screen. Both negative for drugs/dependency. Still got nailed for a year of monitoring even with every single thing unfounded. Good times. 

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Can you decide to be a stay at home mom the first couple years of the KARE program and then decide to go back once the narc ban is lifted?

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Mscoolmug said:

My eval was just chatting with a drug dependency counselor and urine drug screen. Both negative for drugs/dependency. Still got nailed for a year of monitoring even with every single thing unfounded. Good times. 

Can you tell me where you got your drug dependency evaluation done?

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Sure! I went to St. Elizabeth Behavioral Health in Crestview Hills. 

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Mscoolmug said:

Sure! I went to St. Elizabeth Behavioral Health in Crestview Hills. 

Once they ordered you to get a chem dependency eval did you have to be off work until you got one and the board made a decision or did you continue to work?

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I did not. I never had to take off work or had any restrictions when practicing on my license. 

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