License reinstatement after surrender

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Specializes in ER RN.

Hello. I am in Arizona. I surrendered my RN license in July 2019 after not being able to complete the monitoring program here. (I was in the program after reporting myself for a DUI. No diversion or anything having to do directly with my job).  My 3 years will be up in July 2022. Has anyone petitioned for reinstatement of their license here in Arizona? Any tips? Advice? Words of wisdom? 

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I am not from AZ- I do know they can be tough on nurses. Have you been attending meetings or therapy? If so you can get character references from them. Also, letters of support from supervisors, coworkers, clergy, etc will help. 

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Specializes in ER RN.

Thank you for your response. I am currently working an AA program. I have a sponsor. I will get letters.

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Specializes in Family Medicine.
On 11/16/2021 at 12:34 PM, ER.RN said:

Hello. I am in Arizona. I surrendered my RN license in July 2019 after not being able to complete the monitoring program here. (I was in the program after reporting myself for a DUI. No diversion or anything having to do directly with my job).  My 3 years will be up in July 2022. Has anyone petitioned for reinstatement of their license here in Arizona? Any tips? Advice? Words of wisdom? 

Are you still in monitoring? If not they may not approve your reinstatement. I tried to get reinstatement last year but got turned down cause in my consent order it states 2 years of continuous sobriety. So I wasted money on the application since they are strictly by the book here In TN. 

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I have a friend who is going through something similar. She self reported to the alternative to disciple program (not on Arizona tho) per employer’s request after a DUI 1st offense and after being in monitoring for 3/4th of the time commitment and finishing court ordered probation successfully, she quit the program unannounced. She said she had  enough of the abuse and financial extortion and couldn’t take it anymore. 
 

I immediately advised her that she needed a lawyer before her license was suspended so they could get ahead of it. She had a lawyer on board before her suspension hit the state license registry and with the lawyers advice she was able to get things squared away and got her license back within a few sort weeks of being suspended. Though she was then considered on BON probation and it shows up on her license now.

Your situation isn’t exactly like hers it sounds because your license was surrendered some times ago, but I still think you’d be just about dead in the water without legal counsel on this. Without representation and lots of ducks in a row, the board would likely either not reinstate you, would recommend you back to the monitoring program to start again or put you in another form of probation if that’s an option in Arizona. A good healthcare licensing defense attorney will help you put together a case that will get you the best likelihood for reinstatement with the least punitive measures required to make that happen. 

Some things a lawyer might recommend are letters from current employer, letter from sponsor, proof of recovery meeting attendance, negative PEth testing and drug testing (may recommend hair, not sure), a substance abuse eval, a personal statement, letters from any current treatment providers (psych, rehab etc). They will put together a plan to stack the odds in your favor.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Women's Health, LTC.

Mine was revoked in AZ for not completing CANDO. However, I reapplied after the term was up, but, by then I lived in TX and applied here too. AZ took nearly two years to even respond to my request. In TX, I was given a license and began monitoring here within a year.

The waiting is the worst part but it can be done! Hang in there. Start going to meetings and have a paper signed (find them in the internet). Get a sponsor and have them write a letter. Get character references from employers, co-workers and friends.  Find out who AZ uses for addiction evaluations and go get one. It’s costly, time consuming and humbling but you can do this!

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Specializes in ER RN.

Thank you for the advice and words of encouragement!

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
On 11/16/2021 at 4:34 PM, ER.RN said:

Thank you for your response. I am currently working an AA program. I have a sponsor. I will get letters.

Ltters will help but you are still likely to bemandated to some type of probation that woudl include randon UDS. Addictionologist exam and mandatory counseling

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