So, I made a terrible mistake in 2003 and my license was suspended for 2 years. I got it back in May and have been applying for jobs. I have had 3 offers and the first of the 3 was a nursing home who wanted to give me a second chance at being a nurse which after 20 years of nursing means a lot to me. So, I'm thinking that I have gotten past the worse of it (the BON and getting a job), but come to find out the DHS won't clear my background check because of the mistake I made even though I did everything I could do to make sure I would not ever make that mistake again. I was taken off of federal probation early, given my license back, and given a job, obviously somebody was looking at how sorry I was and how much I did to make amends. But, not clearing a background check at the dhs level will pretty much assure that I never am a nurse again. A lawyer is involved now and we are appealing his decision and I'm praying for a better outcome, but may not get one. The lawyer suggested maybe trying to get a license in another state because some of them don't use the DHS for background checks. I'm just wondering if anyone knows if there are other states that are easier to get licensed in and find jobs in that others. I also wonder if anyone has had to challenge a background check by the DHS? I am waiting for their letter but if it states that I can't work with Medicare or Medicaid patients I will be devastated. That is the kiss of death for anything in medicine. I didn't hurt anyone and this had nothing to do with a Medicare or Medicaid patient. It had to do with a bad choice I made when I was suicidal.
Dear new nurse,
I am sorry to hear you have had to deal with the BON so soon, but know that you are not the only one. I have made the BON **** list 4 times, all my fault for failure to chart narcotics every single time I gave them. I worked in critical care. My first mistake came in 2007, 15 years after becoming one of the best nurses I knew. I was on my game, but I worried more about the patients getting turned or fed or bathed or getting blood products or not pulling out their ET tube......you have to do all that AND do your charting. You have to learn to protect your patient and YOURSELF. If you got fired you should be able to get unemployment. I did for a year before I found another job.
People want to hear the truth and that you are sorry and what you have done to make sure you won't make that mistake again. Well, sometimes when people are looking for those same mistakes, they most likely are going to find them. We are nurses, we make mistakes, but most of all we are there to make sure nothing bad ever happens to your patient. If that puts you out of a job, then look elsewhere. I'm curious, what state did this happen in? Some BON's are harder on their nurses than others. I live in Iowa and I have screwed up my electronic charting 3 times. I went back to school and took a job as a caregiver for 2 1/2 years because I couldn't find a job. I recently applied for multiple jobs and had 3 or 4 that were willing to hire me. They said they like to give people a second chance. They were all nursing homes which I was fine with, but now the next hurdle for me is that I didn't pass the background check because of a felony that has been expunged but still visible to the DHS who has more power the a Board of Nursing. I have learned that the people that work for the board are just doing their jobs. They do listen to your story, but hospitals are very powerful especially when they have the evidence. They do want to make sure you get a fair chance even if it means putting you on probation so that they can make sure you learn from your mistakes. My BON investigator actually called the DHS for me to see why he would pass me, and it was for good reason, which I admit even if I know I could never do anything to hurt a patient, never. Charting is one of those things that probably won't hurt a patient but I have seen it where another nurse is helping someone who is behind and didn't chart meds she has given and the nurse helping readministers the same meds not knowing they were given already. Now you and I know you did not mean for anything bad to happen and maybe nothing bad did happen, but it could. Keep the faith and keep looking. Apply to 20 jobs a day but apply to jobs that you can do and apply to places that need help. There are lots of little towns that need nurses and will take just about anyone. You are young so don't give up yet unless you really feel like nursing is just not for you anymore. There are always going to be mistakes, most of them don't get noticed by supervisors or there wouldn't be any nurses. Doctors make mistakes too. If you need to make money maybe look into being a caregiver in someone's home. I found a man willing to pay me a nurses salary to take care of him 40 hours a week. I'd still be there if he hadn't died. Are you a BSN? I don't remember, but if you aren't maybe going back to school and getting a loan will help you with you're money problems and you will have a chance to do some more nursing as a student. I wish you luck and hope you find an answer soon.
Help! I have been an RN in an SICU now for 12 years and am highly respected by my peers and physicians. I recently was told that I am being investigated for narcotic diversion. I am innocent. They have a lot of records generated by the pharmacy for a drug called fentanyl and have shown that I have failed to sign out several doses. They told me that a drug screen was not necessary and wouldn't help. I am now being turned in to the Board of Nursing and am scared to death that I am going to lose my liscence. I am trying to get legal counsel but it seems as if my superiors are out to get me. They have made it sound very enticing to turn myself in and get help and they will bend over backwards to get me back into my job. A couple of years ago a nurse was found stealing fentanyl and admitted to it. He went through the therapy for a couple of weeks and then returned to the sicu. He was caught again and then fired. Do I have any chance of a good outcome here?
So, I made a terrible mistake in 2003 and my license was suspended for 2 years. I got it back in May and have been applying for jobs. I have had 3 offers and the first of the 3 was a nursing home who wanted to give me a second chance at being a nurse which after 20 years of nursing means a lot to me. So, I'm thinking that I have gotten past the worse of it (the BON and getting a job), but come to find out the DHS won't clear my background check because of the mistake I made even though I did everything I could do to make sure I would not ever make that mistake again. I was taken off of federal probation early, given my license back, and given a job, obviously somebody was looking at how sorry I was and how much I did to make amends. But, not clearing a background check at the dhs level will pretty much assure that I never am a nurse again. A lawyer is involved now and we are appealing his decision and I'm praying for a better outcome, but may not get one. The lawyer suggested maybe trying to get a license in another state because some of them don't use the DHS for background checks. I'm just wondering if anyone knows if there are other states that are easier to get licensed in and find jobs in that others. I also wonder if anyone has had to challenge a background check by the DHS? I am waiting for their letter but if it states that I can't work with Medicare or Medicaid patients I will be devastated. That is the kiss of death for anything in medicine. I didn't hurt anyone and this had nothing to do with a Medicare or Medicaid patient. It had to do with a bad choice I made when I was suicidal.
Dear new nurse,
I am sorry to hear you have had to deal with the BON so soon, but know that you are not the only one. I have made the BON **** list 4 times, all my fault for failure to chart narcotics every single time I gave them. I worked in critical care. My first mistake came in 2007, 15 years after becoming one of the best nurses I knew. I was on my game, but I worried more about the patients getting turned or fed or bathed or getting blood products or not pulling out their ET tube......you have to do all that AND do your charting. You have to learn to protect your patient and YOURSELF. If you got fired you should be able to get unemployment. I did for a year before I found another job.
People want to hear the truth and that you are sorry and what you have done to make sure you won't make that mistake again. Well, sometimes when people are looking for those same mistakes, they most likely are going to find them. We are nurses, we make mistakes, but most of all we are there to make sure nothing bad ever happens to your patient. If that puts you out of a job, then look elsewhere. I'm curious, what state did this happen in? Some BON's are harder on their nurses than others. I live in Iowa and I have screwed up my electronic charting 3 times. I went back to school and took a job as a caregiver for 2 1/2 years because I couldn't find a job. I recently applied for multiple jobs and had 3 or 4 that were willing to hire me. They said they like to give people a second chance. They were all nursing homes which I was fine with, but now the next hurdle for me is that I didn't pass the background check because of a felony that has been expunged but still visible to the DHS who has more power the a Board of Nursing. I have learned that the people that work for the board are just doing their jobs. They do listen to your story, but hospitals are very powerful especially when they have the evidence. They do want to make sure you get a fair chance even if it means putting you on probation so that they can make sure you learn from your mistakes. My BON investigator actually called the DHS for me to see why he would pass me, and it was for good reason, which I admit even if I know I could never do anything to hurt a patient, never. Charting is one of those things that probably won't hurt a patient but I have seen it where another nurse is helping someone who is behind and didn't chart meds she has given and the nurse helping readministers the same meds not knowing they were given already. Now you and I know you did not mean for anything bad to happen and maybe nothing bad did happen, but it could. Keep the faith and keep looking. Apply to 20 jobs a day but apply to jobs that you can do and apply to places that need help. There are lots of little towns that need nurses and will take just about anyone. You are young so don't give up yet unless you really feel like nursing is just not for you anymore. There are always going to be mistakes, most of them don't get noticed by supervisors or there wouldn't be any nurses. Doctors make mistakes too. If you need to make money maybe look into being a caregiver in someone's home. I found a man willing to pay me a nurses salary to take care of him 40 hours a week. I'd still be there if he hadn't died. Are you a BSN? I don't remember, but if you aren't maybe going back to school and getting a loan will help you with you're money problems and you will have a chance to do some more nursing as a student. I wish you luck and hope you find an answer soon.
Help! I have been an RN in an SICU now for 12 years and am highly respected by my peers and physicians. I recently was told that I am being investigated for narcotic diversion. I am innocent. They have a lot of records generated by the pharmacy for a drug called fentanyl and have shown that I have failed to sign out several doses. They told me that a drug screen was not necessary and wouldn't help. I am now being turned in to the Board of Nursing and am scared to death that I am going to lose my liscence. I am trying to get legal counsel but it seems as if my superiors are out to get me. They have made it sound very enticing to turn myself in and get help and they will bend over backwards to get me back into my job. A couple of years ago a nurse was found stealing fentanyl and admitted to it. He went through the therapy for a couple of weeks and then returned to the sicu. He was caught again and then fired. Do I have any chance of a good outcome here?