New Nurse/IPN

catsmeow1972, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2019

It depends on how much you want to be a nurse.

Keep in mind that if you relinquish your license, you will not be able to get any other state issued licenses until you clean up your nursing license. An example would be that you cannot turn around and say, go to Rad Tech school.

IPN is an expensive, money driven, for profit operation. However with what you describe, you are probably going to have to deal with them.

I will say (and this is from the perspective of a non addict/alcoholic) that if you were found to be that intoxicated at work, then you ought to consider that you may have an issue. While drinking on your own time is one thing. Drinking enough for this to happen does put “the public” at risk and is what these programs exist to protect (supposedly).

Should you decide to deal with them I would recommend you do it sooner rather than later. If you wait for the BON to refer you, it becomes public. “Self reporting” hopefully protects you from that by keeping your participation confidential. It did not for me, but that is for another post.

chadprepton, ADN · Mar 6, 2019

1 hour ago, Analgesic said:
I blew at work a 0.08. Got terminated. Only 3 months experience. Is IPN even worth it?

I think the only person that can answer is yourself. I had less than a year decided it was. What it comes down to is are willing to walk away from a career you spent years of school investing in. If you want to still be a nurse, you can be. Not saying it will be easy but you can if you really want to.

RecoveryNurse2015 · Mar 6, 2019

Absolutely it's worth it. All isn't lost here. Just be honest, complete the program and move on. The programs of monitoring are only as difficult as we make them. that's just my experience.

chadprepton, ADN · Mar 6, 2019

55 minutes ago, RecoveryNurse2015 said:
The programs of monitoring are only as difficult as we make them.

?

catsmeow1972, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2019

1 hour ago, RecoveryNurse2015 said:
Absolutely it's worth it. All isn't lost here. Just be honest, complete the program and move on. The programs of monitoring are only as difficult as we make them. that's just my experience.

Definitely just your experience. If these programs are what helps a person with whatever thier issue might be, then great. That is/was the original intention. However, for those of us who have been trapped in them and misdiagnosed by quacks that are in bed with the programs, whose only aim is to make $$$, abused and inappropriately had thier life and career turned upside down because of they dared to ask for help....

Be honest? Very well....this has been a horrible time perpetuated by a horrible program that disregarded my needs in favor of a cookie cutter program (because that’s easier for them to do) that, in my opinion has done far far more damage to me than good. Sorry, but MY experience is quite the opposite...the program itself is the cause of difficulty. And that folks is putting it mildly.

You are entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to mine. If OPs description of events is correct, then perhaps such a program could be worthwhile. For the majority caught in the net...it’s not worth it, but we are left with no choice when they hold your license hostage for the crime of being human.

Persephone Paige, ADN · Mar 7, 2019

It's worth it when you get released. You'll never regret making the situation right, but you'll often regret getting referred in the first place.

Ipnsux, RN · Mar 28, 2019

I'm in the same boat now. I'm looking at IPN as this terrible thing, but if you want to be a nurse, this is a hoop (or many) that you will jump through.

Cowbell · Mar 28, 2019

Jump through the hoops and then get on with your life. It's a game- play it to win. Do everything exactly as you are told and follow every rule. Submit to the dictatorship knowing this too shall pass. It's temporary - keep that fact in the front of your brain at all times- this is TEMPORARY. Put one foot in front of the other and keep plugging along.

It WILL end and then you can get on with the rest of your life. It's temporary - ALWAYS remember that. I've been on this earth long enough to know that you just need to play the game - and that's exactly what this is. It's all about the money and as soon as you recognize that and suck it up and simply just do what it takes to get the heck out, the more "peace" you may be able to have knowing that the end will come - you just have to hold on until it does. Don't prolong it one second more than necessary. Don't raise any flags. Lay low. Stay under the radar.

Forced sobriety is not recovery- but just play the game like it is. Play the game to win and you will. You worked hard for that nursing license. Good luck.