Sobriety and NCLEX?

Nurses Recovery

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I am in my second year of nursing school, ADN RN program and have been looking at the requirements to apply for licensing. One of the questions is: 5. Having a history of abusing or being addicted to any controlled substance, a regular user of any controlled substance with or without a prescription, or habitually intemperate in the use of intoxicating liquor (pattern of making poor decisions related to alcohol use).

I have been sober almost 11 years and will be close to 12 at time of application. I have never had a legal issue of any kind, never had a diagnosis of addiction/alcoholism and never been to treatment. I am legally required to disclose this information?

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Specializes in Surgical, Home Infusions, HVU, PCU, Neuro.

I personally would NOT disclose this information. If you do you will possibly have to be evaluated, and go through a treatment program, have stips on you licenses ect. If there is not a paper trail, if it is not anything that will show in a background check I would keep my past to myself. This is just me though.

If you choose not to I wouldn't say anything to classmates or instructors either.

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I quit because I chose to prior to having any legal problems. It would be very silly to go through a treatment program having not drank in over a decade. However, my classmates and one instructor are aware of my sobriety.

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Remember lesson 1 of nursing school: HIPAA? Unless there was a court order or an arrest, it's none of their business. Even if you put yourself into a rehab, you don't have to tell them.

As far as the state knows, you've never had a single drink. Don't say anything to them. Just don't share that information at work or school.

Just don't fail any random or yearly drug tests.

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Specializes in Surgical, Home Infusions, HVU, PCU, Neuro.

Congrats on your continued sobriety by the way. And yes it would be "silly" to go through a program, which is why I wouldn't disclose. The BON does not care if it is "silly" to restrict your license, make you comply with random drug tests, in or out patient treatment ect. They care about the safety of the public and when you disclose that you have had an addiction to a substance you now must prove that you are able to safely practice.

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If you lie (or withhold information) on your licensure application, and the BON somehow finds out later on, that by itself is grounds for revoking your license. Is this how you want to start your nursing career? As nurses, our most important quality, and, really, all we have in the end, is our personal integrity and honesty.

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if you quit on your own, and have maintained your sobriety on your own, I do not see that you have a problem..

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Do NOT say anything. Even if you had been in treatment they can't find out. Your medical records are not public info. Legal records are a different matter but if you didn't have any legal issues then no problem.

All of these states handle these things differently by there was a poster on here who was in a similar situation. She had been to treatment but it was almost 5 years ago. She was sober for 3 years. She disclosed this on her license application and the BON wanted her to go into a treatment program (again) that she could not afford. The alternative was to have a permanent mark on her license and stipulations, I believe. She was so upset and rightly so. I don't know whatever ended up happening but I felt so bad for her.

Personal integrity and honesty is nice and all but in life we have to weigh the cost/benefit ratio to things. After all the work you have done to get where you are I would hate to see you have problems. Even the best case scenario would involve a delay in you getting your license and spending money and time being evaluated.

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Oh wait... here's the thread...

https://allnurses.com/nurses-recovery/nursing-grad-dealing-1145982.html

Follow her other posts/comments and see what hell she has gone through being honest.

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I wouldn't tell them anything for the simple fact you almost 12 years sober and never been in trouble for it= no paper trail. If you want to be honest go look at the numerous posts on the recovery board and see where honesty gets you....down a long road that can last for years giving the board lots of money and random drug tests all while trying to find a nursing job. Many nurses with experience have a hard time finding a job with a mark on their license. So imagine a new grad with a mark on your license just don't do that to yourself. Yea honestly is a good trait to have but I bet the person who said that not giving the board their hard earn money and doing random drug tests either. Whatever you decide to do good luck.

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Disclosure is one thing, security culture is a whole another ballgame.

It sounds like, as you said, there is no papertrail, or you THINK.

Facebook has been around since what? 2005? Took off in popularity in 2007 or so IIRC? Add in MySpace, early forum boards (AllNurses is old enough to be Facebook's grandma) etc...

Your username, if used on multiple sites can simply be Googled.

So an employer gets your app

Jane Doe

DOB 8/19/1984 (example)

Looks up Jane Doe on Facebook. It shows up account created in 2006.

Public posts are only this year...just a few cute pics of your tabby cat, some nursing posts. Maybe a family vacation picture you were tagged in. Nothing remarkable there.

Then look up a common username they have of you

BOOM! Here's your MySpace handle from 2004, public, with a Four Loko background and pictures of you getting high, drunk, etc

I'm not saying this is you, but for a broad example, I can see this happening with nurses and prospective employees alike

My online identity?

AllNurses

Yelp

A different forum

My YouTube Channel

My YouTube channel does have videos of me cussing out a cow, shooting a rattlesnake, and my experiences with anxiety/nursing stuff. Nothing I wouldn't want on the 5:00 news

My point is, just because you don't have a legal papertrail does NOT mean big tech giants like that can have your past on the internet. Be mindful of this fact before you make a decision on that checkbox.

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The BON is not going to do this much investigating for each and every NCLEX application. Even if they checked your FB and MySpace from years ago, they can't prove anything. Even if they found a picture of you getting high 10 years ago on MySpace, that doesn't prove 1- it was actually you and 2- you were actually getting high.

But what they DO love to do is thoroughly investigate anyone who admits they had a past issue, no matter how long ago. That one is a promise. Some states are very unfair so with knowing that I wouldn't admit to something that has no legal trail and that was over 10 years ago.

Make sure you read the link I posted from another thread and what she has to go through... 3 years sober and she is STILL not licensed.

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