Nursing student just got a DUI

The Veridican · Mar 8, 2005

Again, please restrain yourself from the personal attacks. This is not the place for it.
As for my "tide box", yes, I love it too. -A

You say personal attack; I say Jeepgirl was a little emotional. And since I am the Queen (only on Saturdays, though) of lumping people together. I think I should know. (Where's the emoticon for sarcasm?)

The Veridican

jeepgirl, LPN, NP · Mar 8, 2005

i had gone and taken that out of there but i guess i can put it back in.

sbkoftx44 · Mar 8, 2005

I got a DWI in the state of Texas after drinking my Italian grandfathers homemade blackberry wine and got sick. I was put in jail. It is only a misdemeanor the first time, and does not have to be turned in to the board. I served community service and a fine and it is still on my record. I have been a nurse for 7 more years after the incident and have had 3 different nursing jobs. no one has ever even said a thing . dont even know if nursing board knows about it.

Aneroo, LPN · Mar 8, 2005

I spent a few minutes searching the web and unfortunately couldn't find any articles about this, but...
A year or two ago we had an unusual case in our local headlines. I don't recall all of the specifics but it boiled down to an incident where a student nurse had been arrested for DUI after some type of driving accident. I can't remember exactly what all happened--no one died or was seriously hurt--but it was severe enough that the student was going to be sentenced to several months jail time. I think he might have driven his car into a house or something
What's odd, or what I found odd at least, was the hospital program that the student attended actually came to his aid. They supported him (emotionally) throughout the hearings and, during sentencing, several instructors vouched for him and pleaded to the court. They claimed he was a brilliant student, a nice kid, and had made a mistake. He was more than willing to accept his jail-time but they petitioned the court to delay the start of his sentence until after he graduated the program (he had a semester or so to go). The court actually ended up granting this and he was allowed to finish his nursing school before serving his jail time.
It really amazed me that the school stood by his side like that. Obviously you can't count on a similar reaction, but with all the negative things that could come out of your DUI charge, I definitely agree with the other replies that you should contact your school and DON ASAP and find out exactly what your situation is. With a little honesty and humility you may well be able to overcome this mistake.
Best of luck to you.

I think that's awesome that the school supported the student like that. I live in NC, and to my knowledge, if you have a DUI, you cannot get a nursing license. I am unsure of what happens if you get one after you have your license. I know they do have a program if someone has a substance abuse problem and they turn themselves in and do not injure a client.

dunedain · Mar 8, 2005

Only three beers seems like nothing to most people...the truth is, what was your blood alcohol level? (For that matter what is your baseline?) If it was over the limit then, I have to say it, It's a tough lesson learned. Either read or re-read the literature on alcohol and what it takes to impair judgement and reflexes. I may be an RN student, but with 7 years ER experience as a PCUT. I've seen a few "Only three beers" in that time.

I do hope all goes well for you in the long run

Liddle Noodnik · Mar 8, 2005

The way I see is easy to crucify those poor students that have to struggle day by day in order to survive for one mistake, great job. I am sure there should better ways to handle this situation.

Well anyways.

I have yet to hear someone who got a DUI say, "Oh, it was my fault, I deserved it, I shouldn't have drank and driven."

See on 3 beers you think, "Well, I'm a little buzzed but nothing serious."

Well "A little buzzed" apparently is ENOUGH to make it serious, otherwise they wouldn't do it!

I'm a recovering alcoholic, drinking and driving is one red flag. Keep an eye open for any others!

God bless you, I hope that this ends up just being a bad scare ...

allnurses Guide · Mar 8, 2005

I sympathize with you Joe, because truly, many people DO have a couple of beers and think, hey I'm okay to drive, I don't even feel buzzed. It's a mistake that many good people do make.

Feel good that you have come out of this able to learn from the mistake, and know not to make it again.

As for whether or not you will be able to take the NCLEX... it probably depends on the state. Like many have said, contact your BON and see what you can find out. You may have to wait an extra year, or five... or they may just reprimand you somehow... or they may never let you take it. You won't know until you contact them and find out. Good luck.

NurseFirst · Mar 8, 2005

hi, as we all do sometimes, i had three beers, and decided to drive my friend to her home, which i know it was a mistake, especially my car had an expired sticker(waiting for the dmv sticker) and is quite old, a bargain for the cops to pull me over. that was the reason, i got pulled over.) i understand and accept my mistake and want to fix, and will do it for sure.
i want to fix this problem , i have never had any problems with the law, this was my first offense having drunk 3 coronas, i think it was just bad luck. i am a good student, work hard to achieve my goals, and love nursing.
it sounds to me that okay, i will go to classes dui program everything, but 3 beers and then suddenly from night to day , you are a criminal, it's very funny to me this situation and at the same time scary.
please if anyone knows about the consequences , could you let me know?
once again, thanks a lot for your help, the nurses here have always been so good, i love this website.

...that you have to go thru this. maybe veridican is right; maybe it's your "karma" or "fate" or whatever that this happened to you. i remember several years ago getting involved in a discussion about whether someone who had been busted for dealing drugs (and, again, with a "chance" circumstance that they were caught doing this--normally didn't do it, but ... whatever.) who was in the process of applying to medical school.

i also remember meeting a medical student, back in the late '60s, who offered me a joint to smoke. i remember thinking, wow...all that work to get into medical school, the work in medical school, could go up in smoke if he were caught (i think this might have been when marijuana possession was a felony...got at least one person i know of out of going to viet nam--a bit ironic, considering the number of soldiers who became addicted to drugs over there.).

in one emt class i took the instructor was very clear about what kind of risks you take by even being in the same location where marijuana (for instance) is being smoked (like having your emt cert removed and denied from being an emt subsequently.)

what has happened to you is a wake up call. i would say that most people, in growing up, get a few wake up calls. growing up in the sixties, there are any number of things which i did which could have drastically interfered with my future; i'm not proud of that, but it is a fact. fortunately for me, i managed to straighten my life out before anything drastic happened.

you needed a wake up call to bring you along the road of maturity, of recognizing that actions have risks and consequences...and, as they say, "don't do the crime if you can't do the time." was it a small lapse in judgment? that is how you perceive it. as long as you perceive it as "bad luck" rather than as a chance you took without fully assessing the possible downside consequences, you will not learn from this experience. this is what other posters mean by "taking responsibility."

you made a mistake; you made an error in judgment; you got caught. was there no mistake if you had not gotten caught? ah...now there is a very interesting question which, when answered, says oodles about your character. you see, because you may have to do some harder things in nursing than that. you may have to face the fact that you could lose your license by 'fessing up to an error you made, an error that, if not corrected, could cost a patient their life. so, you may very well have to decide: am i willing to place my career on the line in order to do the right thing by this patient? or am i going to "try and get away with it."

your attitude, if your bon is willing to take things on a case-by-case basis, will mean everything. if you view it as a bit of "bad luck" then you will not have been seen as having learned from your experience; after all, "bad luck" is out of your control, right? but this was really in your control. you have to admit to yourself that you were in control and you made a decision. do other people get away with worse things (say, oj simpson?)? you betcha. but you know what? that doesn't have anything to do with you. the world isn't fair. actually, the world is sooo unfair that you need to vigorously pursue doing the right thing so you can reduce your exposure to the unfairness of the world, to be caught up in the unfairness.

(i don't, and i won't, submit "fictional" tax returns; i submit a tax return which is accurate according to irs guidelines as i believe they are applied. to me, having seen people go thru tax audits, it isn't worth the aggravation to cheat on my taxes. actually, as i have gone thru life, my reasons for not cheating on my taxes actually goes far beyond not having to deal with audit frustration; i start seeing the whole picture--because if i cheat, someone else has to make up what i cheat, someone who may be, in fact, far less able to do so.)

i don't know how much ethics you have been exposed to in nursing school; i think it's a rare nursing program that doesn't cover ethics--because there are so many ethical questions in medicine, and there are more and more every day. these are difficult, gnarly questions, without easy answers. some may pit loyalty to friends vs. responsibility to patients.

well...i could go on and on...but i've probably already pwe'd, so i will stop here.

what i hope for you is the sobriety and step to maturity that makes this a lesson in life for you, instead of some chance event. and i hope that that will enable you to take the nclex. i wish you luck, and i really do believe it is in your hands. if people believe you have learned your lesson, they may help you find ways to get what you want that otherwise would not seem possible. there is probably even a greater need for people with character than there is for rns.

nursefirst

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 8, 2005

The only people who have never drank and drove are those who never drink. I don't think you're a criminal for drinking and driving.
I don't think you should drink and drive. But I'll bet you feel that way right now even more than I do. You're not a bad person because you had three Corona's and drove.
The Veridican

The state obviously feels it's criminal otherwise they wouldn't have arrested the original poster and charged him with the crime.

I also know good people make mistakes and the op is not a bad person. My intent wasn't to make him feel worse.

I also believe it's best for us to take the "no room for error" policy. No driving after drinking, period...ever, no matter how few drinks a person has had. It's safer that way. It keeps the driver from being arrested 100% of the time.

It's a whole other topic that there are unsafe drivers out there using cell phones, driving while extremely fatigued, speeding, etc.

A car is loaded weapon. It should be treated with respect. :)

O.K., end of self-righteous judgemental lecture #2. :rotfl:

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Mar 8, 2005

Yeah, it's easy to say oh yeah, you are criminal for drinking 3 coronas, bla, bla, bla, I completely know that I made a mistake and willing to pay the consequences, but once again I have never done anything wrong with the law, I believe a person deserves a chance. I know people have drunk and killed innocent people on the road and is terrible. I have been a great student , always took care of my patients, and passionate about this career. Yeah, it was a terrible mistake, but please people like to exaggerate a little bit, never drive again, prison. I never had an accident in my life, always paid an inexpensive car insurance, even tickets I never got. The way I see is easy to crucify those poor students that have to struggle day by day in order to survive for one mistake, great job. I am sure there should better ways to handle this situation.

Yes, one bad thing can take away all of the good. And for good reasons.

Teddy Bundy was by all accounts a very nice, pleasant man...

EXCEPT FOR ALL THE PEOPLE HE MURDERED.

Sorry, but you need to take your lumps on this one. And the attitude doesn't help.

It could be worse...you or someone you hit might be dead...and where would your and their lives be.

----------------------------

Just curious, was this the ONLY time that you have touched the wheel after drinking anything alcoholic.

For those of us that value our livelihoods that is how we live, like it or not.

flashpoint · Mar 8, 2005

The only people who have never drank and drove are those who never drink. I don't think you're a criminal for drinking and driving. There are those who have hit children or killed people while reaching for a map or talking on cell phones, or simply failing to see the stop sign or red light because they were somewhere else. 50% of all traffic deaths may be related to alcohol use, but then again, 50% of all traffic deaths come at us anyway for some other reason.

Not really a fair statement. A bunch of friends and I go out to the bars three or four times a month...one of us always stays sober and the sober one is the only one to drive. The designated driver picks everyone up at home and takes them home after we are done. Just because you choose to drink, does not mean that you will drink and drive. Whether the OP likes it or not, a crime has been committed...thankfully, no one was harmed, but what happened was still against the law.

I hope that the OP learns from this and is allowed to take NCLEX. Sometimes BONs require nurses or potential nurses to take a class on ethics or have some sort of probation period...hopefully, that will be the worst the OP has to go through. There is a lesson to be learned here...don't drink and drive, no matter how in control you think you are...follow the rules, they are in place for a reason.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Mar 8, 2005

Yeah, it's easy to say oh yeah, you are criminal for drinking 3 coronas, bla, bla, bla, I completely know that I made a mistake and willing to pay the consequences, but once again I have never done anything wrong with the law, I believe a person deserves a chance. I know people have drunk and killed innocent people on the road and is terrible. I have been a great student , always took care of my patients, and passionate about this career. Yeah, it was a terrible mistake, but please people like to exaggerate a little bit, never drive again, prison. I never had an accident in my life, always paid an inexpensive car insurance, even tickets I never got. The way I see is easy to crucify those poor students that have to struggle day by day in order to survive for one mistake, great job. I am sure there should better ways to handle this situation.

While I am not encouraging you to drink and drive, I DO think that it is not the end of the world. Things happen for a reason, and you recognize you made a mistake, so all you have to do is learn from it and don't let it happen again. Thank the man up above that things didn't turn out to be worse than they did, and just look at this as an experience. You will not be the FIRST or LAST person to have done this before.

I also truly believe that the first thing in resolving the situation is first come to terms and acceptance that you made a mistake. Secondly, learn from it and don't let it happen, and third look into what can be done to fix it and not preventing you from taking the NCLEX. The law varies from state to state so, check with your state and see what you need to do.

I wish you luck, and remember things happen in life for a reason, experiences come in all shapes and sizes, good and bad, big and small. Learn from them and never let it happen again. EVERYONE makes mistakes, you are expected to....but never make the same mistake twice. Keep in mind what could have happend but did not, and once again that the man above.

Remember "Life can only be understood backwards but must be lived forwards".

I cannot judge you, as I am no one to do so, but I can give you some advice. There are such people who are perfectionists but never perfect. :)

Take care, best of luck to you and God Bless,

Jessy