please be honest! has any nurse continued working in direct patient care

MizChelleRN · Aug 11, 2010

Well. I wish you strength and success in your sobriety and in your life....that being said, I don't think you'll get kind feed back here...but I'm going to try. I assume your license is not technically active (Not familiar with California program) and if you tried to interview, the potential employer would verify your license online and see that it is not a valid or active license.

My program...if a prospective employer looked me up...publicly, they see my name and my license is seen as "lapsed". I have to explain my situation to them, give them the phone number of my case worker, whom they have to call and have permission to retrieve my information, because I am part of a confidential nurse monitoring program.

I mean are you asking if you could interview, and they didn't verify your license (their stupid move, right? not my fault, they should have looked it up) and you got the job, could you fly in, under the radar? Even if you did that somehow, which I doubt, when it comes time to do license renewal every two years, most immediate superiors, make sure you renew your license.

Seems to me, you might even get pretty far in the process, get excited about "pulling one over" on an employer, but it ALWAYS all catches up to you, and you'll be in deeper trouble than if you rode it out and got back to work legally and with the blessings of the board.

Do you consider yourself an alcoholic or an addict? I ask, because you may not think you have a problem and if that's the case, my next advice is not meant for you and don't take it the wrong way....But we addicts have that disease of "first thought wrong"...as in, what can I do/say, what LIE can I tell to get what I want? My first instinct is to lie, to manipulate, to angleshoot a situation so I get the outcome I want. But I don't act on my first instincts anymore. I have taken the time in my life to let go, to surrender completely, to give myself to my sobriety and my program, and the rest ALWAYS falls into place. My experience has been that God (of my understanding) has always provided for me, and I am stunned and amazed to see how it has all played out. I made more money than my husband, live in a pretty expensive home, have outrageous credit card bills etc, living just within our means, I'll say....then I lost my job/career. And we didn't lose our home. I didn't lose my marriage. We made huge sacrifices, found a way to make it all work, but I believe that was God working my life, providing for me and my family. Whatever happened to you must have been a wake up call...or God removing you from your situation so you can straighten things out and get YOU right. My advice, as unwelcome as it may be, is to take advantage of this time to get yourself well, and shift your focus onto yourself and not how you can trick the system and get what YOU want.

Hang around here awhile. Yeah, the boards here get a little slow, but there is some good sobriety here, some good support, a lot of HOPE. Tell us a little more about yourself, you won't get any judgements here, we're all in it together, we're all trying to keep our heads above water too. I love ya, sight unseen. Please don't do anything drastic right now. Talk to your sponsor, your sober support system, or just us. We're here for ya. xo

LilRedRN1973 · Aug 11, 2010

I worked as a dialysis tech while waiting to apply to get my license back. It didn't pay as well as an RN but I still made about $15/hr. Plus, they held a spot for me at the dialysis clinic; the day I was granted an active license back, they moved me into the position of RN and I went from making $15/hr to $28/hr. I am no longer there because dialysis wasn't my "thing" but it was a great way to get back into the world of "patient care". It also helped pay my bills :)

nite hawk · Aug 12, 2010

thanks for the excellent respose. my problem is I got a job inbetween when i quit my job and got my letter from the brn my background check passed. thanks

luvche · Aug 13, 2010

Where I am, if you self report to peer, your license shows "active" when verified. Peer is part of BON, but seperate. BON does not know you are there unless ordered. Now if you are ordered, likely your license is suspended, so that would show up on verification.

I,too, often wondered how peer would know if a voluntary RN was working in patient care or not. Not that I would try. I am sure they have their ways of finding out. I would think that institutions report new employees to state (I-9s and other tax paperwork). I would imagine BON updates their records with this info. So all peer has to do is run audits on BON's records of you.

So I am curious myself.

But for me, trying to work RN before I was released to was not worth the risk. I feel your pain with testing. Ours is 44.50 each (billed monthly). But depending on where you go for collection, it's an up front fee of 12$-30$. Being random you could be billed on 15th for 44.50 to ??????? Nurse support groups are weekly. Running 15$-25$ each. Depending on where you go. Then there is your psych eval. They only have, like, 5 approved ones you can go to. Cheapest is 250$ (and was too far away, and only takes these evals once a week). Highest is $1,200. Then you have to do either intensive outpatient or inpatient care (mine was $6,000 for intensive outpatient). Then aftercare (mine came free with my program, but that's not always the case)

If you get too broke to pay for ANY of it, you can be kicked out. Then they refer you to the board and you HAVE to do it or lose your license.

Let's just say, sometimes I had to rely on prayer to have money for this. A drug test that popped up two days before payday and my overdraft is already at limit. Had to sacrifice a nice b-day party for my son because this program has made me broke. But you DO get through it. My dad asked "Didn't you work hard to get this license? Are you going to let them take it away just like that?" Nope. I am gonna fight for it. And fight to keep anything negative off it!

michigooseBSN · Aug 13, 2010

When I started the recovery process in Massachusetts many years ago, the nurses' support groups ( I attended two different ones) were free. What kind of nurses support group costs that kind of money? I would look for free peer support groups. I'm sure they are still available. Good luck.

LilRedRN1973 · Aug 13, 2010

My nurse support group is $25/week as are all of the ones in my area. I'm required to attend weekly for 5 years. This is not optional. My drug testing is $50 monthly for 5 years. I'm also required to pay $25/month monitoring fee to the Board of Nursing for 5 years; again, not optional. For the first year, I was also required to attend Aftercare, which was $15/week and counseling once a week at $40/week. The IOP was around $15/day and it was 4 days a week for about 6 weeks. Rehab cost me $28,000 before insurance and after insurance, I think the cost was about $10,000. Again, none of this was optional. Expensive? Yes! Was my life worth it? Hell, yes! I would do it again in a heartbeat. I owe, owe, owe and probably will for years. But I'm sober and alive today because of my state's program.

The first year sucked because it was the most expensive and the most grueling. Now, it's maintenance and the costs are not as high. I still attend Aftercare, although I'm not required to. It's an amazing groups of recovering alcoholics and addicts who have helped me learning how to save my ass more than once. We learn how to deal with life, not just drugs and alcohol. Worth MUCH more than $15 in my opinion. I also see my LADC about once a month. So my monthly costs run around $275. I have 3 1/2 more years to go.

I don't know how other states are run but my program is run by the Board of Nursing. I deal directly with someone in the BON's office who is the compliance coordinator and when I apply for something like my narcotic priviledge back, I meet before what's called the Disability Advisory Committee. My meetings are held at the Board of Nursing office. Everything is done through them and in conjunction with the BON. My license shows no disciplinary action and when I am finished, there will be nothing against my license.

Edited to add: all of the above is only if you self report. If you don't, then you will still have the same requirements, but will show action has been taken against your license and at the end of the 5 year contract, it will remain on your license for good.

luvche · Aug 14, 2010

Michigoose,

I can't go to just any nurse support group. Our peer handbook lists certain LPCs, Psychiatrists and psychologists, as well as certain in and outpatient facilities that have met the peer programs strict criteria for being an approved provider. We can only go to approved providers as listed in our handbook. I'd have been able to find a cheap intensive outpatient and psych eval had I been able to choose my own.

The only thing that is free is the AA meetings. Even those aren't because I contribute donations at meetings

genaa75 · Aug 15, 2010

Hello , i read your post , congrates on being able to legaly pracice as a RN as im sure , like most of us nurses is all we know ....Patient care....I myself am awaiting to be able to practice again , the problem is i need a job .......I have no experience at all in anything but health care... Im currently trying to do a pheb. course just to get by.... I have never heard of a dyalysis tech. Its sounds like something i might look into. Do you know if there are any classes or do you need to be certified ? Should i just go to a clinic explain , My 12 years exp. In the med feild and just be honest about awaiting to go back to work as LPN??? Thanks , in need of job.......

luvche · Aug 16, 2010

genaa,

I feel you there. I got a job in a call center doing tech support to get by. That didn't last long. i am NOT cut out for it. Took them three interviews to agree to hire me since all my experience is in Medical Field (and before that, a LOONG time ago, McDonalds!)

Then I waitressed. A waitress friend of mine lied to boss and said I had TONS of server experience. I was so happy to get a medical assisting job (I had done that for 4 years before becoming a nurse). Keep applying for phlebotomy, medical assisting and even plasma centers until you can nurse again. I am not sure about dialysis tech. Most peer nurses i know go to dialysis centers because some are peer friendly and allow them to work as a supervised nurse when they get the OK to work in patient care again. Our peer, in many cases, will allow you to work as a nurses assistant. But it's hard finding places to take that liability. Good luck!

jackstem · Aug 17, 2010

Let's pretend that you COULD work as a nurse (it's pretty rare to find a state that allows you to work as a nurse for at least 6 months), one of the major causes of relapse for a health care professional is returning to the clinical area too soon. Cues and triggers are extremely strong in the first 12 - 24 months of sobriety. Some can last for decades! Smells, sounds, sites, etc. can trigger a response in the VTA of the brain that is beyond your control. Research is showing that repeated exposure to cues and triggers that are below your level of awareness can alter brain chemistry and structure leading to activation of those sites involved in cravings, altering thought processes and eventually leading to return of chemical use.

Find a job that doesn't require a license. As a sponsor once told me, anything you put before your sobriety will eventually be lost. I lost my marriage, my license, and my career. I also almost lost my life twice. Sobriety first, everything else follows. Remember, things happen when they happen.It may not always be as fast as you want. Recovery takes time. Unfortunately, time takes time.

Keep coming back. Lots of experience, strength and hope to be found here!

:hug:

Jack

NoSleepTil'... · Jun 3, 2016

-As a sponsor once told me," anything you put before your sobriety will eventually be lost." So very true. (I know this post is old, but such a good saying).