Probation/monitoring $$$

Indiana RN, BSN · Oct 15, 2019

I wasn't working my first 6 months, some days when I was picked to test I would literally sit there and cry! I was actually counting change from our change jar to test! I'm sooo grateful to be working again!

mississippiRN71 · Oct 15, 2019

Wow! God was taking care of you ?

SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN · Oct 15, 2019

Yeah grossly expensive. I honestly don’t see how most folks afford it. I was a long term employee who almost never took a day off and my accumulated time kept me paid to a certain extent. However, I lost about $30-40k in wages the first year. I was lucky as it goes. I had a union contract and didn’t get fired. I have no idea how most nurses afford this. I also had and kept good insurance I could have never afforded paying for The asinine experience of inpatient or outpatient rehab. The money soaking goes on. It’s still a couple hundred a month or so in testing and that’s as cheap as it gets. God bless ya all and hang in there

willow14 · Oct 16, 2019

Yep, the cost of these programs are insane! I fortunately didn't have to do inpatient treatment, but had to see an AODA counselor 2x month for the first year, which then dropped to 1x year and eventually discontinued. I had insurance but that only went so far. I recently completed my program and estimated the cost of the drug test (both urine & hair) cost me $12,000.....it wasn't pretty, but I managed to get through it. (Of course my credit took a dive & I have absolutely NO savings left, etc...)

But now that I think of it, I probably spent even MORE than the 12 grand because I forgot to factor in what I spent on the counseling....geez....whatever. Just so glad to be f__ing done. ANYWAYS, I digress, sorry, but just know that I feel your pain & COMPLETELY understand your frustration and don't blame you for venting at all.

DistressedRN · Oct 16, 2019

It’s ridiculous how much money you have to lay out upfront. I had to pay for 28 days of inpatient out of pocket because I had two months of documented sobriety prior to my program telling me I had to do that instead of iop, and my insurance wouldn’t cover a dime since I didn’t meet criteria. The Initial evaluation was $700 out of pocket as well, then an average of two drug tests a month for three years, plus $1100 a year for Birchwood.

I was technically off work for three months but even after they told me I could resume practice I stayed home another 6 months because I needed to for my mental health. Luckily my husband can completely support us on his salary but it was still a huge adjustment for me not to have any discretionary spending. ?

catsmeow1972, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2019

The only reason I made it through, financially was because I had family. Even so, they cleaned out a bit of retirement funds (to quote my mother..”the stock market was good to us, we’ve all but recouped it.” I still hate, hate, hate that they laid out so much to a bunch of liars. The scumbags that I was sent to for the evaluation process saw only dollar signs and could not have cared less that their “help” did more harm than good. I don’t fault the family for falling for those lies because manipulation is what those creeps do and the family only wanted what was best for me, but being over 40 and living off of family generosity was nothing short of humiliating.
Over the last 5 and some years, I would hazard a guess that we spent $60K or more. Then there was the lost income when the program destroyed more than one opportunity for jobs. Plus the cost of multiple moves as I had to go where I could get work. Add all that together, I think it rounds out at a cool $250K. I can’t even put a price tag on the lost chances of career advancement.
Now that that nightmare is over and I actually have a reasonably decent job where I am planning to stay for the long haul, I am enjoying spending some money on some of the nice things in life...and it’s about damn time.

nurselori22 · Oct 20, 2019

Amen to this comment!! I cashed in my retirement and my car was repossessed. I’m a month behind on my mortgage. I just gotta keep trying though.... I’m single and my family turned their back on me saying that I shamed the family name. I refuse to give up though...

mississippiRN71 · Oct 20, 2019

Hate that happened to you! I cashed in my retirement too. Hang in there!

SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN · Oct 20, 2019

Hang in there All if you!!!! This program will devastate most people financially. I know I’ll never get over it. However, it is doable I’m just a regular person and I’m making it through my sentence and so can you. Please, please, please be vigilant in following the damn rules. I’m getting through but the thought of messing up and starting at square one is a daily terror for me. I don’t drink or drug and go to the god awful meetings but the anxiety is still there. Light is at the end of the tunnel and I pray that all this angst goes away at the end of this along with the bitterness but I fear it won’t. I know I’ll never look at nursing the same. It was an integral part of my life with respect abound for my colleagues. Now it’s a job I need and I trust no one

KyBeagle, ASN · Oct 25, 2019

On 10/20/2019 at 10:25 AM, nurselori22 said:
Amen to this comment!! I cashed in my retirement and my car was repossessed. I’m a month behind on my mortgage. I just gotta keep trying though.... I’m single and my family turned their back on me saying that I shamed the family name. I refuse to give up though...

@nurselori22 I’m so sorry that your family’s turned their back and chosen their pride over you. Looking at your obstacles and yet, reading your comments, “I just gotta keep trying though”, and “I refuse to give up though”...your statements absolutely speak volumes about you. Any time you need to vent, we’ll be here to support you. I wish you the very best. Sending you a hug!