Heynurse29

I have been an LPN for about 6 or 7 years. On my very first job, a co-worker accused me me stealing medications (I had just gotten the position she wanted, and she had also smoked marijuana with me the previous weekend). I did not take a drug test, immediately resigned. They did an internal investigation, found nothing, and dropped it. I found another job, no problems and continued my nursing career. A few years later I did develope an opiate addiction. I didn't ever divert pain medications, never was accused of being high, but maintained my addiction. Fast forward to last Easter Sunday. I had worked a 12 hours shift on my normal unit, and floated to another hall to do a medpass. The nurse taking over for me made me do the charting on 4 patients. I was tired and wanted to go home. Against my better judgment, I wrote down vital signs that I did not take. That nurse found out, told my DON and administrator. I admitted to it, got fired, and reported to the board of nursing. I never contacted the board, in my nativity I thought it would just blow over. I entered suboxone treatment on my own free will in December of 2016. In January of this year I got a call from the Ohio BON regarding the vital signs. I met with the investigator, he asked if I was in treatment, I denied it. We went through with the meeting, and at the very end when I thought I was going to get away with a smack on the hand, he told me he had run an ORSA report on me, and knew about the suboxone treatment. I was shocked. I told him the truth about it, and he said I could revoke my license willingly, and enter an alternative program to get my license back with few repercussions. So I de-activated my license. Now I am sitting here jobless, wondering if I made the right decision. I feel black balled. Besides my 1st job, where they found nothing amiss, I have never been accused of taking medications or being high on the job. The complaint had nothing to do with narcotics. What should I have done? Did I do the right thing? I will admit it right now, I am terrible about sigoing narcotics out on the MAR. I always sign them out in the narc book of course, but I overlook the importance of the MAR, just like every other nurse. I am scared to death and I just would like some insight. I had no yet been accepted by the board into an alternative program, and truly cannot afford a lawyer.