Michellercruz

Hello, I was reviewing everyone's advice and thoughts and I was wondering what you meant when you said "surrendered in leui Of revocation. Usually that gets you put on the OIG list" wouldn't I get put on that list if I surrendered my list of if it was revoked? I think I am at the point where I have decided that i am no longer able to be a nurse, but I do not want my name on the OIG list because I am working as a personal care assistance and I recently applied in dietary at a hospital. I would never do anything to hurt a patient or try to steal from someone. I would hate to see my name on that list saying that i am Unworthy of a job and ensuitating that I am a thief or something worse. Why would they do this to people anyways? I am not an innocent, i messed up, I know that. But I have never heard of another profession doing what nursing does. I wonder if it is because nursing is still mostly a women's profession and we have historically put up with all kinds of different abuses from employers, patients, other nurses etc. It seems that when you apply for a nurses license you are giving your whole mind and body away and you are no longer able to make decisions for yourself.

Yes. I agree and very well written.

That is too bad about the OIG list. I was really hoping that I could keep my job as a PCA. I don't know what to do now. I guess I will have to make some decisions but not sure what they are going to be yet.

Yes, I am aware of everything you are saying. I have experience with monitoring. The main reason for this post was I was trying to see if it was possible to move my case to another state if I chose to move. My lawyer was not able to answer that and it was something i was curious about. I was not aware of this OIg system and was not aware that I could be put on a list and be ineligible to work in any capacity in a company that received Medicare funds. I had asked my lawyer if I would be able to continue to be a PCA and she did not know the answer to that either. In fact, it seemed like no one really could answer a lot of my questions and it was a frustrating process to say the least. I did request to be able to surrender my license but was told that I could not do that. I thought that was very strange and now I hear that I may be put on a list if I surrender my license. That doesn't seem fair. I feel like I joined some kind of weird gang where I am not allowed to leave. If I would have known this 20 years ago, I would have went into another profession. One other thing is I did not feel that the monitoring got better over time. I found that the rules were getting stricter and stricter and it was getting more and more difficult to follow all the rules. Lab hours were decreased. Quarterly evaluations were made longer. My supervisor and MD were never able to get their evaluations done on time the whole 4 years , without me asking for them repeatedly. Every year the cost of testing went up. My second supervisor was Not as understanding as the first and made it more difficult for me to get off work to go to lab. I worked 12 hour shifts and it seemed that the surprise lab visits always were scheduled on my work days. It really didn't get better at all. Yes, it is true that I do not want to be a nurse any longer and I definitely don't want to enter a monitoring program, but it seems to be more complicated than that. I wish I was able to just surrender my license and walk away. In the end I will be leaving but it appears that the nursing board will make it as difficult as possible to start a new profession.

i hope I am posting this correctly. I can't see what I am writing on my screen. I read what you wrote and all I can say is "wow!!! If you made it through all of that - you can do anything! Congrats! I don't believe you will have any problems doing whatever you set your mind to. You are a survivor.

I hate to say it, but if you are planning on drinking alcohol again- be prepared to be monitored again. If you start drinking and anyone ever reports that you are drinking again you will land yourself for another assessment and another monitoring program. I have seen ex husband's and old girlfriends report nurses. Anyone can report you at anytime for any reason and if you are drinking again you will be expected to start monitoring again. When you graduate from the program they tell you that you are no allowed to drink alcohol because you have a problem and can't be trusted- maybe not in those exact words. You will always be considered a problem drinker now.

I just don't understand how that is fair. I could see if I was charged with a crime or something, but to me it seems like if you don't conform to what they want you to be, they are going to do anything possible to make sure you aren't able to get any employment.

Thank you for your input. I think one of the main reasons that I feel nursing is no longer right for me is that I constantly get these messages that I should be hiding who I am and the experiences I have had if I want to continue to be a nurse. As you stated above, potential employers are going to be able to see that I was suspended and why and I will most likely be determined to be inferior to other candidates for the job. I feel that the stigimazation of drug use or past use is wrong and I do not believe that people who have had experiences with drugs are inferior employees. I do not want to hide who I am. In fact I don't believe people should. I do not want to work for an agency that would not hire me if they found out that I had a history and was suspended for drug use. It happened and it is out there. It doesn't make me any different of a person than I would be if you didn't know. If everyone continues to act like drug use is immoral and people try to hide part of the history these beliefs will continue. People do drugs. Good people do drugs. Bad people do drugs. The fact that you have been suspended for doing drugs in the past is not going to make you a good employee or a bad employee. I am not going to live my life trying to erase parts of my past and act like they didn't happen. If that is what nursing employers want then I don't want to be a nurse. I feel that the BON has told me that I can't be trusted to be a nurse. I am a public safety risk. The only possible way that it would be safe for me to be a nurse is if I am closely monitored by big brother to make sure that I am ok. My answer is to them would be - I am one of the best nurses you will ever see because I truly care for people. I do not look at anyone as a job or a problem that needs to be fixed. I find delight in learning about people and their lives. I feel that everyone has a purpose and I love to help people reach their goals. However, i will not submit to being monitored. I did it for four years and am not going to do it again. It is just not how I want to live my life. I will not try to hide parts of my past. I have tried it before and it doesn't work anyway. I feel that leaving nursing is the right step for me and I am at peace with my decision.

Thank you. I have definitely found peace and information that I have received on this site has really made it clear that the decision I have made is right for me. I will speak with my lawyer also. Thank you so much.

I just want to put my two cents in here and tell you to make sure you receive the proper training and you are confident that you know what you are doing before you start any kind of Botox or filler treatments. I had fillers done around my mouth recently and the nurse hit a blood vessel in my lip which bled into my lips and swelled and bruised something awful. It has been 3 weeks and my lips still hurt and are still bruised. That stuff can be really tricky .

8 years ago I was evaluated and the assessor stated that outpatient treatment was recommended as I had been sober for a month and proven that I did not require inpatient treatment to be safe. However my job and the HPSP felt that I should complete an inpatient program. I admitted to the inpatient program . 2?weeks into the program I was told that my insurance was refusing to pay as i did not require inpatient treatment. I stayed in treatment to appease my workplace. The bill when I got out after 28 days was 34,000.87. The clinic stated they had one of the highest recovery rates in the country. I remained sober for 7 years. One night I met a friend for coffee and he had my drug of choice and I relapsed. I never thought I would relapse but I did. There is no guarantee that a person will maintain recovery and it doesn't matter how much money is spent. Drug addicts relapse. Some stay clean and never relapse but most do. I don't look at relapse as a failure any more. I see that it is sometimes part of the journey. I feel that rehab needs to focus on impulse control and coping mechanisms. I am absolutely sick of all the shaming and judgment that the addicted face and I think that rehab also needs to address how to face the stigma. I have found that nurses are often the most judge mental.

I looked it up on the internet and I am not on a list. I have never been convicted of a crime or had any problems with work performance so I don't see why I would be on that list. I have never worked under the influence. I had been clean for 7 years before this relapse. I relapsed on a weekend and did not return to work d/t the relapse. I have now been clean for 5 months and things have been going well. I have struggled with addiction my whole adult life and have learned some good coping strategies.

What is the OIG?

Thank you for your reply. I have not been convicted of any crime. I relapsed and my ex husband and his girlfriend reported my relapse to the BON. I was not able to participate in the Health Professional Support Program at that time as I had no transportation, no money and was homeless. The board called to meet with me and My nursing license was suspended due to drug use. I hadn't been practicing for 6 months since the initial relapse. Basically, they gave me a plan that I need to follow and if I follow this plan, I will be able to get my license back in December. The plan is similar to what I experienced in the HPSP. I know that if I choose to follow the plan , I can get my license back, however, I really don't want to go back to nursing. My life is much more enjoyable now and I can't imagine going back to working 50 hours a week again. I am also reluctant to start any monitoring program. I don't want to spend my life being monitored. It is costly and time consuming. I was just wondering how it would work if I moved. I don't want to start all the requirements and then move and have my license revoked because I didn't finish my Plan. I think at this point in my life it would be best to just try something else. I think it is pretty clear that there is no place for me as a nurse any longer and I am ok with that. I am just wondering how that process works. Do they permanently revoke my license in December?

My nursing license was suspended in December. My ex husband reported me when I experienced a painful relapse. I was not agreeable to joining the health professionals service program at that time and my license was suspended. I am able to get my license back if I agree to be monitored for the next few years and follow several other recommendations such as going to meetings, counselor visits, etc. I am not sure if I am going to submit to monitoring or just give up on nursing. I would like to move to a warmer climate for health reasons and am wondering if I can be monitored in another state or if I would need to stay in Minnesota until the monitoring period is over to keep my license. Just wondering if anyone out there has moved to another state while being monitored and how that works.