goodnightopus4

Hi all, I am looking for information about the nursing profession in Vietnam. I'm an RN but have only worked in the United States. If you have any knowledge about working in a nursing related profession (LPN, LVN, RN or Care Aide) I'd love to hear about your experience! Thanks!

I've been a nurse for over a decade and I'm reluctant to divulge too much detail on this forum. However, I think that's part of the problem...we don't hear from both sides of the table often enough. Thank you for posing this question to those who are addicted as well. My post is going to be really long, but I hope you stick with me. I am a recovering addict and alcoholic. And I'm a nurse. I didn't know I had an issue with drugs or alcohol until long after I became a nurse. I thought I was normal...all of us nurses were stressed and needed a little liquid assistance in winding down, right?! I realized I was different when I tried to get my drinking back under control, and couldn't. I have always been strait-laced, well behaved, hard working. To a fault. No one would have ever guessed that I was that 1 in 10. The thing that I hope anyone who encounters someone struggling with substance abuse understands is that this is a disease. There is an element of choice, and of loss of control. For me, looking back I can see where I had an opportunity to get help but didn't. I had a choice at that time, but I couldn't see the forest for the trees. When things got really bad, I chose to stop. But here's the kicker...I couldn't. I was terrified because I have always tried to do the right thing, and I simply couldn't do it. No matter how hard I tried. Logically, this should have been when I asked for help. But it wasn't. I had convinced myself that I had to figure this all out by myself. Here's how my diseased brain decided I should "figure this out"... I had gotten to the point where it was hard not to drink during the day. But I would NEVER drink at work, so I asked my doctor for a prescription for Xanax. I started taking Xanax at work to avoid showing up drunk. Can you guess how well that worked out? It didn't. I didn't have any more control over Xanax than I did alcohol. I do not remember taking more than 1, but when I woke up 16 hours later, I had taken 15, blacked out WHILE taking care of patients, got sent home by coworkers, driven to the store for alcohol, started having trouble breathing and was taken to the ER by a friend who found me at home. To this day, I have no memory of any of that. In that string of events, I made ONE choice: take one pill. The next day, a coworker who witnessed all this showed up at my house. She told me that I had two choices. Call the board of nursing, turn myself in and go to inpatient treatment, or she would report me to the board herself. That was my bottom. I broke. I knew that me trying to figure out how to manage this on my own was officially done. I called, I was honest, I spent 2 years in inpatient and outpatient treatment, spent 4 years under a very strict monitoring program through the board. They didn't make it easy and I am so beyond grateful for that. I had to prove that I understood the gravity of what I did and was committed to the work it takes to recover. I hope some of you have made it all the way to the end. Today, I am over 5 years sober. I've told every employer about what happened that day. I am upfront and honest about my disease. I never want to pretend I can do this on my own again and that honesty is one of many things that helps assure that. We are taught to be compassionate towards our patients. Even when they don't make the logical choice...over and over again. Even when their illness brings pain to those they love. They stop taking their meds, they chose not to seek treatment, they lie about their diet, how much they smoke, how much they drink. We are human. All of us. If you see a fellow nurse who is struggling, look at what's happening head on. Ask them what's going on...they very well may brush you off or push you away. That's fine. Somewhere in the back of their mind, the seed is planted. If they do something that seems off and flags are raised, confront the issue by talking to them, reporting them, whatever it takes. They might feel betrayed. That's fine. They might be angry at you. That's fine. They may never work in healthcare again. That's fine. This is a person, with a disease that distorts reality. You can see reality even if they can't. So be honest. Be forward. Be loving. Turning and looking the other way is dangerous for patients and for the person struggling with substance abuse.

I'm not sure this thread is even live anymore, but I needed throw in my two cents. I was one of those nursing students that felt like I was being eaten alive. I was shy, and when I was told to "just do it," I felt like crawling under the table. I WANTED to "just do it". But I didn't know how. Not the task...I didn't know how to speak up, how to be confident. I got a lot of tough love from nurses, but it didn't feel like love at all back then. The nurses that taught me had an opportunity to build me up, but I have to say, they left me behind. I'm lucky though. My first job out of school was with a group of seasoned nurses that took the time to actually see me. They didn't let me get away with anything, they told it to me straight AND they reminded me that I could do this. There is one thing I do with every single new nurse that works with me or has a rotation with me. I take a deep breath, drop all of those other priorities I have swirling around in my head, from both work and home, and I focus on that sometimes not so bright-eyed newcomer. I watch their body language, I ask them questions about what they are excited about and what terrifies them. I lower my guard a little and quietly invite them to do the same. I see them, look for the strengths they either didn't know were there or need a little reminding of. I look for ways that their perceived weaknesses can work for them instead of against them. Yes, I'm too busy for this. Yes, I'm exhausted. But this new nurse is going to be someones coworker. They are going to be taking care of someones loved one. They are going to have life and death decisions to make and I want them to have firm ground to stand on when they do. And even more than that, I want them to learn how to see their patients and co-workers. Knowing oneself and believing in who they are is not a lesson that comes standard.