TXRN1012

Thanks everyone for your input. It’s so important to stay safe and keep our family safe, with this virus running rampant. It’s good to establish a routine. I have mostly worked in home health, with the exception of working on a med/surg floor about 10 years ago, and I’ve just been offered a similar job. I want to be extra careful.

Awesome- thanks! I looked for similar information before posting so I wasn’t duplicating questions, but apparently I overlooked this. Thanks for sharing!

Do you carry a change of clothes and double-bag your clothes and shoes - and maybe leave shoes in trunk but take scrubs inside home (while still bagged) to be washed? Do you change in your garage? Please comment on what you do or believe is the best practice to stay safe. Thanks in advance

What about invoking safe harbor? This is part of what it says in Texas at least: The Texas Board of Nursing (BON or Board) has safe harbor nursing peer review forms available to make the process faster and easier for a nurse who believes he/she is being asked to accept an unsafe assignment, engage in conduct beyond his/her scope of practice, or engage in unprofessional or illegal conduct. ... It sure seems it would fall under “unsafe assignment.”

That’s so great to hear! I know you can do it, and I know what it’s like to live with chronic pain. Take care of yourself. You’ve got this! ????

Hoosier-RN That’s a great suggestion, but wouldn’t she be drug-tested prior to employment?

I applaud you for taking that first step to get off the drugs - and realizing that it is a problem. Your health and well-being are #1. So please take care of YOU. ❤️ Now comes my opinion, which may not be popular: Get the help you need. Period. I understand the need to work so you can pay your bills, so I think you should keep working (apparently you’ve been able to do your job while on these meds). I suggest keeping it to yourself. Get clean and move on with your life. Let it be a lesson. I also think it would be a good idea to find a support group to help you stay clean. I wish you all the best - and I know you can do it. You’ve taken the first step. Hugs. ?

The best action we can take is to VOTE! Most states have done away with unions and have created “right to work” laws, which means that an employer can fire an employee “at will” - without explanation or notice. It also allows an employee to quit “at will” without notice. Find out what the laws in your state say about this. Then vote out the legislators that support it. I don’t know how one would go about trying to become unionized, but it might be helpful to look at other states and see how it was done. On the flip side, I was threatened by a company that threatened to report me to the BON because I gave them 5 day’s notice instead of 2 weeks. They said they could report it as “unprofessional conduct.” I reminded them that Texas is an “at will” state and that it is also specifically highlighted in my contract. I also reminded them that I doubt I would have been given any notice if they had decided to fire me. They were lucky they got any notice. It was like working in a sweatshop! In a nutshell, we have to fight at the ballot box if we want real change. Your state BON is a great source for what’s going on in your state regarding nursing laws and legislation. That’s a good place to start.