RNCaliK

Hi. I submitted my petition to modify my contract on June 26. On July 7 I received confirmation my packet was accepted and being placed on the waiting list for a hearing. So far… no word yet on when that will be. The BRN is obviously in no hurry so all I can do is wait for word from them when the hearing will be.

Always be up front and honest in the job interview. If they have issues with the work restrictions that just means that job is not the right fit for you right now. The correct job will come along and you will be happy you waited for that one. It is part of our growth and recovery to learn to be honest and not feel guilt about what we did to land in this situation and to make better decisions from now on to move forward productively. Good luck to you. You can do this!

Hi everyone! I have been in the California CABRNP program since June 2020 for a DUI. I am coming up on my one year mark of the program and have had no issues or violations. According to my contract, at one year I can petition to have the alcohol and urine testing removed. Does anyone on here have experience with this and if so what were your steps used to apply for the petition? Was it approved? Etc. All feedback is welcome. Thank you!

At what point did you realize you missed the check in? I’m in California and 2 in my nurse group have missed a check in. Both immediately went and did a urine test and then notified their monitor. Both were not kicked out but they were subjected to multiple urines and blood tests 2-4 a week for the next few weeks after. One is in diversion so her sobriety date changed so that means her contract was extended. The one on probation, hers stayed the same but it affects her ability to now apply for early termination. my nurse group Faclitator always says the moment you realize you missed a test go immediately and have an option 1 urine done and then notify your monitor and cross your fingers.

I’m in California so here it is pretty simple according to the diversion nurses in my nurse group who applied for it. They did not use an attorney for that. They went on the state disability site and applied. Then had to go to a Dr to get a letter stating the disability. I personally did not apply for it because I was able to keep my RN job post DUI but there are 5 nurses in my weekly nurse group who applied and all have it.

Absolutely apply for disability. Do not feel guilty about that. It’s there for that reason. You can take that time to mentally heal and be able to work on the things to get your nursing license back. Half the nurses in my nurse support group are on disability. We all make mistakes but it’s what we do after which makes the difference. You are not a bad person you just made a bad choice. It will get better. I got a dui in 2018 and thought I would lose everything. The first 3 months after the dui were the worst in my life thinking of all the what if’s. The fear of the unknown is what mentally exhausts us. Try your best to not try and fill in the blanks of what lies in the future and focus on what you can control day to day.

Haha! Right?! They are definitely always out to get and squeeze any available chance for a dollar out of us.

Did you complete the required amount of months you must be employed as an RN per your probation contract yet? If you have, you should be OK and they will have you write a letter of explanation and you can let them know you have the new job lined up. The only thing you can do is wait for your monitor to contact you and let you know which way they are going with this. If they want to terminate you off probation they will have to file with the Attorney General and there would be a hearing at that point you can get a lawyer who specializes in nurse probation hopefully you already have one of those from being put on probation anyways. Or they may just give you a warning or add more time to your probation etc. I know it’s very difficult but don’t panic stay calm and put a plan in place for the different scenarios. I always say use a lawyer because the board is not our friend when we are on the other side of the nurse practice act.

One of the gals in my nurse group petitioned for early termination at 2 years and she was awarded it. So I do know for a fact it is possible to get early termination at 2 years if you are 100% compliant with all 19 requirements and all urine and blood tests are negative. That is what keeps me focused - to hopefully get that early termination. ???. My testing has finally evened out to 4 a month, which is tolerable. I was told that since my probation started on June 26 and I didn’t have my first test until July 10 I had to “make up” for it and that’s why I had 7 in one month at the beginning. I can say at the beginning everything is overwhelming but things do eventually become routine and it’s not that difficult to adjust and accept the consequences and be successful. I have my days where this annoys me but overall I’ve accepted the routine and focus on the end.

When I contacted my BRN monitor to inquire why was I tested 7 times in 30 days his reply was “It’s random”. Even if it is random, making us pay $800 is ridiculously excessive and down right legal criminal theft on their part. We all know this is really about $$$, but it would be nice if they could be realistic with their thievery. Also part of their restrictions is not to allow us to work overtime to help off set these costs. I am fully in the know that I did wrong by getting a dui and punishment must be given but $800 in one month on just testing alone is Excessive. They test me before they even know the result on a previous test given 2 days before.

My probation for a dui started on 6/26/20. In the 45 days since I started I have had 6 urine tests and 1 blood test. This week alone I had 4 tests! Is this a normal amount everyone else has had? That is over $800 in one month spent on this. Not to mention, observed tests for a female Are near impossible to do when you work 7am-730pm. I have had to leave work 3 times in the last week to do these tests, losing even more money and putting my work relatability an issue.

Oh! That is correct, it only stays for 10 yrs if You finished probation. Diversion it does not show

LOL yes they say B vitamins can make a false positive. I try to equate it with looking up your symptoms on WebMD they will say you have cancer and will be dead in a week. So trying to research what will give you a false positive on a drug alcohol urine test will keep you up at night stressing about it Im so thankful for both of you putting my mind more at ease- just don’t drink alcohol or do drugs and be mindful but not paranoid about the other things that have alcohol in them and things will be OK.

Oh my gosh your post made me laugh and feel relieved! Congratulations on having the finish line insight. It is so helpful to hear from people who have actually been through the testing and not just the internet scare tactics out there.

It has been the most stressful part of the probation so far Is the testing and worrying about false positives. I am a month and a half in and have had 4 urines and 1 blood test. When you Google what can cause false positives it can make you extremely paranoid to eat, drink or inhale things. I really appreciate this post and would like more info on what is really an issue to avoid and not just the scary stuff the internet provides. Energy drinks, soy sauce, hair spray, B Vitamins, hand sanitizer etc...

Here in California it stays on your “record” for 10 years post dismissal from probation or diversion program. After 10 years you can apply to have it removed.