Tim R

I've always had a beard since graduating from nursing school and the hospital I worked at never said anything about shaving it off. I've always worked in either Cardiac Stepdown or ICU occasionally. They told me in isolation I would have to wear the hood option, which I am OK with. When I was younger and team roping, I had a accident where my horse threw me and I fell head first into a metal gate. I broke my jaw in three places, as a result I have some facial scars that a beard hides nicely. I keep it trimmed, no Duck Dynasty beard LOL. Even still, its never been an issue, even when I did a few travel assignments. Thats my two cents from a fellow beared peer.

On 12-7-19 I was selected for a random drug screen and I fully complied, sample provided at end of shift. The sample was given without incident in physically providing. The specimen was given to lab technician, I was present along with my supervisor. All three of us witnessed the standard protocol of a split sample, placed in sealed bags and initialed by myself, signed the form as I have everytime in the past. It was a complete legit sample provided with standard chain of command followed. I was officially released to go home. This was a Saturday morning as I work the night shift, I had plans to hurry down to church as my daughter was signing in church that day and I had a 80 mile drive and changing into appropriate clothing. However, 20-30 minutes after I left campus I received a phone call requesting I return to provide another sample, they stated the temperature was wrong. The temperature was checked at the time of providing specimen and checked, which I was signed out, clear to leave. On the phone call, I was kind and professional in speaking with supervisor, I declined to return, explaining my plans and how important it was to me to be present at this church service. I loved working at this hospital and never had any problems or disciplinary write ups in my file, in fact in the course of my 9 years I won a few awards. A trusted, valued, a peer looked up to, the go to person to train those that needed extra help as I am a very patient nurse. On the phone they stated I would be terminated, I kindly explained I understood what they were saying. I was ashamed and realize what on the surface it may appeared to have happened, it was not an action of a professional that I have always been. I had just recently returned to work after the death of my father, whom I was very close to, and a year prior I had lost my mother. I had lost my only two close family members, I was tired of the deaths in my family and wanted to see something alive, my precious daughter singing in church. I stated that I had promised my little girl that I would be there, they rudely reminded me that it was Saturday morning, not a Sunday. Saturday is the sabbath for those of the 7th Day Adventist faith. The state never notified me of any problems or complaints until two years later, courtesy of Covid I assume, we all know it was a crazy time in healthcare. I never received any official notification in the mail, it was a friend who looked up my license online which is how I discovered this news. I did not work as a RN from that day of the test at all. During that delay in learning the state was notified, my wife passed away from a cardiac arrest. No piror health issues and her death was very personal and tragic for me. The arrest happened at home, she asked for assistance in standing and passed out, I immediately did CPR and notified EMS. It was the longest 3 minutes of my life. Ironically, I am a cardiac nurse, all the CPR in the world didn't save her. In an instant at age 46 I became a widow. After this I didn't turn to drugs nor alcohol at all. I turned to my faith in God during this grief process. Returning to nursing during my grief period never crossed my mind, not forever, just until I was fully recovered from wifes passing away. In a span of 3 years, I lost all my immediate family with exception of my daughter. I chose a healthy way to deal with my grief, I returned to horseback riding and adopted a dog. Adopting a dog was the best thing to get me through, she was a rescue, we saved one another to describe in a few words. Recovered and standing on my faith firmly on two feet I want to return to the career that I love the most...being a RN. I'm a little scared and do not know how to proceed in addressing getting my license back. The only thing I feel I did wrong was failure to communicate with the board during this time of my life, again, I am ashamed of not being proactive in contacting them. Isolating myself was essentially the only thing I did wrong, as far as the random test and temperature, I have a clear conscience of which they cleared me to leave when provided. Does anyone have any advice in how to approach, do I need a lawyer? I am a good nurse and still am a good nurse. I hold no grudges against the hospital, I'd love to work there again, but I doubt that can happen. In this period we live in, don't we need good nurses? I fully realize that I did not handle this in a manner of a professional nurse. Everyone of us is greater than our worst mistakes. I could use any advice, suggestions or just moral support. I have never used a message board but I felt who better to ask than my peers in our chose field....nurses. God bless you all. Formerly grieving nurse.