mll0907

the ipn is the intervention project for nurses. it is a florida program (although other states do have a similar program) for nurses, who may be in violation of the nurse practice act. usually, the nurse is addicted to narcotics or alcohol. they may also have psychiatric conditions that interfere with practicing safe nursing. you may enter the program voluntarily and do as they say for at least a minimum of 5 years (they put many restrictions on the type of nursing that you do and require that you get counseling, psychiatric care, prescriptions that you can take, you have to inform every potential employer that you are in the program, they disallow/allow narcotic key use, they also tell you if and when you can work, you have to be supervised) or you enter the program as mandated by the board of nusing. if you want to practice nursing, you sign a contract with the ipn and agree to their requirements. if entered voluntarily and you do everything that they say, nothing goes on your license and the board knows nothing. when your contract is completed, you are free and clear and no one is the wiser. if it is mandated by the board of nursing, it goes on your license. i do not know what happens, if it goes on your license, but anyone can go on the internet and see that you have had "issues." i imagine that the mandatory contract is more controlling. very few facilities are open to hiring a nurse in the ipn, because they feel they are asking for trouble. they can't say they are disicriminating against you for that reason and they make every excuse in the book as to why you aren't hired. i have twenty-five years of nursing experience, my bsn and i can't get a job. i have 3 years of pediatric neurosurgery (an unlikely experience to find) and i was not hired for a position in that same field. i have worked pediatrics, pediatric intensive care, pacu (recovery room), o.r., nursing management, home health, etc. and i can't get a job, because i am in the ipn. everyone is ialways interested in me and enthusiastic in hiring me and when i tell them "ipn," its like i have the plague. good luck with school. nursing is a wonderful profession, especially when you can work at something that you excel in doing.

Hi, I posted this in response to someone elses question: The issue with IPN in Florida, is that it does NOT matter if you have an Rx or not. If you have a medical condition that requires treatment with a narcotic or other IPN "banned" medication, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT! It's against The Nurse Practice Act. I took my own prescribed narcotic on my day off. I appeared drowsy at work the next day (I also had severe Pernicious Anemia requiring Oncology intervention AND had heart attack range hypokalemia, post Gastric Bypass). I admitted to every single medication that was PRESCRIBED, every medical condition. I was co-erced by my former employer of 10 years, that I go into IPN Voluntarily. I signed a 5 year contract. A few months later, I got two merit raise increases...my best evaluations ever! The next month, the employer terminated me, for falling asleep, in a class, outside the clinical setting ON MY DAY OFF. No badge, no uniform, no clock in. It was my own time and they terminated me. I tested negative, on the day they terminated me too. It really sucks. I have my BSN, have been an RN for 25 years...I took my own prescribed meds, for Fibromyalgia, on my time, but because of the 1/2 life it is still in your system. They will get you! I had another doctor prescribe Ritalin for ADHD and was told by IPN that I couldn't work while taking it...BUT YOU CAN TAKE CONCERTA...Does that make sense??? It's the SAME DRUG!! I went to an Employment Attorney, there is nothing I can do. Florida is a Right To Hire/Right To Fire State. They didn't need a reason to fire me. I signed a 5 year contract voluntarily, I can't get out of it per the Attorney. The worst thing, is IPN is such a negative stigma. My IPN contract does not require random testing. I never had a narcotic key restriction. I do not have to particpate in weekly meetings...but still the employer has to know, per contract. I haven't been able to find work in a year...remortgaged my house, etc. I am down to my last penny. IPN doesn't care. Their response is that there are "plenty of IPN Nurses with jobs!" I have petitioned for re-examination of my situation and was denied, twice. All the employer has to do is fill out that check sheet once a quarter...that's it...I think we are getting Black Balled. My license is worthless at this point. My Pernicious Anemia and hypokalemia is controlled, so I am not sleepy anymore. It has come to the point, that I will have to get a job outside nursing to support myself. I would like to find out if there are any statistics to employment of IPN nurses. Does anyone know??? Oh, I also took myself off the narcotic myself and have been "clean" for 2.5 years. If Nurses get sick...shouldn't they be entitled to treatment too?

The issue with IPN in Florida, is that it does NOT matter if you have an Rx or not. If you have a medical condition that requires treatment with a narcotic or other IPN "banned" medication, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT! It's against The Nurse Practice Act. I took my own prescribed narcotic on my day off. I appeared drowsy at work the next day (I also had severe Pernicious Anemia requiring Oncology intervention AND had heart attack range hypokalemia, post Gastric Bypass). I admitted to every single medication that was PRESCRIBED, every medical condition. I was co-erced by my former employer of 10 years, that I go into IPN Voluntarily. I signed a 5 year contract. A few months later, I got two merit raise increases...my best evaluations ever! The next month, the employer terminated me, for falling asleep, in a class, outside the clinical setting ON MY DAY OFF. No badge, no uniform, no clock in. It was my own time and they terminated me. I tested negative, on the day they terminated me too. It really sucks. I have my BSN, have been an RN for 25 years...I took my own prescribed meds, for Fibromyalgia, on my time, but because of the 1/2 life it is still in your system. They will get you! I had another doctor prescribe Ritalin for ADHD and was told by IPN that I couldn't work while taking it...BUT YOU CAN TAKE CONCERTA...Does that make sense??? It's the SAME DRUG!! I went to an Employment Attorney, there is nothing I can do. Florida is a Right To Hire/Right To Fire State. They didn't need a reason to fire me. What is the worst thing, is IPN is such a negative stigma. My IPN contract does not require random testing. I never had a narcotic key restriction. I do not have to particpate in weekly meetings...but still the employer has to know, per contract. I haven't been able to find work in a year...remortgaged my house, etc. I am down to my last penny. IPN doesn't care. Their response is that there are "plenty of IPN Nurses with jobs!" I have petitioned for re-examination of my situation and was denied, twice. All the employer has to do is fill out that check sheet once a quarter...that's it...I think we are getting Black Balled. My license is worthless at this point. My Pernicious Anemia and hypokalemia is controlled, so I am not sleepy anymore. Soon, I will have to get a job outside nursing to support myself. I would like to find out if there are any statistics to employment of IPN nurses. Does anyone know??? Oh, I also took myself off the narcotic myself and have been "clean" for 2.5 years. If Nurses get sick...shouldn't they be entitled to treatment too?