gr8fulnrs

I concur with liamsmom. Get started, plow through. I had to do all that she mentioned in her post. It took me approx 5 years. But i did it. Jump in with both feet planted in your recovery and your higher power and go baby go!!! You got this!!! You can DO IT!!! I am now working as as LPN with full privileges to practice, going back to school for the LPN to RN bridge program. I wake up every morning and have to pinch myself - living the dream, got everything back that was promised to me according to God's grace!

Yes indeed. there is quite a plethora of recovery type scholarships; Hazeldon - Betty Ford, Hope for addiction - The welcome back scholarship, and many more. I'm thinking about taking a class regarding how to write scholarship letters. I dont want to come across as desperate and needy but more like this is what I can bring to the table type of letter. There is a $250,000 Tylenol scholarship out there to be had. That would be a dream come true. I have had many dreams come true thus far in my recovery so I believe anything is possible!!!

Thankyou all very much! Off I go...research time! Will let you all know what I find!

Now that Ive made it through my addiction, made it through my consent agreement with the state board, earned my LPN license back and started working again...whew! now I'm ready to do the LPN to RN bridge program. Does anybody know of links or sites I can go to for nurses who are returning to school who are in recovery? Or should I not even mention my recovery when applying for scholarships? I think its a huge accomplishment that us nurses go through to get back what we lost and I think there may be communities out there that support us academically...but who are they and where?

I know, it bites...but what i did is got real humble and started thinking out of the box. I needed an RN to supervise me as well. I started looking at places where I wanted to end up working in Long term care, but nothing was coming available. Then I started getting real creative and looking at places where there was an RN but not really what i wanted in my career path...What i ended up with was working at a ADHD Boarding school for teens! Working under the direct supervision of the school nurse RN. I got through my narcotic restriction there, my direct supervision, indirect supervision and eventually started working there as the school nurse on weekends! I am now off my contract with the state board and now work in Long Term care, which i wanted in the first place. So sometimes you have to hit that wall to figure out the way around the wall. Dont give up, there are "second chance givers" out there, you just have to find them. I looked for a year and half to find the Rn I needed, so dont give up. it took me 5 years to get through my contract with the state board. Been in recovery for 7 years. Keep trudging that road....YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Thankyou fender and thankyou wyosam! I knew you all would set me straight! I researched with my BON in Az. and I DO have to take an LPN IV and medication skills course prior to doing any type of IV therapy. I did get this information in my core curriculum in school but never have used this skills in the workplace. Now i am working in LTC on medicare unit where everyone has a flippen PICC line! Since my first post and today I have talked to my supervisor and explained my situation and they will re-imburse for the course, so back to school I go. yippee.

I am an LPN who is working on a medicare unit in LTC. Resident on the unit is having Ancef administered via PICC line, using the SASH protocal (saline, antibiotic, saline, heparin). My question is do I check for blood return prior to the first saline flush, or after, or at all? Some nurses are saying I dont have check for blood return, some are saying that I do. input?

oh no no no, dont give up! i just my license off probation. It took me four years to do it. but I made it. Every state BON is different with what your work limitations will be but i found a job. it took me a while but I got hired at a school, at a place where there was no narcotics. I had a 6 month narcotic restriction. read my latest post. Now i work in a LTC facility and am going back to school to get my RN. Dont give up. I didnt.

had the most awesome experience at work. I work in LTC, had a patient that does not have the ability to put a sentence together. he stopped me and an aide in the hallway and announced he would like to pray. and he did. he prayed clear as a bell for over 5 minutes straight. praying for the holy spirit to come, praying for our safety as nurses, praying for the love and comfort of Jesus, the precious blood of Jesus, on and on he went. Then after that he went back to shuffling along not saying anything but a random word or two. His health declined over the last few weeks and he had his celestial departure couple days ago. I will never forget that patient. Its amazing what God reveals to us.

$22.50 /hr. Northern Az. LTC.

I signed a consent agreement in June of 2008 and got off probation last week, Jan of 2012. I did a vountary surrender in 2003 because I could not stop using meth. The Bon gave me 2 options; They were going to take my license from me and never get it back or I could do a voluntary surrender for 5 years, go get treatment then try for reinstatement. So thats what i did, jumped in head first to treatment, meetings, sponsorship. I applied for reinstatement after 5 years and they gave it to me but with hefty restrictions. The 6 month narcotic restriction was the worse because of employment limitations. The direct supervision from an RN was also a tough one too for employment. I ended up working at a school in the nurses office for minimum wage. Having to pay for the u/a's month after month was costly, not to mention the cost of the evaluation from an Addictionologist and a relapse-prevention specialist. I ***** and moan about all this but the truth of it all is you cannot put a price on freedom from active addiction. and thats what I got! not to mention all the wonderful people who have helped me along the way and the "second-chance givers" - nursing supervisors who had a little faith in me and hired me! So today when I checked my mail at the post office, Ii pulled out the letter that said from the State Board of Nursing, with my hands shaking I ripped it open...the first word i saw was CONGRATULATIONS...the breath left my lungs, my knees buckled and tears of joy poured down my face! Once again, another victory for an addict who had no hope and would have never dreamed this day come true. If you are out there and have just signed a consent agreement, dont give up! become humble, get into acceptance and get with you HP! doors WILL open for you

wow. first of all, let me give you a great big hug! I can relate to what your are saying in a lot of ways. the 6 month narc restriction is a doozey, i went through that too. and i get that this basically means is you have no more livelyhood to support yourself, because who wants to hire a nurse that cant pass meds. I ended up taking a job that didnt have controlled substances (school nurse) and took a huge cut in pay. I never had considered not being honest about my nursing license probation to many prospective employers, because by the time I started looking for work I had enough 12 step work in me to become entirley honest and just try to do the next right thing. I also know that Boards of Nursing are tough, i'm not sure if one is tougher that any other. I have Az. and I think they are tough! Just keep in mind they are there to protect the public, thats what helped me! I had huge resentment towards my Board of Nursing and actually did some step work around it, now I'm alot more clear and humble in this process. I'm getting ready to step down to "on-site" supervison from an RN, and I do have my key privilages back, so there is hope for you too. I've been on probation for 5 years now, and I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just keep going to meetings, turn stuff over to your HP and try to do the next right thing-you will know! God Bless.

From my experience, the application packet that I recieved from them (OIG) was self-explanitory. It was relatively simple. None of my previous employers were contacted and as far as a "clean" license...my license was in probationary status when I applied to be removed from the list. Only send in infomation that is requested of you. When I contacted the person who I was in correspondance with at the OIG,on the telephone, she was very helpful and the process of being removed from this exclusion list was alot easier than I thought. I hope this helps.

You bet, it is a long tough road but well worth it if you do have that burning desire like I did to not give up. Sure, there will be plenty of hoops to jump through and your patience will be tested. I hit my bottom in 2003, did a voluntary surrender and did exactly what my BON told me to do...get recovery, treatment, ect... and re-apply in 5 years. I did exactly that. 28 day treatment, 12 step meetings, sponsorship, service work. changed my playmates and playgrounds. Started a little landscaping business (which grew immensely and became very profitable) - but i never lost sight of my desire to be a nurse. 5 years later, the day came to request reinstatement, 2008 - UG..talk about hoops..U/A's twice a month for two years, relapse prevention classes, addictionologist reviews, LPN refresher class and practicum, 6 month narcotics restriction, On-site RN supervision...I do have my LPN license back now, 2011, It still is on probation and I am in my last year of meeting all the requirments that my consent agreement requires. I am employed now as an LPN, not my dream job, but thats okay for now. I go to work everyday with a good attitude and do the best I can. I hope my scenario does not keep you from moving foward with your situation. It is a struggle at best! But I am proof that a nurse in the throes of addiction who had crashed and burned can rise up and get that hopeful second chance. Its there for you too! My best advice for you now is to focus on your recovery and consider the next 5 years an investment in becoming the best person that you are, and everything else that you truly desire in life will follow.

"You will never be bored. you will always be frustrated. You will be surrounded by challenges. so much to do in so little time.You will carry immense responsibility and very little authority. you will step into peoples lives and you will make a difference. Some will bless you, some will curse you. You will see people at their worst and at thier best. You will never cease to be amazed at people's capacity for love, courage, and endurance. You will see life begin and end. You will experience resoundeing triumphs and devastating failures. You will cry alot. You will laugh alot. You will know what it means to be human and to be humane." - melody chenevert. Does that help?

wow. train wreck waiting to happen! yikes. First thing i thought of yah mind your own business, and let the cards fall how they will on the fellow who isnt being honest about the terms and conditions of the his diversion program. Second thing I thought of is how the heck did he get hired without disclosing the terms and not reporting every 3 months? I'm thinking automatic revocation. I'm here to tell you that it is tough tough tough to get a job with the narcotic restriction but I did it and made it through. regarding being honest and being in recovery, that works itself out by default. I've never heard of a "peer program" being confidential. One of the the reasons these programs exsist is to protect the public. My personal feelings on this is I would keep my side of the street clean and mind my own business, but definaltely report if you bear eye witness to this nurse diverting.

not sure if this will help, but I recently was interviewed for an LPN position and I was asked a scenario question - would would you do if a patient on your hall had neither any intake or output on your shift? wow - i thought - the relm of possiblities - The answer to the question was call the family member and the doctor. In my mind - i thought what the heck - go find the aide and figure out whats going on. But in reality aide or no aide, you as the nurse are responsible for the patients on your hall.

tru that mizchelleRn...keep plugging along. that coupled with humility is key for us recovering nurses who are dealing with restrictions, shady backgrounds,ect...I was on a 1 1/2 year job search, (became real good at interviewing) and finally landed a job at a private boarding school working for 1/2 of reg. nurses wages (humility) I am 3 weeks away from 6 month narcotic restriction to be lifted and got another 9 monthes to go on licensure probation. so i am better than 1/2 way throgh my 3 year contract with my BON. I still have random U/A's twice monthly and have to attend 3 12-step meetings weekly. But all these problems are luxury problems compared to being in the throes of active addiction. so all those who are struggleing with a job search and all the hoops asked of you to jump through...just keep plugging along...the "promises" will come true for you, just as they are for me.

I'm with SWS RN on this OIG list removal. it was relatively painless, took about two monthes, I advocated myself. I got the packet in the mail and contacted their office on the phone. They were very helpful. Got an official letter in the mail stating I was off the list. I will not deny that i was mortified when i learned I was on this list. I couldnt figure out how they (the OIG people) No.1 - found out i was an addict who had to surrender her license to get recovery and No.2 when did I ever fraudulently abuse medicare privilages? i thought...what the heck...thats a huge jump from being reprimanded by a state board of nursing to being accused of commiting a crime against medicare. The good news is once i realize i dont have to try and figure everything out and just take care of my part, things fall right into place. its a beautiful thing. recovery has done wonders for this grateful nurse!

the 4th tradition is a beauty..."each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting "whatever" A (NA, AA) as a whole. I live in a rural town where there are not nurse recovery groups available, ony AA and NA. I go to both fellowships and have found nurses in each. we tend to cling to eachother and share our experience, strength and hope. you can start your own group, call it whatever you want, and be completely autonomous. as long as you dont affect other groups.

i took a 6 month long distance learning nurse refresher class via internet through a community college, then did a 3 week clinical practicum to refresh my skills. It worked out very well for me. at the end of the course i had to take a lengthy multiple choice test and a nursing math exam, similar to the type you take prior to entering nursing school. I failed the first time on the math but was given the option to retake it, in which I passed the second time. as far as the clinical site, you have to go out and find somewhere that will take students and speak with the D.O.N. Once I secured that site, I had to meet certain requirments - get a T.B., physical exam, ect...I had a wonderful clinical experience, was so happy that I didnt loose my nursing skills after being away from it for over 6 years...it was just like riding a bike again...injections, starting foleys, care plans, ect...the best part is when i got my completion of refresher course letter in the mail, then just two days later...lo and behold...there was my nursing license in the mail. i will never forget that day!...I stood there in the post office, carefully opened the envelope from the state board of nursing, saw my license and dropped to my knees while tears of joy just ran down my face. ...thats my experience for Nurse refresher...good luck to you!

wow. have you ever considered going into criminal justice studies? sounds like you would make a great legal nurse! you certainly got the flame underneath your **** to do it! i know your last post is close to a year old, so maybe your situation has changed... how is your job search coming? I'm in the process now of job searching and i have a background history as well. The first perspective employer who ran my background had a copy of the report mailed to me. that started the ball rolling what I needed to do get the history straightened out. glad I did. My job search has been ongoing since last Feb. i'm not giving up, someone will take me. i hope you have found something. post a response to let me know, so that glimmer of hope will stay lit for me!

OMG...47lpn...you are my clone!!! I am going through what you are exactly, and I mean to the T! I feel as if I'm like Alice in Wonderland who had fell down this huge job search hole only to find strange and tricky people at every corner! I went on a job interview last week in which i had the interviewing nurse gave me a hug before the interview and after. I've never gotten hugs before, only hand shakes. I did tell her just a little bit of my past and my current recovery situation, so I'm thinking maybe she has gone the same path as me. and i thought for sure i would get a call back to be hired, but havent heard anything. and as you, I remember the feeling when I got my newly reinstated license in the mail...I was so elated, I was walking on clouds. That was a year and 4 monthes ago. Ive been on the job search ever since. My support group and other nurses are telling me dont give up, something will turn up. But day by day I am wilting, comfort eating, staring out the window for hours at a time just sitting. Ive re-written my resume a couple times, written cover letters, bought very expensive "interviewing clothes". I will be attending a nursing and health care career expo in pheonix on monday so maybe something will turn up there. Let me know if you do secure a job, so I can find out what you said and how you did it, and I'll do the same for you!

wow, you sound like you have my same level of anxiety about calling for your urine color every day. this is what i do...before I go to bed I set my cell phone on kitchen counter under calander to prompt me to call, and if that fails, i have the alarm on my cell phone set to go off at 9:00 M-F, and if that fails, when i walk out the front door to work every day I look at the damn stciky note I have on my front door that says "call for pee". As soon as i do call I write the color down on my calander for that day, so I can assure myself i called. And i feel the same way you do about going to get professional help. because once I enter into professional counseling during the duration of my probation I have to inform the BON, which to me ( I think) will put up a red flag for them to think i'm having a hard time with recovery and the likes. No ********, it is hard, not so much recovery, but just life on life's terms. But we will get by! I'm a year and half into my three year probation. doing this by puttin one foot in front of the other. i have conscious contact with my HP, call my sponsor daily, work the steps, go to meetings, be of service to others (this helps me get out of my own crap) and now i think I'm just rambeling...just want you to know I'm right there with ya in your anxiety!

wow, this article really hit home for me. i wish...could of only wished someone would of caught me in nursing school and smacked me down. would of prevented so much grief later on. But ya know what they say...each one has to go thier own path. Like the article said, some of us were very academically prepared, which i was. caught up to me later in my nursing career and crashed burned hard. Just now coming out the other side of treatment, recovery, reinstatement, and got a whole lot of gratitude...that i made it.