chances-r

A happy meow catmom. To erem - PLEASE understand, speaking for myself and most of us here ; we feel your pain. I just don't want to sugarcoat the pile of poop. Everyones situation is a little different- some worse than others. What you need to know is the BON does not differentiate between anyone who is referred - thats where a good lawyer can be of assistance. If you are legally working now, save every penny because you are going to have many hardships and finances can sink the ship. I had a 2 year contract with IPN , but am barely able to put gas in my car. Bankrupt - facing foreclosure. BUT ! You Can Do It !!!!!!!! Some IPN participants have horror stories, I have nothing but kind words for them. My case manager has been incredible..... Have faith in yourself and keep moving forward. Fight the good fight !!!!!

erem , I'm reading your post and there are some huge issues that I don't understand. If you were arrested and the BON was notified, your license should have been suspended immediately. You must have plead guilty to something if they gave 4 months probation. Dropped charges ?? I'm not trying to scare you but BON doesn't give a hoot how "eager" you are to continue working as a nurse , they have listened to thousands of explanations. Being referred to IPN is just the start of a very long, expensive and difficult path. I'm also bothered that you seem to have forgotten why you are in this situation. "I made a mistake and was diverting drugs" sounds a lot better than " I got caught stealing drugs from work". Please don't get me wrong : I wish you the best. Please stay with your recovery program. One more thing **** Hire a lawyer !

Yow ! Luvche .... I feel like sticking a pencil in my eye. I'm truly sorry ....... you post looking for help and I give you a hard time. If you will forgive me for being an ass - let's try this again. I found a site called Oodle - it has all kinds of stuff but go to the Jobs link . Click on Healthcare and then your city or zipcode. You can tweak it for Registered Nurse to eliminate other healthcare jobs. You can adjust the listings by date posted and distance. Where I live they had 100's of jobs. Another web-search is called Indeed. Also try juju.com lots of nursing jobs. With Monster.com they want your resume - I don't want my information all over the web so I don't go there. Hope this helps .... gotta go to my meeting but might have more tips.

To luvche, I see there are no posts for you. Do we not care ?? Nope. Lets get real, bring in the 500 lb gorilla...... Your uncle is a DON and knows people on the board = BFD. Everyone here has been sucking the bottom of the drain for years. We are bankrupt, foreclosed,humiliated, innocent or guilty. The only thing we all have in common is faith in our sobriety and destination. I don't have an uncle to help me, I can't work for an agency. And HINT/HINT - if you don't want "peer" to think you are getting away with anything : DO WHAT YOUR CONTRACT TELLS YOU TO DO. It's simple, you might not like where you are at but you have have a chance to prove yourself. If you want a job go get one. I did. You are a nurse with integrity and dignity?Fight for yourself- but don't ever expect anyone to give you a free pass. How long did you work for your license ? Keep working.

To Cherybaby : I sincerely apologize if my post offended you in any way. My intention was to inform and I feel like I dropped the ball. I have no involvement with the BON and should have not made assumptions . As for IPN :they have been very nice and always shown me concern and respect. I am blessed and absolutely love my new job. But I will never forget the 74 applications , the 11 interviews and being told by one Human (?) Resource manager "we don't hire people like you". Anyone who is in IPN needs realize that the next IPN person will be judged from our behavior .

With all respect to Cherybaby ,I feel her suggestion to "Contact your State Board for advice on this" could be a huge mistake. The State Board will most likely take this inquiry and mandate evaluations , outpatient treatment and place her under monitoring. I am under IPN contract and had to get a doctors note to take a benadryl. The BON is not a warm and fuzzy place. There is plenty of information and help to be found elsewhere.

VM85 , I am replying with your entire message quoted so I can address the many topics you have brought up. These are my own opinions and I hope some others will also express their thoughts. Let me start off by saying if you believe you have something to worry about ; you DO have something to worry about. Pre-Employment drug screens are serious business. If you are positive for any drug that you do not have a prescription for , you might be facing horrendous consequences.When you sign a consent to be tested you give away all rights. I do agree that it is none of anyone business if your doctor has given you medication and you are being monitored. But many meds are abused and thus put up a red flag even when prescribed. If you are on a narcotic , you should taper down and stop completely. Realistically, no nurse should be on narcotics while involved with patient care. If you are taking xanex , it will be quite a while before they are out of your system. Go to an independent lab and have yourself tested before applying for a job and getting screened. Please don't think I am encouraging anyone to deceive their employer or condoning drug use. But the facts are brutal : a positive screen will be the beginning of years of emotional and financial hardship, and possibly end any chance to work as a nurse.The system does not allow for any deviation and does not differentiate between use and abuse. You sound as if you might have the beginnings of a drug problem. Nursing is not a place to be impaired. Take care of whatever your issues might be and then the road and your mind will be clear. Good Luck ...

To Need Feedback : I agree with Magsulfate : if you are deaing with a recruiter DO NOT divulge . As for HR : when you are interviewing you will get "a feel" if it is the right time to tell . You might ask around to see if the hospital is friendly to nurses in recovery. If not don't waste your time ; they will come up with an excuse not to hire . I learned the hard way how to approach the subject , but you have come this far and there is a job out there for you !!! After many interviews this is what I feel landed me my upcoming job : Do your homework and make them want you as an employee. At first I would tell them I was in a recovery program and got negative results or promises but no call backs . I changed my presentation : Along with all the necessary documents ; ID , SS card , nursing license , ACLS etc ... I brought an envelope with my recovery contract and a letter that stated - This CONFIDENTIAL letter is to inform you as a prospective employer that I am a participant in a recovery program. My case manager is ******* and her phone number is ********** my facilitator is ****** and you may call her at ******** .If you have any questions please call the above numbers. I did this when it seemed I was being seriously considered for the position = not as part of an "initial interview". I found this was very well received and taken as a sign of honesty and openness. Please remember the economy and other factors make finding a job hard these days. We have an even higher bar to jump over . Do not give up ! Keep your faith and your word . You are a nurse and you can make a difference !!!!!

To anyone "Feeling Hopeless" trying for a job at this time I have some comments and a few suggestions . I am a RN with 17 years experience in the operating room . Before that I was a Nationally Certified Surgical Tech for 4 years . For the past 11 years years I did local agency work and was sent to almost every hospital within 50 miles of where I live . I took 8 months off to take care of a family member and decided to seek a permanent position in December of 2008 . In the past 4 months I have applied for at least 40 jobs. I have had 6 interviews . My past history is excellent and my references are top notch . The problems that we are facing as either a new grad or an experienced nurse are both symptoms and evidence of the breakdown in healthcare in this country . From the application process using the internet , to the generic "Thanks For Applying" emails , the whole system of hiring nurses has become just another tool used by most hospitals to cut cost . The fact is that individual hospitals are a rarity , most regions are controlled by one or two "healthcare systems". In my area HCA , Baptist Health and Tenet control 80% of the hospitals . The goal is profit and Human Resources is the first line in their defense of the almighty dollar. BUT !!!! Do Not Give Up !!!!! You have attained a valuable skill and will find success eventually .The suggestions that you should apply at LTC or Dialysis are fine if that is what you want to do. But if you want to learn and be involved with all aspects of nursing I would recommend applying at university or teaching hospitals . Some suggestions : if you do get called in for an interview : Do your research , know what the facility is looking for . You need to sell yourself , make them think that you will be an asset . Ask questions ! Why are they hiring ? What is the most important quality they are looking for ? SELL YOURSELF !!!!!! You can accomplish great things ! You are a nurse !!!!!!!!