cantoo

The BON will not take a report without proof from a credible source. If they did, they wouldn't have the time to do anything but investigate claims of drug use. Think about it. If they did, then any nurse that's vindictive could report someone they didn't like and the system would go haywire. Proof to the BON would be a positive drug screen, or a facilities conclusion after an investigation for missing narcotics, ect. If the OP tried to report this it would be considered hearsay. I say just tell this chick that it's disturbing to you and you don't want to know. Now, if she comes to work high....on whatever...that's a different story and you have a legal obligation to report it to your supervisor so the proper steps can be taken to get this person some help and keep the public safe.

francescafree, I would humbly suggest that you focus on yourself and stop worrying about your friends and their problems. Yes, it's wrong for your friends of many years to abandon you at this time and especially cruel for your friend to expect you to pay her back the money you owe her at this low time in your life. But....you DO owe her the money, right? Focus on yourself and your part in the problem and make ammends where you can. You have made your bed so to speak. You can't control anyone but yourself and dwelling on the short-commings of your lost friends won't help you to right what's wrong with YOU. I remember when I got the ok to return to nursing. I showed up at a facility dressed for success and ready to go to work. I had a wonderful interview....until I announced that I was in IPN and a recovering nurse. I was shown the door. I went out to my car where my dear husband was waiting for me and I promptly fell apart. I wailed and hollered about how wrong it all was and how nasty that DON was. He just looked at me and said "What did you expect? You've made your bed, now lie in it". It was a hard lesson. Hold your head high francescafree. You are now clean and sober and your slate is erased. Go forward. If those people don't want be friends any longer, then find new friends. It sounds as though they wouldn't be good friends anyhow. One has a weed habit and the other one is diverting percocet. Not a good idea to hang around with them. Surround yourself with like-minded free and clean folks that won't get you into trouble. Folks that will support your decision to have a better life. Let the past go. This is my advice...for what it's worth.

For those of you who say they have zero tolerance for recovering nurses I have this to say. Be careful. I was once just like you with the same closed minded attitude. And then a tragedy happened to me and I found myself not being able to cope. In part because of my closed minded holier than Thou attitude. Funny how life occasionally humbles us! As I've shared on this board before, I am a recovering addict. When I returned to work, it was with a narcotic key restriction. Other nurses had to pass my narcs for me so it was useless to try and maintain any form of anonymity. This was a good thing. I was forced to be totally open and honest concerning my addiction. I found the nurses that I worked with to be amazingly supportive. They even went so far as to offer me support and help me to deal with situations I found to be uncomfortable. Even after all these years I'm still open about my addiction at work. I no longer have a key restriction and I could be discreet about my past if I chose to, but I find that my past experiences have helped me to be a better nurse and my honesty has helped those around me to seek help for their own afflictions....whether it be drug addiction or spousal abuse or whatever. I have not been judged harshly by my peers or my subordinates. They seem to be comfortable confiding in me. It has made me a better manager. To have come out the other side a better person is a message I try to spread to those that are dealing with conflict...whatever that conflict may be. We ALL have something in our past. ALL of us. It is how we deal with it and learn from it that makes us who we are. If we decided that anyone with a past could never be a nurse again, we wouldn't have very many nurses. I would also suggest that it is not the nurses who are in peer assistance programs that one needs to be wary of, but rather the ones who are still using and hiding their addictions. By the time a nurse shows signs and symptoms of drug addiction or impairment at work, he/she has probably already been using and/or diverting for some time. Diverting is not difficult. It happens every day on any given floor in any facilityl. I was never caught. My peers never reported me and my nurse manager had no clue....yet I was shooting up 200mgs of morhine every 6 hours!!! Drug addiction among nurses is a reality. It is something that all nurses need to learn about. It could happen to anyone. Nurses can and do recover with the right support. Some of us use this to learn and grow and to be better nurses...better people.

Well, I'll be! I read the book and being a recovering addict some of it did ring a little hinkey. Like the part about the dental work with no novacaine. I've never heard of that before....one doesn't get high on novacaine and I don't think it would ever be witheld from an addict. I guess I'm a bit gullable....LOL. Now I'll have to get the sequel only because I'm nosey!

Tweety, 80% of the nurses in Florida's IPN successfully complete the program....due in part to caring IPN facilitators. Tell your spouse that he is a God-send to those of us in need and we appreciate his help. The job pays little, but the help these folks give is tremendous.

I saw that author on Oprah and he presented himself as having actually lived through the experiences he wrote about. It was compelling. Are you saying that he lied? I'd be interested in a link to this subject if you know of one.

I also work for a corporation that's unrealistic. I recently went to a meeting with the big wigs where one idiot suggested that my nurses should be doing skin sweeps every day for at least a week on any new admission. Her reasoning is that boggy heels on recent hospital stays don't show up for several days. This may be true, but try taking care of 20 plus patients and doing skin sweeps every day for a week. Geeze, I'm lucky if they do the first skin sweep!! Our admit packets are way too long, redundant and plain silly. I'm expecting state in our building any day now. Although I was the ADNS at this facility for several years, this will be my first state inspection as the DNS and I have to tell ya, I'm a bit nervous. Our quality monitor was there on Thursday and she didn't have too many concerns.....but then she wasn't looking too hard! Wish me luck!

I am the DNS of a 120 bed facility....all of about one week now! I was the ADNS for several years, though, so I basically know the job , the staff and the residents. I feel pretty comfortable so far....I have a great team and I work for a wonderful administrator that supports me. But, I'm nervous. The responsibility of it all is tremendous. I'm used to getting called at all hours and the long work weeks, but I always had the DNS to look to for advice. Boy, do I miss her! She was a wonderful DNS and she taught me so much.The job can be pretty overwhelming, but I think it's worth it. As long as you have a strong work ethic, an even stronger back bone, a good bit of compassion and a huge amount of dedication, you will succed. I say Go For It! LTC is a challenge. Either you love it or you don't. If you find that you don't, you have a strong background to fall back on. You will never know if you don't try. And we need good nurses with good experience.!! I wish you much luck and please let us know how it works out.

I am currently in a program for nurse addicts and I would like to give you a little bit of advice. GET AN ATTORNY.....NOW!!! I personally know several nurses who have made the mistake that you discribe and have had their lives turned up-side down because of it. It happens. Many nurses end up in dicipline because of documentation problems. Peer assistance programs can be a life saver for nurses who genuinely have a drug or alcohol problem, but many end up there simply because of documentation errors or sloppy charting....no joke. If that really is all that happened, and I believe it could have been, then you need to get some legal representation. I am one of those that was genuinely addicted to opiates and I needed help. I turned myself in and am still, after almost five years, being monitored. For me, it was a life saver and I'm grateful to still be alive and able to practice nursing. The restrictions placed on nurses in these programs are numerous and it can be daunting at times. I needed those restrictions. No doubt about it. But for someone who is not an addict and simply winds up in a monitoring program due to documentation errors, it can be a living nightmare. Unfortunately, you are now in the position of having to prove to the board that you are not an addict and it was simply an error. You have a long road to hoe and you will need an attorny to guide you through this process. I wish you much luck. Please keep posting.

I don't know for sure, but I think the answer would be "yes". It makes a difference. The person I spoke to on the phone that day I called simply gave me the number to my states assistance program and didn't even take my name....not that I offered it! I am still in a monitoring program and will be done in just a few months after five long years. I am anonymous to my state board.:chair:

Gianna, I posted a reply to you on another thread. I forgot to add that many state attornies will defer charges pending successful completion of a nurse peer assistance program with the understanding that if you screw up, you will then have to face the full charges. It helps also to jump right in and check yourself into rehab to show the state that you are already taking responsibility. Don't know if this helps, but I hope so. If you read my other reply, you already know I'm in your corner and I will be praying for you!!.............Cantoo

Gianna, I am a recovering nurse addict. When I read your post, I wanted to just cry. I will tell you my story in the hope that it can help you in some small way. I have been a nurse for many years. My background was in acute care. I had a tragedy in my life that left me desparate and depressed. My 17 y/o daughter was killed by a drunk driver. I tried to cope, but ended up leaving acute care. I then went into hospice nursing in an attempt to 'slow down' . Big mistake. I had never dealt with my grief. My patients would come to this in-patient facility with big brown bags from home full of all kinds of pain meds. Of coorifice, we were supposed to waste them, get orders from our facility doctor and new meds would be sent from the pharmacy. One day, instead of wasting, I took them home with me. The nurse that relieved me every evening was older and too full of trust. She would just sign the sheet and trust that I had indeed flushed them all down the toilet. I did not look like one would think a diverter to look....if that makes any sense! I went from stealing a few percocet to copping whole bags of PCA dilaudid and morphine in a matter of months. I used IV every few hours just to keep from going into withdrawal. It got ugly fast. One day I woke up on the floor with my husband sitting next me drinking a cup of coffee. He said he was "watching" me breathe. He had known for quite some time that I was addicted to opiates. We made the decision that morning to call the BON and self report. I quit my job that day as well. I was ashamed, embarrassed, degraded. I felt like killing myself. My husband stayed by my side for weeks while I sweat, rolled around on the floor and threw up everywhere. I was told by IPN that I couldn't work as a nurse for at least six months. We had to move. I had to sell my car. It would take pages to tell you of all the restrictions I had to adhere to. The main concern for me was learning to deal with my grief in the real world without drugs. It wasn't easy. That was almost five years ago. I am now back to nursing and doing well. I humbled myself and let go of that fast paced life and adrenalin based acute care mind set and went to work in a LTC faility. Other nurses had to pass my narcs for the first year. They all knew my story. I am now the Director of Nurses.....as of this week! The woman that hired me turned out to be a God send for me and never did she doubt my abilities. She taught me that just because a person is an addict that doesn't mean they can't be a good nurse with the right support. She is moving on to bigger and better things and I will miss her so much. We nurses are human beings. Sometimes we screw up. That doesn't mean we can't get back on track and be good nurses again. It can be done....not easy, but it can be done. If you love what you do, and from your post I believe you do, then you can go back to nursing. It may not be in the same capacity, but there is a place out there for you where you will be valued as the good nurse that you are. Gianna, I wish you much luck and please know that I will be rooting for you. We need good nurses and I believe you made a mistake, will learn from it and be an even better nurse because of it. My prayers are with you!!!!!! Cantoo....now we all know where that screen name comes from...LOL!!

Where I work we do indeed have CNA's that stay on the floor to toilet residents and answer call lights when needed. I believe it would be cruel to tell a resident they have to wait until everyone is done eating. Our bodies just aren't made that way. AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE NURSES HELPING OUT????? We are all busy, no doubt. But having to toilet takes priority. Leaving someone in a soiled brief will cause break-down lickety split. Not a good idea, besides the dignity issues involved. We have sinks, water and hand soap to take care of infection control.

I agree with kjaee. A unit manager is in charge of that unit 24 hours a day and the 3-11 and 11-7 supers work for the unit managers. At least it's that way where I work. The unit manager should make more money......SHOULD....LOL!! But you say you work in a nonunion,for-profit building and that's where the buck stops. You should go to your DNS and ask for a raise w/out mentioning the other person's salary. Your request should be based on YOUR good job performance and what YOU do to take good care of your residents and your staff. I can understand where you would feel slighted and hurt, but that's not a good reason for a raise....at least on in their book. Hope this helps and good luck to you!:)

In Florida, we also would never be allowed to use one of those beds. No way could we use wrist restraints or posey restraints. The protocol in our facility is for everyone to have a personal alarm for the first 72 hours after admit and then as needed. We mainly use personal alarms and motion censors. We tried the bed alarms for a while , but also ran into the problem of them alarming constantly and waking the dead. They also broke quite frequently. We have a falls meeting every morning after our management meeting where all the diciplines get together and decide the best coorifice of action for prevention for each resident that's at high risk. Anyone who has had a fall the day before is looked at by PT and/or OT for positioning, nursing for pain and incontinence, activities for boredom, ect. It's not perfect, but it helps.

CapeCodMermaid, I thought I was the only ADNS that worked in the kitchen...LOL!! I agree with you...not all facilities are the same. My DNS is at work by 8am and is usually there till 7 or 8pm...and I never leave her side. We work together on everything and we voice our complaints only to eachother. We are there on the weekends, nights....doesn't matter. And by the way, my phone never stops ringing. We have an open door policy and we are there no matter what the issue. I work the cart. I give baths, and yes, I even work in the kitchen if need be! I'm salaried and I work many, many hours of over-time without pay. I do it because I love my job, I love my boss, I love my co-workers, and mostly, I love my residents. The responsibility is enormous, but I have never been in a situation that my DNS couldn't help me deal with. OP, if you are unhappy with your job and you dislike your DNS, you can bet she knows it. That position requires complete and total loyalty to the DNS and administrator. As for the ADNS that left after 2 weeks w/out giving notice...could have been a problem with him/her and not the DNS....who's to know?? I wish you luck, but it sounds to me as though you have some issues you need to work on.....JMHO.

Chicklet2, you will NOT lose your skills in a long term care facility. In the facility I work in, we have mediports, PICC lines, PCA's, patients with HDY, TPN, wound vacs, trachs....you name it. In fact, you must learn excellent assessment skills as we don't have ready access to doctors like in a hospital where the crew comes running at any sign of trouble. Most LTC facilities also now have sub-acute units with very sick patients who should still be in a hospital. LTC can be very difficult and it takes a great nurse to be able to handle that many patients and still give good care...but it can be done. Learning time management skills will be essential to how well you do. And never, ever let anyone tell you you are "useless" as an LPN! These folks need good nurses. A degree does not a good nurse make!!! I have met LPN's that could run rings around an RN! Your value is in the good job that you do...not the letters behind your name! I wish you much luck and I hope you learn to love LTC. It can be so rewarding and we are in such need of good nurses. Kel

I am an ADON in a long term care facility. The above posters comments are excellent! I worked nights for a long time. I never had a problem with my CNA's. I think if you treat them with respect, they will be just fine. They are adults and professionals. Never talk down to them. They are the back-bone of the facility and they work so very hard. It also helps when they know that you will pitch in when you can and will never ask them to do anything you wouldn't do. As for working nights, it helped me to maintain a night schedule even on my days off. I nearly went crazy trying to revert back to a day schedule on my days off. At the time I had little ones, so I would come home, put them on the bus and sleep while they were in school. I got a pager and gave that number to their teachers for emergencies so I could turn the phone off and wouldn't be worried that the school couldn't reach me. Then I had all evening to spend with them doing homework or whatever. I'm so glad you chose long term care. It seems as though the government has just thrown away our elderly population. The funding for these wonderful people is pathetic and many times they don't even have family that cares. It takes some creative thinking to even get these folks the clothes and shoes they need....let alone the meds and such. Medicare sucks! It's always an up-hill battle and it can wear on a nurses reserve. It's not an easy job. You will need to have good assessment skills...many can't tell you what's wrong or where it hurts and you can't always count on having a doctor at the ready. Most LTC's now have sub-acute units as well. These folks can be down right sick and most should still be in a hospital. The old thinking that nurses in LTC just pass out pills all day is gone! In my LTC, we have patients with mediports, PICC lines, PCA's, IV pushes....you name it. I wish you luck and I know you will do just fine! Just give it time and don't give up!! We need good nurses!!::

I'm a manager in a large LTC and I manage on average 30 to 40 CNA's on any given day. Sounds to me like this CNA is having some personal problems. The best approach may be to pull her aside and try to find out what's going on. There's no excuse for cursing or insubordination, but often there can be a way to "re-direct". Give her specific goals in changing her behavior that you both can live with and monitor her progress. Do you have a "coaching" plan where you work? One that sets specific guidlines? If not, you need to get with management and impliment one. Like the previous poster stated, you all need to be on the same page and you all need to be consistent. It sounds as though management has set you up for these problems with their inaction. There are times when sending someone home is the only coorifice of action you can take, but most situations can be handled if you have a good policy in place. It helps if your plan is geared towards self improvement instead of punitive dicipline. Hope this helps. Cantoo

Hi, Sleepless. I just wanted to give a word of encouragement. I am also in a peer assistance program for drug addiction in the state of Florida. I've got three years in the program this August. Our program is five years and has been a life saver for me. I became addicted to morphine after the death of my 17 year old daughter to a drunk driver. I turned myself in after waking up on the floor one morning and not knowing how I got there. Meeting all the requirements that are put on you isn't easy. The time and money involved can be daunting, but it's doable. After a while it gets to be second nature and just another part of life.....at least for me. Yeah, I resent having to pay that $35.00 every time I have to drop a UDS, but I always feel like a million bucks when I leave the lab knowing I'm clean. Like you, I was a critical care nurse for many years before this hit me. I ended up in LTC, thinking I was at the bottom of the barrel. Now I love it. Fortunately, I turned myself in before I was ever busted....it was just a matter of time....so my name is not on the OIG list. I think someone already posted the addy to the site to petition to get your name off the list. Several of the nurses in my group have done this and been successful. As you know, it is a federal list and will follow you where ever you go. I'm not sure about your nursing license and if that will hinder you in another state. I know in Florida, one must report any sanctions or restrictions from another state when applying for a license here. If I'm correct, Oklahoma will have already reported you to all other states....not sure. I think your best bet would be to first apply to have your name lifted from the OIG list and go from there. That list has screwed a lot of good nurses. Most of all, Sleepless, I want to tell you to hold your head high. You have done everything you can to get yourself well and you deserve a second chance. Unfortunately, a lot of nurses are still in the dark ages when it comes to addiction. Those of us that have been there and done that understand. You sound like a good nurse with a good work experience and I, for one, am pulling for you. Keep us posted! :)

I started out as an Army medic, then CNA, then ADN, then BSN. I can't tell you how valuable that CNA training was and still is for me. When I worked in critical care, we didn't have CNA's or techs on the units....it was all total care. I am now A DON in a 120 bed LTC facility and I still give baths, change briefs and feed patients. I get so much respect from my CNA's because they know I've been there, done that and am still doing it. One thing I can't tolerate is a nurse who won't answer call lights or take a resident to the bathroom because "that's the CNA's job". Yes, some of these things are taught in LPN school, but to truley have a good understanding of what is asked of a CNA or tech, one must...at least occasionally....do the job. JMO! Good luck in your schooling. :)

I am the DNS of a 120 bed LTC facility. I can tell you that not all facilities are like this. I can also tell you that good, moral character has nothing to do with education levels or socio-economic levels. One of my very best CNA's spent several years in prison for writing bad checks. She never graduated from high school and can barely read and write. She smokes like a chimney, is covered in jail-house tats and is missing a couple teeth. She is one of the most loving, caring people I know. She takes excellent care of her residents and anticipates their every need. She works like a horse and her residents love her. She is very grateful for her job and has made ammends for her past. She's currently enrolled in a reading program at the local library so she can read to her grandchildren. I don't think the bad CNA's you are describing are that way because they are poor or uneducated. Please re-think that stance. They are that way because of bad moral character and their poor care and abusive behavior should not be tolerated. Period. And the behavior you have described is indeed abusive. It should be reported to the abuse hot-line immediately. Shame on your DNS for not doing so! Nitengale326 advises you to seek employment elsewhere. With this I would agree. But when you interview, do NOT mention the problems you have had at this particular facility. I feel like that would be a mistake on your part. You may certainly exspound on your good CNA qualities and reasons as to why you think you would make a good employee, but to go into any detail as to why you left your previous employer will only send up red flags for your interviewer. I am only speaking from my experience....and I interview potential employees on a daily basis. I'm not saying that your complaints are not valid. But I am telling you that as a DNS, I would not want to hear during the interviewing process about any problems you have had with a past employer. If at a later time you feel comfortable discussing this, then that's fine. Just don't do it during an interview. I would guess that this facility has a bad reputation and others already know about it. To simply say that you are seeking a better work environment will suffice and leave it at that. Just my opinion. You sound like a very caring and consciensious person. I have no doubt that you will be able to get another job without delay. There are numerous facilities that offer tuition reembersment. If all else fails, can you apply for a grant or a student loan? It's not worth your sanity, let alone your safety, to stay where you are. GET OUT NOW!!!! Good luck to you....but I doubt you are going to need it. You are a good person and a good CNA and that will carry you through to a better place.

1984. Fresh out of school. First day on the job. Report for duty and I am handed a tube of lady partsl cream and told it is for pt. So and So in room number such and such. I go in to the room and approach the pt. I explain why I'm there. She protests, saying she has no lady partsl problems. I just assume this pt. is comfused since she's 150 years old, and give the med. Yep. Wrong pt. The poor little gal was allergic to the cream and her poor little lady parts swelled up like a colliflower. :imbar Couldn't sit down for a week. I felt horrible. Of coorifice, the nurse that handed me the med denied giving me the wrong name and room number, but it didn't matter anyhow. It was ultimately my mistake for not double checking. Never again. Every once in a while I still run into a nurse that worked on that floor all those years ago, and she never fails to remind me of that incident. We laugh about it now, but it sure taught me a valuable lesson.

I worked nights for many years. The only way I could do it was to maintain that night schedule even on my days off. When my kids were little, I slept while they were in school and got up when they got home. That way we still had the afternoons together. It worked pretty well for a long time. But, the older I got, it seemed like my body just couldn't handle it. I recently went to day shift thinking I was making a big mistake after so many years on nights.....I'm not a morning person! Low and behold, I felt infinately better after just a week or so. I had no idea that I felt so bad all the time. Parden the pun, but it was like night and day...lol. I still stay up pretty late on my days off, though. Old habits die hard. But now adays, Wal-mart is even open 24 hours. It's doable, but you have to have a routine and stick to it. That's what worked for me. I wish you luck!

I recently read, I forget where, that some hospitals are requiring an applicant to sign a form stating that any positive drug screen can be reported to the BON, thus taking care of any HIPAA laws. Where I work, all employees are drug tested on hire and then randomly there-after. Also upon any incident such as an injury or even a needle stick. So, if you slip and fall and have been using any time recently...you're screwed. In the state of Florida, according to the Nurse Practice Act, you must inform your supervisor of any drugs you are taking, perscription or not, that may affect your ability to safely care for patients, BEFORE taking a patient assignment. If there is an incident and you are drug tested, you can not then produce a script and expect it to be okay. Too late. Bottom line: DON'T USE!!!! The BON is not going to believe you when you tell them that this was your first time and you had a very bad headache. They've heard it all before. The consequinces are too great.