SWS RN

Read the post I just posted under the topic "RN diverson" in this same thread....I just spelled the entire program out for the IPN (Intervention Project for Nurses) for the state of Florida...but it is very similar to ISNAP for Indiana.

I am with Fl mom of 5...I also live in south Fl..job market here is extremely tight even if you don't have any sort of criminal history...maybe you should look for a more rural area where the market is not so flooded. Good luck.

Right, I just wanted to say, I thought going through this would be a nightmare....I did this in 8/2009...I sent away for the application packet and followed to a T. THe attorney at the OIG in wash DC was wonderful and I spoke to her every week. From start to finish it took about 6 weeks....maybe less...that was the easiest thing to accomplish....so good luck, just follow instructions.

I would like to comment on two points to you. The job market in South East Fl is pretty tight, especially if you are not very experienced, or not veryspecialized. It's very competitive here with an overabundance of nurses and there are nursing schools turning out new nurses faster than they can be employed. 12 years ago there were 2 nursing schools in my county, now there are 8. My other concern, and I may be wrong and just reading this incorrectly, but are you blaming the doctor for your being fired?....also, the circumstances sound rather vague, and if you need to disclose any information to a perspective employer, perhaps saying that this surgeon always has a complication and that he could care less is not in your best interest. I say this because this could really come back to haunt you. You need to examine your part in what happened to get you terminated and own it, then fix it so it does not happen again. Next, please do not say anything about this doctor around your previous hospital or co workers...you really could be sued for slander, and it could really turn into something ugly.

Just a suggestion/you should move this thread to "Nurses in RECOVERY" and that's the thread you need to check out

I have adressed this many times before, but once more with feeling...(and you can always go back and read old posts on this and other topics) I suppose it depends upon the area in which you live....but for the most part in one word, when compared to several years ago.......NO........there is no shortage of nurses. The Main reasons are as follows: 1 older nurses are not retiring 2 hospitals are cutting staffing and expanding patient/rn ratio 3 many many poor souls have been "fooled" into thinking that nursing is recession proof and are jumping into nursing school and finishing only to find it very difficult to find a job...especially as a new older grad...and for the above mentioned reasons...and 4 more and more nursing schools are opening because the small private ones in it to jump on this artificial nursing shortage bandwagon to make money and are flooding the market with these guys creating more competition for the few jobs available. It's becoming very difficult for the new grad to find a position here in South Fl. (As far as the school situation goes, 15 years ago, there were 2 nursing schools in the county in which I live...now there are 8...so you can do the math) oh, and another area that has taken away from nursing positions...are med techs...now the doctors offices almost exclusively hire techs or medical assistant to the jobs that nurses used to do. All of that being said, I certainly do not try to talk anyone out of going to nursing school IF THAT IS WHAT THEY REALLY WISH TO DO....but I have also heard many people over the years say they were going into nursing to "always have a job and ....ha ha...make lots of money (clearly they weren't already nurses)...well, what can I say? Good luck. Just keep your eyes open...and NO there is no nursing shortage..

I am in Florida, and it too is very specific and strict. If you are in a monitoring program, in this case the IPN, it is considered a complete abstinence contract....that includes alcohol (even if alcohol is not your DOC) and all prescribed medication such as benzo's and opiates. You may take them for emergencies if prescribed under a doctor's care, however, you CAN NOT practice again until you are off of them and have demonstrated clean uds. The Fl board does not allow the use of suboxone as well. I was prescribed Suboxone early on, and sorry I have to say, IT IS STILL A DRUG...a controlled drug....and one that has a terrific potiential for physical addiction. The withdrawal from that was FAR worse than the opiate w/d...(and yes, I did taper...it has a very long half life and it took 17 days of pure misery) I am of the camp that believes that as long as you are taking a controlled substance--you are not clean and sober. Sorry, but I have been there...and done that....now I am 2 1/2 years Drug free and it is totally GLORIOUS! I really can't believe how great I feel without all of that stuff in my system. (and I never thought I could do it) Luck to all

I have worked in many specialties over many years. ICU's ( adult, Picu, and Nicu) Tele, Step down, ER, Trauma, Hospice and I honestly feel that NICU is THE most HIGHLY specialized unit of them all (of course, the OR may be more specific) and I don't feel that it translates too well into the other specialties....you sure hone your IV skills....lol...but those little guys are just so very different from healthy newborns. especially the "micro preemies" and with the blazing advancements in technology there are more and more of those. When I left NICU in 2005 we had some 22 weekers in there. It was getting a little hard for me to take by then and I had to leave. I really LOVED PICU...and I felt that it translated to other specialties well. Children heal very quickly (much faster than adults) and it's so gratifying to watch. I truley saw many miracles in PICU days, too many to count. You might want to try PICU or PEDS..that would lead right into the public sector. GOOD LUCK

I don't have much time right now, so I have to make this brief....you CAN work as a nurse while on the OIG list...however, you can not work at any facility that qualifies for Gov't reimbursment, ie, medicare/medicaide...etc..which pretty much disqualifies all hospitals and long term care facilities.. I was on the OIG list and I have written at length on how I was able to remove myself from it w/o the use of an attorney or other help (I do not have anything against attornies--I just didn't have any money) If you will search my former posts you should be able to find the information that my help you. Good luck---feel free to PM s

WOW, How does Zoloft test + for serax? Does anyone know? I am on a fairly high dose of Zoloft...for about 6 months....it is the ONLY thing I take. So far no problems. Been tested every month--still clean...and it should be--after what I have been through. Any info would be appreciated, if a credible problem I will change meds, although I've tried All of the SSRI's and Zoloft works the best for me. s

Dear all... First things first...3.5 years of sobriety!!!!! That alone is a WONDERFUL feat. For what it's worth, I don't know what state you are in, but in June, I had to go before the BON in Florida. It was nerve wracking...but worked out ok. I was there for about six hours and heard everything you could think of...the good news was, many, many people who had been suspended got reinstated. I was not there to ask for reinstatement...it was another matter, closely related, and I was there to beg that they not take my license (over something that happened 9 years ago in another state)...they didn't...:) and I have to say, I did not at any time feel like they were looking down at me....I know that is hard to believe, but true. I was honest and earnest....and they were fair. SO, go ahead and appear...DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO FEEL ANY SHAME... it's over...you are WINNING....for 3 and 1/2 years. I think that they actually appreciate that . THe people who did not fair so well, were the one's with excuses and who tried to BS their way through it. The BON saw right through that. So....GOOD LUCK...let me know where you are and when you have to appear. GO for it, it will be ok. s

Right, here most of the time the Am people are at the Lab before 7am and try to test immediately, then go in to work, so they are a little late on those days. In Fl IPN program the test can not be rescheduled---if not done it is considered a postive test and that's considered relapse~and under NO circumstances can the urine be dropped off. In fact, one time when I couldn't produce enough at one time, they dumped what I did do, and I had to sit in the waiting room (for over 2 hours) until I could go. THey do not let you even go to your car or leave the building.

I worked for a weight loss clinic last year, we used HCG injections/Dr Simeon's Diet...this method has been around for years, It began in Europe, invented by Dr Simeon in Italy. It is gaining in popularity again. The plan we used is under an MD's care, diet and counseling...etc. Anywaiy, I lost 30 lbs in one month....I am not kidding. And the majority of our clients lost about 1 lb per day. I was responsible for all of the counseling and education of new patients, took the Health histories and did the initial exam before the consultation with the MD. I have kept the wt off now for 1 year and I eat anything within reason. The diet is restrictive, but I didn't find it too difficult. The premise is that the HCG does something metabolically and you lose that sensation of hunger on the 2nd day. You do have to follow it closely...but it DOES work. BTW the amt of HCG is minimal...not the doses used for infertility.

Again, did you take your "prerequisites" when you were 12?

Nor did I, again, one asks---why MAKE IT UP???? Do you understand why we are having a bit of trouble taking your post seriously?

I did read them before I posted...because I wanted to be accurate in this response. You stated in your screen profile age:25...this is not your Date of birth....that was in another profile. So, just to clear things up, exactly how old are you? BTW-I stopped practicing Dental Hygiene because my cervical vertabrae C4-6 are totally destroyed and have been since I practiced. I could no longer function--looking down all of the time. It is an OK profession....very tedious and very repetative.

I live in Palm Beach County...South Florida aka "the Gold Coast..."

....and yet you state that you are now 25...so therefore, if you started taking prerequisites in 1996--that would still have made you 11????? What's up with that? Based on what I have read in this thread, I think maybe you may want to take some time and reevalute your choice of careers. At least take a little time to mature. The healthcare field is not without humor--but it IS INTENSE and can be very manic and uptight . And please, if you learn one thing, it's HIPAA.....

I am not sure how your state handles this. I am in the Fl IPN--one of the guys in my weekly support group has a similar situation. He had 2 DUIs- both happened before he went to nursing school--the BON allowed him to sit for the NCLEX and he passed. His license was granted contingent upon reporting to the Florida IPN--so, he has a 2 year contract. THis is itself is not too bad. HE has no narcotic restrictions which is a plus, however, he has not been able to find a job in over 1 year...unfortunately, this is true for 8 of the 12 people in my group. THe job market is horrific now for everyone, even under the best of circumstances, adding the IPN has made it near impossible to find a nursing position. I would contact the PEER program for you state--hoping you have one--and ask them. You may also check out the threads for "nurses in recovery", if you haven't already done so.

We didn't have that option. Still, isn't it a little tight actually getting paid for 9 months of work? The school district is considering doing this--but I stopped in 2008.

Hey RDH--- I just wanted to say Hi...before I became an RN I was an RDH--licensed (are you ready for this--in 1975) Still licensed but haven't practiced in many years. Been a nurse for 18-- Much more interesting....just as gross.... Actually, nothing in Nursing (from vomit to suctioning to surgery to abscesses) is as gross as someone pulling their maxillary denture out and having their hard palate come along with it....along with the last year or so of everything they ate. NOt to mention, when I went to school and even when I started to practice we did not Glove!!!(before HIV) Can you say EEEEWWWWWWWWW............... IF you can do a prophy on a pt with ANUG--you will be fine with ANYTHING in nursing:uhoh3: Good luck, even though the job market is tight for nursing right now, you made the right choice. S

(i just have to get in the groove of things, and I have health problems like high testosterone levels, sleep apnea, depression, low cortisol, super high crp levels, porphyria, and hypertension, and i require a certain amt of sleep everyday. and like i stated earlier, the teacher had changed the schedule from what the catalog showed the hours would be. thanks for understanding though.) (don't we all? do we get it? NO) My goodness, I really am at a loss for words. While I can understand your frustration, this post and the original (where you complain about the traffic etc) sound to me like Excuses for not applying yourself and doing some hard work--not vents. THe health care field is not for the faint of heart...it is very hard work, grueling hours and can be a daily challange. If you can't hack the school, HOW on earth will you be able to work??? THe hours, call time, I just don't know. When I went to nursing school, I worked 3 days a week (as a Dental Hygienist), had an 8 year old daughter to care for, a house I had just bought, had just gone through a messy divorce and moved to a new town, and I had to take 19 credit hours...(and I also had several Drill sargent instructors along the way) and I also have health problems..Rheumatoid Arthritis ( I have had both knees and hips replaced) It wasn't easy, GOD knows, but I strapped on my "big girl" boots and did it. It flew by. It was also very good training for the "real world" of hospital work/health care. I would advise that you really take a long hard look at this and get honest with yourself. If it really is too much, fine, find something else you can do...you are very young. (I was 38 when I started nursing school) But don't blame everyone ( your instructor) and everything (like construction) for your unhappiness. Just sayin'

Not counting the pinching by the LOLs--then it would be a daily basis... I am talking about a very real threat-such as a weapon smuggled in, being told to "watch your a$$" and to "watch your car" , having to have security escort you out after a shift--and of course, the poor girl held hostage. I am not saying it is rampant...I am saying it exsists and is more common than what is reported. I have been an RN for 18 years. I have been threatened personally 3 times. NOthing happened, it was not pleasant. Had to call the police. However, during the time I worked at this hospital, the hostage incident took place, that was pretty big. Again, we had a police station in the ER...didn't really slow them down too much. So, not rampant but too common for comfort. Where in Fl did you work? I am sure area can play a big part in this--again, we got all of the traumas (GSWs) drug ODs, stabbings, drownings etc. We had one guy that walked in to Triage and took a seat....discovered in a few minutes that he had a 6 inch knife sticking out of his back--buried up to the hilt...oh well, at least he didn't complain about being in a hurry. Also had an event were 4 guys were playing cards at a square card table...they disagreed on the outcome of the game, I guess, because they SIMULTANEOUSLY all stood up, drew guns and proceeded to SHOOT each other across the table. All 4 were DOA.... Just another Saturday night.