huntercary

You know what...You are 100% right. I DO apologize for using the word "ignorant". It was a poor choice of words. I am sorry " loriangel". I have to explain that I became annoyed because I felt that your comment was showing that you aren't understanding my situation OR "the situation" that exists with Nurses who fall under the microscope of CNO if they openly admit to having suffered from Depression. In my case it was "I" who was the "ignorant" one (if you will ) , as I was of the misguided belief that because I worked with NURSES , then I could disclose my Depresson and experience with having had Depression to my NURSE colleagues and that THEY of ALL people would be less likely to judge , would be more compassionate & with their Nursing knowledge of health issues , would be the LAST group of people to "stigmatize" their kin/kind. BOY , was I wrong & have I paid dearly for it. I am just wanting to hear from other Nurses who have experienced what I have been experiencing with CNO. It is NOT my intent to engage in arguing , or the like. So ONCE AGAIN .....I apologize for calling "loriangel" ignorant. That was wrong.

ignorant" (definition)= To refer to someone as "ignorant" is not necessarily to insult. It is merely a fact that on certain subjects , especially when one is behaving like a "know-it-all" and they haven't had first hand experience and they are trying to tell a very experienced person who is in the throes of the experience , that they (as in "I") must be mistaken , ....well....that's IGNORANT.

[h=2]ig-no-rant[/h] /ˈɪgnərənt/ Show Spelled [ig-ner-uhnt] Show IPA adjective 1. lacking in knowledge or training; unlearned: an ignorant man. 2. lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact: ignorant of quantum physics. 3. uninformed; unaware. 4. due to or showing lack of knowledge or training: an ignorant statement

"ignorant" (definition)=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ignorant

This comment is in response to "loriangel" above in her Ignorant statement of "no ..that's NOT true...EAP...blah blah blah" Dear "loriangel" , my ignorant Sister in Nursing.....you know NOT of what you are speaking ! Trust me.....I am going through this "Fitness to Practicer" committee investigation currently and since Fall of 2008 for nothing more than having been open & honest to my "Nurse" colleagues & Administrators about being off work Spring of 2006...yep .....I said 2006 .. due to a major depressive illness which is & has been in remission since that time since I began taking Effexor XR. If you think you know .....you wouldn't believe what I and others just like me have been put through. You can't even imagine it !! I am here to tell you that it's like being Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz....cause when it happens to you ...well as much as you'll click those ruby slippers together while chanting the mantra , "they can't do that... there's EAP" , I tell you that you'll end up saying something more along the lines of "we're NOT in KANSAS anymore TOTO". It's unbelieveable the Power CNO has .....and I wouldn't have believed it myself if it hadn't happened to me !!

Well ....You'll often see RN/RPN (I'm from Canada so I gues RPN=LPN) , looking for RAI Coordinators. I work in LTC(Long Term Care) I was trained in RAI/MDS on the job . I'll bet there is a course AND believe me ...it's NOT complicated once you get the hang of it. Also , why NOT try Long Term Care nursing ( RN's don't do patient care). BUT it's very stressful in it's own way as are all branches of Nursing. Nevertheless , you could learn RAI/MDS on the job. Talk to some Directors of Care in some LTC Facilities...ya know...pick their brain(s) and they could direct you as to where to learn this , etc. It's a desk/computer job , with some teaching , in that you would assist RN's on the nursing units to learn it and monitor their data input. It is a an Assessment Tool used in LTC to get government funding. It helps them calculate how much Nursing time each Resident (patient) receives based on their individual care needs. I did hospital nursing for 10 years , then switched to LTC after that and have been an RN for 27 years. Nursing is a BURNout Profession for sure . I would retire today if I could afford to. If I had it to do over again , I definitely would NOT choose Nursing. It's truly brutal , BUT I'm 54 yrs old & at least 10 yrs away from Retirement. LTC Nursing is at least more predictable each shift because Residents live in these facilities so you don't have the rapid turnover of patients like you do in Acute Care. I do hope this has been somewhat helpful to you. You're NOT alone.......Nursing is DAMN HARD WORK Sister !! Peace & God Bless You !!

In 2005 (or approx.) it became MANDATORY as per CNO ruling for all employers to inform CNO of any RN/RPN who has either what CNO CONSIDERS a physical OR mental health disability. FROM very PERSONAL experience I can tell you that it's a FACT that if your Employer discovers you have even DEPRESSION.....YEP......the common cold of Mental Health illnesses , they must report this to CNO and then CNO will investigate you. CNO will wreak havoc on your work-life...which will then wreak havoc on your personal life. AND YES...CNO can & will have access to ALL of your personal health information. CNO answers to no one. Their "over seers" is The Ministry of Health & Long Term Care. ALL Colleges in Ontario are given what amounts to "carte blanche" power , insomuch as they makew their own rules , run their onw "court/trial system(s)" and believe me baby , they are a powerful force and even Lawyers can not fight them as this being a Human Rights issue and discrimination. So , my advice to ALL Nurses.....(which goes against the recent Canadian Adverts re: "let's remove the stigma surrounding Mental Health") is to ZIP YOUR LIP and DO NOT tell ANYONE at work that you're Clinically Depresses and on Antidepressants. My reason for starting this Blog if you will , is to get a group of those who have endured this agony at the hands of CNO , to exchange stories with me because the ONLY way to bring CNO into the 21st Century is if enough of us as a group wrote to Deb Matthews MPP & Minister of Ministry of Health & LTC , perhaps we could affect change to prevent our Sister/Brother RN's & RPN's from suffering such maltreatment in the near future. Trust Me......I am sticking my neck out by writing this AND that's why I gave my personal email address, so it could be OFF this Forum and in Private between YOU & ME.

Look for a Job as a RAI/MDS Coordinator. Mostly computer work. Great desk job. Some teaching involved to teach other nurses how to do coding (data entry) and Assessments but it will take you away from patient care , away from the med cart , and away from bedside care.

Hello. I'm an Ontario CANADA RN. I am interested in hearing from you if you are being investigated by CNO due to Health Issues. My email is [email protected] PLEASE EMAIL ME if you want to share your story. THANK YOU

Time for me to post a reply. I agree , that posting my current situation on a "Public Forum" may not be considered a wise thing to do...but I needed to vetn , & find some support from other Nurses regarding my plight. As I am writing this note , my situation with the CNO continues...having my hearing postponed yet again ...now looking at January 2012 as my hearing date. That will make it 3 & 1/2 yrs. that I've been enduring this very stressful scrutiny by the CNO. The positive side of the postponement is this: I will by then , have been employed by my current employer for close to 2 yrs with an excellent employment record. My attendance is in excellent standing , my employer is very pleased with my performance & this can only go in my favour when it comes time to meet with CNO. The point is this however: Canada claims to be working diligently to END the stigma attached to "mental illness" & the discrimination that has been associated with it . My experience has been that those so-called efforts are more lip service than anything . I wish to take this time to thank those of you who showed me compassion a hearty thank you. Having anyone breathing down your neck for a prolonged period of time is not conducive to a stress-free workplace situation & one would think that in Nursing especially there would be more understanding given toward someone who has a ben diagnosed with clinical depression that is well-managed by antidepressant medication & you would think anyone with an ounce of common sense would realize that being under such scrutiny would be tough for any nurse , let alone someone with depression. I am functioning very well , because my depression has been in remission for 6 years now & despite all of this pressure , I have risen above it , have managed to keep a job in nursing , and am flourishing despite my situation with the CNO. I can't pretend all is well....my financial situation has been drastically affected by their restrictions on my hours of work. I now bring home 1/2 what I used to make & can't do much about that until my case is over. I have had to pick up another part-time non-nursing job just to try to make ends meet. Why non-nursing? Because the CNO will not allow me to work anywhere except where I am currently working in nursing .

Well ; I will be honest , open , candid with you . YES , Nursing itself , as a job , meaning working to help those in need , who are sick , dying , suffering , is very rewarding in knowing you are doing something to ease the suffering of others. I have been an RN for 25 yrs. I LOVE being a nurse , am proud of being able to give care & compassion to my clients THAT being said , be prepared for one of the most challenging careers ever , mostly because you will definitely have to deal with those whom I have come to term as "Armchair Athletes" ( Administrators/Managers) , who will make your life miserable . Just remember , those types of people are NOT on the front lines of the profession for a REASON! They are usually power-seeking folks who don't like the 'people' part of nursing , rather they like to be away from direct day in day out patient contact YET weild a lot of power ...over you ! Add to that , this truth....Most Provincial Licensure Boards (in Ontario Canada its the CNO) have madated over the past few yrs. a mandatory reporting system rendering ALL employers obligated to report ANY areas of concern with any RN/RPN in their employ , for ANYthing (ie: absenteeism THEY consider too high ; lateness , information about you they get via the workplace grapevine , etc. & they WILL forward this stuff to these regulating bodies , who will then investigate you & scrutinize you for several yrs . and THEY can literally ruin your nursing career or at the very least , they can control where & when & if you work in nursing . May sound like an exaggeration , BUT sad to say , its NOT . That is currently my own personal experience , so I would NOT rec ommend Nursing as a career choice to anyone . I have NEVER had a complaint against me by a patient or by their families EVER , and have never made a serious or life-threatening clinical error of any kind , yet my past employer chose to buy into gossip & rumours circulating the workplace , about me & other nurses & ran with it to the CNO . Who can really say why they did this ?? Perhaps I ****** someone off ( unbeknownst to me ??) ( perhaps someone in power just did not like the colour of my hair ??) Be FOREWARNED , that YOU have NO control over your career when it comes to management teams & the CNO or other State /Provincial Boards of Nursing . They can destroy your career with the flick of a pen . TRUTH ! GOSPEL TRUTH as GOD is my Witness !!

Okay , Now it's my turn: I am an RN x almost 25 years , actively working in Nursing in Ontario for that entire time , and in the past 2 1/2 yrs. , and still on-going , I have been under investigation by the CNO for a Fitness to Practice issue , based on an Incapacity issue , because my employer of 2& 1/2 yrs ago , wrote a letter to the CNO , stating they had "concerns" about my "fitness to practice" , based on a so-called fact-finding(a.k.a. 'witchhunt') they conducted after they suspended me without cause . They were annoyed by my so-called higher than average absenteeism ( for which I had supplied them doctor's notes ) , even thought there were other nursing staff members with higher absenteeism rates than mine . Hence , they wanted me to quit , & when I would not just 'quit' , they suspended me , then told me they were conducting an investigation on me ( would not elaborate as to why or about what , so I didn't actually find out 'why' I was suspended ...they said they didn't have to say ). All of my problems with this employer , for whom I worked more than 11 years , seemed to begin when I : 1) challenged a new Nurse Manager who began to pick on me ( an RPN who had worked at our facility & whom on occasion I had supervised , without incident , who went back to school , got her RN Diploma , & returned as a manager , with something to prove , or a need for power ). and :2) when I was off for a 10 week LOA due to some issues with Clinical Depression & was opne & candid about it to the Nurse Management Team , wrongly assuming that since they were all RN's , they would show compassion & understanding to a Nurse with Depression. (WRONG!!) Since then , I have been in this battle , with a lawyer provided by ONA , representing me , and my hearing with the CNO will be next month , after the CNO has already imposed interim restrictions on my licence , rendering me only able to work at my current place of employment until my hearing , and they may , at the hearing , decide to suspend my licence for a time , or permanently , for what reason ???....ALL based on information gathered on this witchhunt from such experst as a bunch of Health Care Aides/PSW's , Dietary Aides , a Ward Clerk , and a a couple of RPN's , most of whom I was their immeditae supervisor , and all of the info from these so-called reliable sources is based on rumour , hearsay , & the like ( example: it was rumoured that I was working as an escort/prostitute on the side , while employed there as an RN , and despite my informing my Nurse Manager that she needed to get to the bottom of this rumour , who started it , where it was coming from , the rumour was used as evidence of my having paranoia , problems coping , etc).. My point?? The CNO , the governing & regulating body in Ontario where we all must obtain our licences , is so concerned with protecting the public ( and NOT you , the Nurse ) that they will go OVERboard in scrutinizing your entire private & personal life , once they get a whiff of ANY concern whatsoever from ANY employer . Yes , it has been an experience I do not hope to ever have to go through again , and it is not over yet , not by a long-shot . The CNO is akin to the Salem Withc Tribunals , Big Brother Watching YOU , and they weild an awful lot of power ...enough to make or break your career , for as long as they see fit , and all in the interest of protecting the public. Well , I have never had a drug or drinking problem , have never committed a crime or been convicted of same either , have never been violent , abusive , physically or verbally abusive with ANYone , let alone my patients/clients . I have up to the present , had only positive feedback from my clients & their families , and my clinical practice has been such that not one employer has been able to find fault with it , YET the CNO is of the opinion that due to my openness about my clinical depression , I may be a danger to the public . Go ahead & comment , as I am very interested in what you have to say . Supposedly we are living in an age in Canada where the Canadian Government is working to make strides in removing the "STIGMA" attached to Mental Illness . Not what I am finding . I have written to the Mental Health Commission of Canad for help in this matter , with no reply , as well as the Human Rights Commission , with the same lack of response . So , as a soon to graduate RN , all I can say is be careful whom you judge , how you judge & consider how you yourself would feel to be scrutinized as I have been by our governing body & past employers , all of them Nurses themselves ..