SantaRN

Interesting post..........I have had several areas of practice in my career and just recently started dialysis. I have always heard that dialysis is a critical care 'specialty' area, like ER, ICU, etc. Most of my practice has been in ER, but dialysis is a different world altogether! There are not too many emergency scenarios that I would not be comfortable handling, but I feel like a new graduate nurse most days I am in the dialysis clinic. The machines are complicated- the techs are experts at those, but don't have the nursing education to process exactly what/why they are doing what they do. I would NOT be comfortable alone in the clinic by myself as the only nurse- its not a nursing thing so much as I am not experienced enough to trouble shoot the machines if something were to go wrong. I taught clinical nursing for a few years and had a few students who were dialysis techs studying to be nurses. Those girls, along with a few clinical experiences of my own got me interested in trying it. I have met many, many nurses who started in dialysis and have never done any other type of nursing. I think one reason any of the dialysis clinics are willing to take new grads is the same reason anyone is willing to take new grads, ie- they have a nursing license! There is so much training with dialysis and it takes so much time to learn, even with my experience, I am not so sure I am that much further along training wise as some of the brand new grads :-)

The "young and hot comment"...............hysterical! Thanks for the laugh :-)

I taught student nurses at a community college for a few years......I totally understand locking the door while she cried. I had only a few strict rules I held dear- one of them was they were never to cry out on the floor, and if they had to cry- do it on the way home or in the bathroom -but they had to hide all evidence that they had been crying before they came back out to do patient care. There is something in the water in nursing units, I swear. If some of the crusty old nurses would see a student cry, it was like they were an easy mark for the rest of the semester. I think some of the staff actually enjoyed making students/new grads reach their breaking point. I don't understand it to this day, but I know that kind of abuse exists and thrives in certain units. I certainly don't have any answers on how to put a stop to it, especially because we all know those attitudes and behaviors are out there and yet it shows no signs of ending anytime soon :-(

Hello fellow recovering nurses, If you are reading the postings in this group, one might assume you have been in trouble with the board, are about to be in trouble with the board or are dealing with some sort of recovery program. I feel as if I could write a book about what to do and what not to do if you get into trouble because of diversion. I have multiple state nursing licenses, so I have been around the block with this whole situation :-) I have some major resentments and regrets because of some missteps I took when I first got into trouble. About hiring an attorney- if you can afford one, get one. But don't just hire an attorney who SAYS they specialize in administrative nursing law. I hired a pretty expensive "expert with board issues" attorney and got the WORST advice and legal counsel ever! What a disaster! Since I have been representing myself I have talked openly with several of my casemanagers, they have shared with me the facts about this attorney- and they aren't positive reviews. Also, several nurses who I attend a local Caduceus AA meeting with had hired this attorney- none of them use this attorney any longer and NOT ONE of them would recommend another nurse to hire that attorney for representation. I have found that the nursing boards are actually pretty reasonable to work with. Yes, the screenings are a pain in the behind, the paperwork is a pain in the behind, etc- but if you are staying clean and doing everything they ask, things get on an even keel and time passes. I had a license suspension for some time (one reason for the suspension is because of the shoddy attornery-story for another day) but 8 weeks after my license reinstatement, I was able to obtain a full time nursing position. I consider myself VERY lucky, I can't explain how it happened, but it did. They asked me about it, I told them about it ( I didn't act ashamed or anything either- just told the truth) and we moved on to the next subject. They called me a few hours later and offered me the position. Can. Not. Believe. It!!! I get a little mushy when I think about sharing the news of my good fortune with my casemanagers- they were genuinely happy for me. I know that all three of them want me to succeed and do well. Being under investigation and dealing with these issues is scary, no doubt about it. But I so wish that I had someone to talk to at the beginning who would let me know it would be ok. A physician I used to work with hooked me up with a nurse who had been in trouble years before. During those first dark weeks when I was scared to death, I was so glad to talk to ANYONE who had walked the path before me. She called me, a total stranger, and told me it would all work itself out in the end but I had to get sober and get that part of my life together first. It is true- I needed the time off to recover from my drug addiction and get healthy again. And she was right- in the end, my licenses are all reinstated (one was never suspended at all), I am a sober individual with a full time job. I did switch practice areas, but had thought about making that change long before I got into trouble anyway. I wish I could stand on the mountain and scream out this attorneys name so everyone would avoid that law practice, but I don't think it would be allowed :-) And if someone that you meet in one of these forums recommends an attorney, make sure they aren't working for that particular law firm..... Anyhow, if you find yourself in an unfortunate board situation, please know that you can survive the programs and find yourself alive and well on the other side!

Wow....sorry to hear this. Get an attorney, I know that one of the nurse attorneys in Cincinnati has started doing legal consultations by the hour. Might be worth it to just ask her if a revocation is a permanent thing or not. Let us know what you find out.

Don't stress...lots of great nurses fail the test first time around :-). I used to teach nursing and hospital orientation for new hires and lots of times they brought in girls who had not passed their test. Had them work for a few months, get to know the staff, the unit etc, and then switched them to RN's as soon as they passed. This will not be the first time this has happened to them, believe me :-). Good luck and let us know how it goes. Do NOT be ashamed of this, do not go in there with your head hanging low....it happened, and you are taking corrective action.

Goodness.....I would be very worried if I were you. But, I am in Ohio, and I am scared, scared, scared of the BON. I would just think they wouldn't think you were taking the program very seriously if you didn't check in twice in your first month. Then again, I am a freak about checking in because I am afraid I will forget. I do have a reminder set on my phone that shows up as a little icon every morning. I don't remove the icon until I check in that day. Good luck to you and let us know what happens

This is interesting to me because I had the same question this week. I asked the guy at LabCorp about it.....if your labcorp testing is like mine (I am in Ohio) there is an option number that is selected for you when you test. When I only have to do option 1, that is the "healthcare provider" panel which includes all the following: (cut and pasted from LABCORP) Adulteration (dilution) testing − creatinine, specific gravity, pH; amphetamines; barbiturates; benzodiazepines; cannabinoids (THC metabolite); cocaine (as benzoylecgonine); ethanol (alcohol); meperidine (Demerol®); methadone (Dolophine®); opiates (codeine, morphine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone); oxycodone (oxycodone, oxymorphone); phencyclidine (PCP); propoxyphene (Darvon®); tramadol But, if you get option number 7, it is an additional ETG test. I don't use alcohol anyway, but I hate it when I get assigned number 7 instead of number one because it is $41 more per test :-( The guy at Labcorp said it is just a more reliable test for alcohol use as opposed to alcohol in handgels and beauty products. Hope this helps.