brayrn

The above link is how we get our voices heard. Even if you did mess up; punishment, humiliation, criminalization and destruction of your career is not the answer. Consider signing the petition.

My 1st experience too. Employee Assistance, what a misnomer. The woman never even spoke to me, too eager to report me to state, I guess. Hope others see this and pass the word.

Sadly true about EAP. 1 request for info on their grief support program 3 years ago has led to my suspended license and unemployment. HPRP is a bureaucratic nightmare from which escape seems impossible. And for what? Never trust anything related to EAP or human resources.

Hope it worked out for you. Hprp is a nightmare. I found help to fight back. Contact me if you are still interested in pursuing this topic. [email protected]

Its probably awful to say, but it is comforting to know there are others out there treated just as wrongly. Trying to reconcile that I will never again be a practicing RN, a career I absolutely loved, but it breaks my heart. Have found other RNs and CRNAs are clueless as to what is going on in our profession with hprp. I have shared my story, written our Governor for help, and won my case in a court of law but reading some of the other accounts of hprp experiences my story does not seem all that unique. I think the general public would be shocked to know how health professionals are being treated.

In 2011, after the loss of my father, I left voicemail with our hospitals Employee Assistance Program requesting information on their grief support program. The EAP rep never returned my call but reported me to state board as "unsafe to practice", (??????). When I was contacted by state board I was asked numerous questions. Was asked if I drank alcohol and stupid me, I said occasionally. Was asked when the last time I had alcohol said shortly after my Dads funeral, I was asked if I was sad at the time and answered 'of course'. I have 2 sisters but Dad had made me his medical advocate, Dad suffered from alzheimers and developed a gastric bleed from which he was not recovering. My sisters wanted him placed in a nursing home but I chose hospice. My mom and I cared for him full time at home that month before he died. Following Dads death, my sisters informed me I was no longer part of our family. Following the funeral, I did have 2 glasses of wine and I was sad but it was not as if I had ever had an alcohol problem, in fact I rarely drank, so when I was asked about alcohol it never occurred to me that I should hide any use. That was how I landed in hprp. Today, if any future employer were to look me up on National Data Base they would see, "suspended license, unsafe to practice, substance abuse" making me forever unemployable as an RN. This despite my 16-year nursing career without a single incident; years of perfect attendance, evaluations declaring me a "role model" for others and the honor of being the most frequently requested OR nurse by surgeons and employees in the unit. I was the nurse chosen to train the new RNs. So, yep, this was a bitter pill to swallow (no pun intended, ha). Like I said, I did hprp for 6 months before quitting and know 1st hand it has nothing to do with helping those with substance abuse and even if a partipant follows every rule to the letter, hprp will find cause (such as their providers not filing their assessments on time) to extend the original monitoring agreement. Hprp is so out of control and dishonest, it would surprise me if anyone ever gets out by their original monitoring end date. Power and money, that's their motivation.

I was wrongly placed into hprp (michigan) in 2011. Did not have funds to hire attorney to fight for myself so forced to entered into contract or lose licensure. Tried it for 6 months but being treated as a criminal, exploited for money from unethical hprp addictionist, lied to by hprp reps and basically humiliated at every turn by the program was more than I could stand. Cashed in retirement and hired attorney. State of Michigan sued me twice for quitting program and lost both times. Board of nursing rejected judges decision, suspended my license (I presume as punishment for daring to challenge their authority by fighting for my rights and having the audacity to actually win that battle) and threw me back into hprp (May, 2014) where I was sent to an addictionist and therapist for evaluation; both of whom agreed I should not be in program. Hprp answer to this dilemma was to continue down their approved list of therapists/addictionist till locating one willing to treat me for a diagnosis i do not have in order to satisfy hprp and nursing board. At that suggestion, I bailed and although I have never had a single substance abuse occurence and a spotless 16-year work record, my license remains suspended. But I am in this to win as are my attorneys who are representing me without cost. If you have been wrongly placed in hprp, I suggest you join the fight and restore the life stolen from you. Contrary to what the state board believes, we did not agree to surrender our civil rights when we earned our nursing license. Do not allow the bullies to win.

********* Law Group. ******* ***** Michigan. Fought for me and won.

while I do no have a substance abuse problem & have never done anything to jeopardize patient care. In 2011, after having suffered a series of personal losses, I had a breakdown. Took a leave from work to deal with my issues, and, in the course of therapy was told about an organization (HPRP) which I was told provided group meetings to help healthcare workers with the stressors of our field. Sounded good, so I contacted my hospital's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) & left a voicemail stating I was interested in learning about HPRP. Never heard back from EAP but a few weeks later was informed by the state I had been reported for substance abuse. Unbelievable. I was given the option of signing the HPRP contract or loss of licensure. This has been a nightmare. Just came from my first AA meeting, lots of old men talking about their drinking days...YIKES, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. 3 years of this demeaning, demoralizing, punitive crap; I don't think I'm gonna make it. It's enough to make me actually want to start drinking.