Riley70

I have a question for those nurses in Texas working with TPAPN. I am a CNM and am on TPAPN for self report due to alcohol addiction. I never drank and had contact with any patients. I went through inpatient and am about six months sober feeling great. I was offered a teaching position at a college. The pay was half what I was making but the hours would be good, I would have no patient contact. I would be a clinical instructor on campus and just checking in on students at their clinical sites. Our students all had nursing preceptors in their given clinical location. I spoke with my case manager, Signed a consent for her to speak to my Dean that hired me. All of this was early November. Finally a week before Christmas she gets back with me. I go to meet as scheduled with my advocate and the Dean of Nursing. I find out when I get there my case manager had spoken with the Dean the day before and convinced her not to hire me. She said that I cannot have more than one work location. She told the school I would cause a liability to them going in and out of the different hospitals and clinics. I have been completely compliant with my TPAPN meetings, forms, and testing. I have now had 7 tests negative and three per week while inpatient that were all negative. I was devastated. I had already moved into my office on campus. I tried to point out that there was a possibilty of modifications. I was more than willing to check in on campus each morning and evening if needed face to face. I lost the job. I don't understand why she let me accept it if I couldn't do it through TPAPN. It seems that this would be a good safe job for someone in recovery. I had no access to drugs ( never took a pill in my life except once or twice after my C-section in the hospital only).I would give up salary but meet a need as an educational faculty. I had wonderful supportive nurses who were aware about my TPAPN during the interview and were eager to help me. Are there no educators on TPAPN in Texas. The other part is I was offered another position in the clinic at the same week and had an interview with Planned Parenthood. I turned it down for the teaching job even though it was 20000 more per year. I thought I made a good choice just to have it torn away from me. Has anyone known a nurse to work as a faculty member. Do case managers ever make modifications? Tpapn does not encourage people to work. As an APN I cannot prescribe prenatal vitamins or anything. I did not have a license to prescribe any addictive medications anyway, why the restriction. It doesn't make sense. It makes it hard to be employed and being unemployed adds a huge financial and emotions stress to a recovering nurse. Any feedback would be helpful. Frustrated

Excuse me who gave u a bitter pill. First off I resent the implication I was somehow impaired when I posted. I just don't use my IPad well and it autocorrects. I never at anytime denied I had a drinking problem. I have been admitting to myself, family , counselors and openly for awhile. That is why I am in treatment. I didn't take alcohol to work I bought it next door after work while waiting for my cooworker who was driving. I came back in to go to the bathroom and fell out when my blood sugar dropped. I am diabetic and my sugar sometimes drops to the 40s and I black out. It has happened many times not related to drinking one cup of wine.. I have never had alcohol at work before. I hadn't been drinking for months but had a relapse after a particularly stressful situation. I never reported any other licensed person including the one who reported me because she asked me not to and I never new her to take any of the medications at work although she took them from the meds the clinic paid for. I am in no way in denial I have a profound feeling of shame about my addiction which is causing my depression to become worse. If you truly understood this as an illness you would not be so judgemental. Recovery can be a long process. I have been working through my alcoholism and depression for awhile. I am not blaming the np but our CCO said it should be up To the clinic to report to TPAPN after they investigate. I broke no laws nor had any contact with patients. It's should have been an internal matter. Not unlike dropping my the restaurant for a margarita on the way home from work when ur not driving. I just happened to be waiting on my ride and had to use the bathroom before we left.

I have been drinking more in the past couple of years to sleep at night. My husband wanted me to stop so I hid it. I never drink at work. Last week I was done at my clinic with patients and I went to the bathroom and drank some wine. My blood sugar is bad and I passed out. This was after work because I was waiting on the girl I carpool with. I dint want to drink at home where my husband would know. My NP colleague found me and called TPAPN that night. I am suspended from work pending a plan from them. This same NP just the week before tooka bottle of 1000 phenergan. Some retina face treatment and multiple other rx mods from our stock along with other runs and staff members. She said I should report anything but I did through an anonymous way to my work and mentioned no names. I feel she needed to report to my work but could have let them de IDE about tPAPN sine no pt were involved. I don't drink daily. I go weeks without drinking and then binge sometimes. I also had gastric bypass so two glasses of wine will put me under. ThAts ewhy drink to sleep. I have depression and have been seeing a doctor and have gone to some AA meetings. I recognize my problem and I'm working on it but this really makes my depression worse because now I can't work and we need the money.