bboy45

I had no issue obtaining my NP license. I was out of the program for about 9 months when I applied for my NP license. I was in monitoring during NP school and neither my college or preceptors for NP school cared. My college must have had the malpractice insurance included in our tuition because I never had to purchase any. I think that can sometimes be an issue, but I've read on here before there are companies that will insure you, but your premium might be slightly higher. But, if you have to go that route, just bite the bullet, pay for it, and do what you need to do.

But you're saying the board had already contacted you and did the investigation right? So, they already know the details and chose not to do anything for almost 2 years. I would think they are either severely incompetent at their jobs or they didn't find anything substantial.

I don't want to give you false hope, but I would think you're fine. The Board is supposed to intervene and protect the public from "dangerous" (I'm using their words, not mine) nurses. If they had any evidence that you were remotely unsafe to practice, I would imagine they would have moved to halt your license fairly quickly. You could always get a consultation with a lawyer and see what their opinion is and if they have ever had anyone take this long.

Please do not do that to yourself. They absolutely test for Kratom. Why don't you do it the correct way and see a pain medicine doctor who can provide documentation to monitoring that you do in fact have pain and perhaps monitoring might be willing to allow low dose gabapentin or some other less addictive medication that could help with your pain? Taking the situation into your own hands and treating your pain with a questionable substance at best is the reason you are likely in the situation you are in now. I'm sorry if I'm sounding tough, but sometimes us addicts have to hear it like it is. I don't want you to mess this up! Show them you're responsible and can be trusted and do it the right way.

I am in monitoring, and I have NSO insurance! You just pay a bit higher of a premium since you're in monitoring, I think like 50 dollars more. It's only 150/yr and the peace of mind you get knowing you're protected is amazing. It also covers up to 25,000$ in legal help for Board investigations/license issues. I wish I had had it when I first was reported to the board for substance abuse. My legal fees might have been covered. It's worth it to me!

Not judging you at all because I was very curious about what they were testing me for, but the truth is, you won't find out and they will never tell you. They use proprietary panels that they will only release with a court order. Just assume you're being tested for literally everything, including Kratom. The legal loophole to all this is it's a "voluntary" program that you entered and agreed to so that's how they can get away with testing you for 3 years without telling what they are testing you for.

Just sharing my experience. I definitely drank the Yogi tea with Kava in it during my time in monitoring, but I was always careful about when I did it because like you, I was terrified of any false positive. So, I would drink a cup on a Friday night because by Monday, any chance of a substance causing a false positive would probably be out of my system. I second the recommendations to not ask your CM. The less you deal with them, the better. Unless you feel like you have a good rapport with your CM. If you're new to monitoring, forget it. If you're a few years in and have proven your commitment and have a strong record of negative tests, then maybe. But as a general rule, the less you interact with them, the better. Stay under the radar.

No I am working in Dialysis. I could work in hospital at this point, but no real desire. I am in the South on the East Coast. Would prefer not to reveal exact state.

I would ask your case manager about the testing but I usually get around 3 a month here in my state. If you get one on a day you have to work, don’t know what to say other than you have to go to a patient first or med express something like that and do it. Having to work isn’t an excuse to not test if you’re picked. I know someone that talked his hospital lab into doing the drug screen for him while he was working at the hospital. He would just go downstairs and test, but not sure how he worked that out. I was really careful about the hand sanitizer at first, but now I don’t even care. I’ve been in the program for 2.5 years and never had a positive alcohol screen and I use it probably 50+ times a day. I will say though the days I have a screen I won’t use hand sanitizer that day just in case, but the other days, like I said, I really don’t care anymore.

I’m confused what the F means?

I am doing dialysis now. I think it is the easiest job to get when you’re in monitoring and they don’t have narcotics so for me, it was nice to be in an environment where I didn’t have to be around them until I got healthy. It also pays well too. I wouldn’t worry just yet about what you are going to say to employers until you get the okay to start looking. Trust me when I say that as you accumulate days of sobriety, go to AA meetings, and test negative a few times, you will feel less ashamed and more confident in the work you have put in to change your life. I did mention in my interview that I was in a monitoring program and that I had a “history of substance abuse” but I quickly followed it up with all I have done to get myself better and how this experience has made me a better person and a nurse. It’s about being vulnerable and honest, but also protecting yourself and your sobriety. They don’t need to know everything and you certainly don’t have to tell them everything. You feel bad - and that means you are a good person who knows right from wrong. Give yourself a break and like one person said, you did something bad, but you are not a bad person. I don’t even think about it anymore. When I first got sober I thought about it at least once or twice a day and would cringe, but now, 2 years later, I think “Oh that was a dumb thing I did, but it was 2 years ago.” It no longer defines my life or is the dark cloud over me. Smile, you are going to be okay. Just STAY SOBER. Including alcohol. You are going to have to prove to yourself and your monitoring program and your board that you know you messed up and that you will abstain from all mind altering substances in order to be a nurse again.

Hello, Myself and 3 other people who I have met so far in this journey all did the same thing you did. We are all happily working as nurses again. Unfortunately, we are in the monitoring program, but things are going well and I even just got accepted into NP school! Hang in there. It might feel rough now, but I promise it will get better. If you need to talk more DM me!

If she truly had 1/2 shot of rum she will probably be fine.

You'll be fine. Don't worry. Lesson learned.

That sounds excessive. Maybe it will calm down once you have been back to work for a couple of weeks. I am in VA, but they will often ramp up testing around holidays, vacations, significant events. Even still, I have never had more than 2 tests a week/more than 4 a month. I average around 175 dollars a month in tests.