Slittle5

Thanks to all of you for your support, I got choked up at all of the comments.Its nice to know there are people out there who don't view me as a pariah. It's also nice to know you're out there, albeit anonymously, cheering me on. I've applied in a few places online and plan on doing the foot work next week but I'm a little leery of not being forthcoming about the imminent BON restrictions. What do I tell people during interviews? Also, any ideas on where I can find some nurse's meetings? I want to get as immersed in my recovery as possible before the proverbial pooh hits the fan.

I graduated a couple months ago, started a job at a hospital the day after I took the NCLEX and was fired a few weeks later after a post incident drug screen came up positive for oxycodone. I didn't divert, just used my husband's meds thirty six hours before the needle stick that helped land me here. I met with a lawyer today, and promptly self reported after our meeting. This was a colossally stupid way to start a nursing career, I know this. Everything I hoped for seems dashed on the rocks. I feel like I was given this incredibly dependable new car, one that promised to get me far in life, only to crash it into a tree while on endocet a month after I got it. How am I going to find a job with no experience and stipulations on my license? Who will hire someone like me? Nurses in dialysis only get hired with experience, right? I definitely DO NOT want to work anywhere around narcotics after this, but what options are out there for that? My lawyer suggested getting a job before the board acts on my license and ingratiate myself with the staff in order to build up a decent reputation. She said by the time the board zeros in on me, these future employers won't fire me for my indiscretion because I will have won them over on my charm. I am having a hard time swallowing this advice because I will be like a sitting duck, waiting for the BON to swoop in and strike. Who's to say these employers won't kick me to the curb the second they find out I'm in recovery? What do I tell the people I interview for? Can anyone offer advice or stories of perseverance? Maybe just words of encouragement? Help.