smc26448

If my issue was alcohol related, no diversion, will there still be narcotics restrictions?

I am just curious if anybody was able to find a job in hospital during monitoring, and if so what unit? Or is it mostly outpatient/clinic/dialysis/etc? If you don't mind sharing what type of jobs you had or have in monitoring? Also is a hospital job more likely after youre done with monitoring or still hard to get?

Congrats!! You don't have to answer any of these but figured I'd ask if you were comfortable answering -- Are you in northern VA (I live in Arlington), and what type of jobs did you work in during monitoring? Did you work non nursing positions too? how long did it take you to find a nurse job? Was it hard to manage your testing and getting to testing locations while working? Do you have any specific clinics/hospitals/companies you recommend as far as employment? Also roughly how much did this cost for you?

So back in 2024 I did have issues with alcohol abuse that caused me to lose my job. I was told I was going to be reported but haven't heard anything yet. I got sober cold turkey the same week I was fired and am now 1.5 years sober, and plan to remain sober forever. The reason I asked about a lenient program, is just being able to get through it. I don't have much financial resources, and I feel like my nursing experience is limited (only did 3 year nicu and then 3 years private duty/outpatient type pediatric nursing), so worry about finding a job on monitoring if theres a ton of restrictions, etc. I know this is a situation I put myself in and it's just what I have to deal with, but was just curious because I do want to move forward from all this and successfully get through monitoring. A lot of the posts on here make me feel like it's impossible and so hard so I'm worried this will be the end of my career.

I understand all the states have generally similar programs, board orders, and requirements within their monitoring programs but are there some states that are known to be a bit more lenient, less restrictive, inexpensive, require less during the program, and even offer early dismissal? Also any states in general that seem to be more friendly at hiring nurses in monitoring? Asking because im considering a move and this is a factor I would consider being that I may be facing the BON at some point. I am about 1.5 years sober (my issue was/is alcohol) and plan to remain that way so its not about trying to find an easy program to get away with anything, more so trying to limit stress and increase likelihood of getting thru the program at all and finding work.

Hello, I've posted on here before. A bit of background on my situation, my problem is with alcohol, and in Summer 2024, I was fired by my employer for allegedly being intoxicated at work. I worked an office type role with no direct patient care but still not excusable. Without going into too much detail, it was a pretty bad situation and obvious for anybody to see what was going on with me. I had to go to ER by ambulance but no testing was done by employer. I was of course put on leave, investigated, and fired shortly after. I was told when I was fired, I would be reported to BON. However, I have still not been reported now over 16 months later. I checked with the BON recently to see if there were any complaints submitted, but there were not any submitted, nothing pending. I am not sure if my employer forgot, if they changed their mind, or whether the internal hospital investigation is somehow still pending and they haven't reported me yet? Thankfully, following the situation, I got sober the same week I was terminated and have remained sober. I have been working as a nurse for a home health agency, taking mainly PRN and contracts since I didn't know when the BON would reach out. I also work a non nursing position as a back up but pay is very low, like minimum wage for my area. Now, I'm kind of regretting not pursuing a more permanent position with growth but it's hard not knowing what will happen with my license. I know, I should've self reported, but at that time, I was reading on here the program costs 20-40k and I didn't even have 100 to my name and lost insurance. I still don't really have the money, but my sobriety has put me in a position where I regained trust from my parents, and they would possibly help me out financially if needed, not much but if I were to fall behind, I'd have some buffer that I wouldn't of had available when everything first went down. So my questions are, is it possible that my former employer just won't report me? Does it take this long sometimes? What would be the best thing to do moving forward?

When I call, they usually don't even ask why im asking because I assume their call volume is so high. My wait times are often 30+ mins to speak to someone. I just call and say I wanted to know if there have been any complaints against my license. I was worried at first that they couldnt tell me anything that I couldnt already see online. One lady was nice enough the first time I asked to explain that she would be able to see as soon as an online submission of a complaint was made before investigation etc and online I would only see once board actually starts a case and involves me/my license. One person did ask for the reason I was calling, I just said I had someone say they were going to submit a complaint and that I was curious and wanted to be prepared if that happened. She didn't ask questions. This is in virginia so maybe other states are diff.

I didn't get caught diverting but I was told that I would be reported to the BON by my job that fired me. I showed up to work appearing intoxicated. This was in mid 2024. As of now, Jan 2026 they still havent reported me (I called every couple months to see if there have been complains submitted against me) but im not sure if they will report the incident at some point later. Thankfully this situation led to my sobriety after a long battle with alcoholism. I got sober august 2024 about a week after I was terminated. I've been working as a nurse with no issues since. So I think sometime they forget to, or just don't report it.

Thank you for the valuable advice. The being fired and told I was getting reported was enough to scare me straight. I have had no issues maintaining sobriety (shockingly bc I was severely alcohol dependent for a decade and relapsed hundreds of times) and no urges. The withdrawal was horrific and im repulsed by the idea of drinking so I don't think I will have issues continuing but if that were to change, and cravings came up I would recognize I need support. My original plan was just to wait it out and work in the meantime in order to save money while working as a nurse for as long as I can. I thought this was going to be a few months of waiting max but nobody ever contacted me. Since its been a year now, im wondering how much longer ill be waiting. At the suggestion of another allnurses nurses in recovery user, I began to consider the self report so that its not looming over me because that has been something thats caused me a lot of anxiety. They said it can take up to two years so its unlikely that it was just forgotten, so the program is more than likely the inevitable result of this. The main nurse attorney I've seen representing nurses in my state is Eileen Talamante so I will reach out for a quote and request advice tomorrow. Thank you!

I am not in the monitoring agreement yet but strongly considering self reporting so im preparing for that. Im a year sober (I'm an alcoholic) but was reported last year but BON never contacted me. I've been stressed playing the waiting game not sure whats happening. Im in VA which has public case decisions that the public can view. From looking those hundreds of those and doing additional research on here, reddit, and also calling the monitoring program anonymously, I've gathered these likely requirements after being cleared to work (will likely be prevented from working for 3 months initially)… no night shifts/no overtime Licensed Nurse supervisor has to be onsite and supervising each shift that I work cant pass narcotics (I assume this is still the case for hx of alcohol abuse) quarterly job site evals self evals monthly then the regular extra stuff outside of the work restriction: AA/NA Random drug tests/calling the phone line every morning to see if im selected for testing Reports (not sure how often prob monthly) from therapist/psychiatrist/addiction management etc... I've only ever seen 5 year monitoring agreements from VA. I have been a nurse 6 years. 3 years nicu experience, 2 year outpatient ortho/sports med, and a year of school nursing through a staffing agency.

Those who are working while in the monitoring program for your state. What type of job do you do and/or have you done since being in the program? How long did it take you to get hired? If you had to work in a non nurse position while searching, where did you work? Also not sure if anybody knows the answer, but is there a better chance finding work in a major city or further out? Im in a major city, and feel like job market is so saturated so that may diminish my chances of getting hired if theres hundreds of non-restricted nurses applying for same position.

Yes, it seems like we are struggling with the same anxiety and somewhat similar situations. I'll send u a msg

Yep, I struggled with the same thing. I live on my own and going back with parents to reduce costs is not an option. I have looked into non-nurse positions, that way when I self-report, I can still work because they can only restrict RN work (I believe). That may be an option for you too, but the pay cut will be significant from the job postings I've looked at compared to RN pay in my area. I wish I could go back in time and avoided this whole thing!

Thanks for this update. This is all good info to have. However, in Virginia, when I called the monitoring program, I was told that stopping work for a few months (they said it varies but average is ~3 months) is required during the substance abuse/psych eval part in the very start before they come up with restrictions and approve you to work. I wonder if they would make you stop working for a period of time, not necessarily quit?

You're right. The reason that I did not initially self report is because I figured it would only take a couple months at most for them to reach out, and I wanted to ensure I had income, at least some savings, and health insurance by the time they got to me. I read that the program itself costs around 40k in total (counting drug tests, rehab, therapy appts, etc), this was just an estimate someone gave so not sure how true this is. I also knew I could not afford out of pocket rehab/eval. I had absolutely no money at all and the not working scared me a lot. Didn't realize it would drag on so long, there has not been a single day where this has not been on my mind. Every time I check my mailbox, I anticipate the dreaded letter. I think you're right that it would make more sense and actually provide a sense of relief. I do know that I was impaired at work, although they don't have proof, they have witnesses, so the program is inevitable. Thankfully, I am sober now (I don't even drink caffeine or take any meds) so know I can get through the program with no issues, but the cost, potential inpatient rehab, and finding a job that will hire me on restriction is scary, but its going to have to happen at some point. Why not start the process, as you said.