Vern4229

Yaaaa! I have one year down. Got my ability to handle narcs back and should be able to be in charge soon. I would like an everything bagel myself lol.

Hi! I live in PA. I got into the program because I told thd board I was on suboxone and in recovery. I had to see an addiction specialist psychologist to say yes I do indeed have an addiction that suboxone would be an appropriate method to help with, THEN I had to see a neuropsychologist to prove I was competent on it. Since you arent on subs, I would think you just have to see the addiction specialist. I had to pay out of pocket for all of it. Have been in the program for a year Nov 9. (Is that today??) Working since last December after being given 5 months off to "figure this out". You can ask me anything ? good luck

Thanks for responding. I will do that. Like others in recovery it's hard to just speak up at times due to backlash. I know we aren't using our names but words still hurt. Have an awesome day :)

Hi All! I am in PA. Just starting the Recovery Trek program. Haven't been picked for a test yet but really want to as I need 3 negatives before I can go back to work. I am on suboxone; had to go through both an addiction psychiatrist and neuropsychiatrist to ensure that I am cognitively ok to work. My question for you all is: how much to these cost and how often are we tested? If this is in the wrong area I am sorry. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Hi all! RN in the beginning stages of PNAP and probation. Official start of 3 year probation was Sept 12. I was placed on it for a substance use disorder/in suboxone treatment. My counselor asked me if the SBON was aware of my being in treatment. She suggested I tell the board. This was back in April of 2017. I had to see an addiction specialist in Pittsburgh ({MODERATOR EDIT OF NAME}, to the cost of $1200!) for an evaluation to see if suboxone treatment is the correct treatment. If she says yes, then I must see a neuropsychiatrist to have my cognitive abilities checked. IF BOTH say yes, I may stay on my meds and PNAP "bows out" but I will be drug tested and on probation the rest of my nursing career. I am getting unemployment at this time due to the hospital I work at not offering me another job. My question for you all is this: HOW MUCH LONGER till I can work? When does the board appointed contact spell out what exactly I can do? I work inpatient mental health. We do not give narcs often and there can be another RN on duty so I am not in charge....but what other rules must I follow besides where I work? I did get in touch with the Healthcare Providers recovery program so I don't feel so alone. Thank you. Hoping this is not the end of my career-just the start of a better one.

I would not advise anyone with back issues to begin a career as a nurse. We have the highest rates of back injury/complaints of ANY career. That said, there are positions that are not as "labor intensive" as an RN that might work for you. Getting through school with accomodations may not be realistic. I am sorry to sound so glum. But as someone who became and LPN then an RN because I LOVE caring for others it turned into needing narcotic pain medications more and more often to perform daily duties. I moved on to supervising so I no longer have to perform direct care, but that takes years of experience doing the jobs you really shouldn't be doing. Good Luck :)

Thank you so much :) That is why I reachd out here. I have 10 years of nursing experience. I was addicted to meth 25 years ago-moved from AZ to PA and got off of drugs for over 12 years. While working as a server I realized that there was so much more I could do to help others now that I helped myself. I will never forget going through the Drug and Alcohol component of school and telling the group "I was an addict and now I was doing great and in nursing school" story when one of the counselors said to me, "I would be VERY cautious in becoming a nurse." I was PISSED! How dare she squash my dreams kind of thoughts. WELL, what I know NOW makes her statement so true. The back injury led me to pain medications and unfortunately(like most will understand) they don't make me sleepy-just the opposite. I was able to WORK again! Care for my patients without acute pain. But that led me back down the rabbit hole and it is so.much.worse. Opiate addiction is unlike anything IMHO. Especially with a back injury. After being OFF the meds for a while now I realize that my back is so much better now that I am not doing things to exacerbate it due to taking pain meds. I am scared but know that means it is time for a change. Today I am sober. I am not worrying about tomorrow. Thanks All

I might have to step away to deal with personal issues and I understand COMPLETELY. I tried to be a server again as this is what I did before becoming a nurse but complaints about cold toast or what is taking so long to seat us seem like such trival issues I am concerned I might TELL them this, lol. Once you have been in LITERAL life/death situations you learn not to sweat the small stuff. And as I am looking for work potential employers keep saying, "you are an RN-why are you here?" Trying to explain that dealing with people's lives is VERY taxing to your soul if you aren't caring for yourself (as I haven't been) but worried I am not getting call backs due to too much education,lol.

I am just starting this process and it is breaking my heart. Working so hard to get my liscense only to let a back injury and eventual drugs ruin it. Noone understands if they haven't been here. I want to comply but am wondering if, once it is over, if I can obtain work anywhere or if I will go through all this and not be employable. I went into the methadone program "under the radar" in Dec 2015 and was doing well but needed to get off it to find work as nurses don't take kindly to that even though it is a federally protected program through the Americans with Disabilities Act. Long story short, I went on suboxone once I had a job and did not disclose this. Again, trying to fight this demon on my own. I used another substance and it showed when I was given a HPP drug test through work. I realized I needed to be in a counseling component and voluntarily did so. So I just recieved my paperwork telling me I have to 'give up' my RN until I see their counselors and they decide what is the best course for me. In reading the stipulations it appears I cannot work as a supervisor, in ICU, ED, Cath lab or anywhere that narcotics are administered regularly. I am not young-44 and am terrified of going through all this only to be stalled at the end. I live in a small town so positions are not easy to come by. TIA for listening. I try to talk with my husband about this and he doesn't understand. We are held to VERY high standards as practicing nurses-and I agree with this for patient safety is paramount-but in a profession where 1 out of 5 (according to PNAP) will develop a substance use disorder in their time as a nurse I feel they need to help rather than hurt us.

This is an old thread but I am currently going through this, but they rescinded the offer stating "we decided to use the pool of RNs we currently have on staff". For 4 positions???. I contacted a lawyer and am so hurt over it. I hope you found a great job in the last few years.

I went into a methadone maintenance program and it saved my life. I did not tell my employer. Methadone does not get someone high, just takes the cravings and withdrawl away. After almost 9 months I am sober and off both narcotics and the methadone. With so many nurse addicts 'hiding' out there I wish there was less prejudice about it. I was able to work without illness or highs/lows that come with drug addiction and the counseling really helped me. I wish you all the best

Is this too old to comment on? Because I was on Methadone Maintenance for 9 months to recover from an opiate addiction after nearly 10 years of prescribed narcotics. Oh-and I was an LPN for 6 years and am currently an active RN with a clean liscense. I didn't do it because I was in trouble with it, but didn't want that to ever happen. Today the number of RNs that have an addiction to either drugs or alcohol is 3 out of 10. That's HUGE. And I know all too well that nurses judge as well as eat their young. So I will tell the misinformed nurses on this site that methadone does NOT get people high like other opiates, simply takes the cravings and sickness away. I was able to get off of it after tapering in a relatively short period, 8 months, but it saves people's lives. And I know I was a much safer nurse once I came out of the dark for fear of retaliation. So many more need to do this for their own safety as well as our profession. Ignorance of the way the medication works gives no-one the right to say it's just a replacement drug.

This is my very first post, so if it's in the wrong place I am sorry but what is TPAPN?