happynursy74

Congrats on the new little one! I have a friend who got pregnant during her last year of school, went home one afternoon pregnant, came back two days later - and no, I am not kidding- no longer pregnant. We all stood up and cheered when she walked into class, looking pale and a little drained but ready to go! It is hard, but she got through it with help from mom and mom-in-law, hubby and those of us who were willing to go over to her house and study while taking turns rocking and feeding the baby. As long as you are focused, willing to work hard and understand the end is closer than you think, you will get through. By the way, she is now charge nurse on a tele floor and raising her 2 boys.

Thanks so much for responding..I'm afriad you are the only one so far who has responded to my post. Maybe no one agrees with us? Or is this still a taboo topic? I would love to get some more input on this subject, because you have confirmed what I suspected- this diversion program is NOT working as it should. Turning our back on the addicted nurse/person is not the fix. They just move on to another facility, and get in trouble all over again.

I am in a Masters program, taking a course on effective leadership, and one of our recent topics has been dealing with a staff member you suspect is abusing narcotics. At the same time, I have a dear friend and fellow nurse who has battled an addiction for several years. I really knew nothing about diversion despite my 7-8 yrs of nursing experience (I know,shame on me) until I befriended this lady and she decided to share her experience. So I am writing a paper for this class on what I think could make this program more effective- or should i say more helpful. I have to say so far what i have read in research articles and heard from my friend is pretty horrible- the BRN's idea of diversion seems to be punitive and nothing else. I would like to ask any of you willing to help me out to please let me know your experiences with this. Anonymous of course, but I want to hear from nurses who have been through or are going through the diversion process nationwide, and what you think could be done differently. I posted on another forum that my friend was pretty much shown the door with no follow-up from anyone in our facility- is this what we nurses do to each other? Aren't we in the business of healing the whole person? Any input would be sincerely appreciated.

Me again..one question for you guys..what would make this situation more supportive? In other words, did you find that nursing as a whole supported you in seeking help, or were you treated negatively? What do you thin would make overcoming addiction easier, manageable?

Wow, this is very informative- I am in the VERY EARLY stages of starting a staffing agency- just now researching, looking up local classes, etc. I had heard from a relative it is best to start off as your own employee, but I am glad to hear details on the other options.

It's weird that this is the first post my eyes fell upon.. I have a very dear friend, a 20 + nursing vet and phenomenal patient advocate who i have worked with for over 2 years. She is the type every new nurse runs to for advice, help, support- you know the type? Wonderful mom, great friend. Imagine my true shock when she told me about her problem with dilaudid a few years back. But hey, we all go through it sometimes, so I listened, I learned ( believe it or not after 7 yrs nursing experience, I had NO CLUE what diversion was), and I was truly horrified by the stories I heard of what goes on in these diversion programs. Sounds a little too punitive in my opinion, and it doesn't seem like anyone really tries to find out what this person needs to truly heal. Anyhoo, I am sad to say my good friend recently relapsed, and is now out of a job and facing God knows what next. I find myself angry at the way she was let go from her job, at our manager's reaction to it all, and I wonder how you guys feel about the nurse diversion program? Am I blinded by my friend's issue? Or does this program need a serious overhaul? God Bless you all who take this on day by day, and know that you have my support and admiration.:balloons: