Recovering RN seeking to re-enter practice

Published

Hello all, thanks for reading. I am a 35 y/o inactive RN from Ohio. I graduated from an ADN program in 1991 and practiced until 1998. I diverted narcs from my employer in 1996, was offered treatment in lieu of conviction, but in actuality my disease was just getting started. So, long story short, I have a felony conviction, lost my license and continued along this self-destructive path until 2002. I am happy to report that I have been clean and sober since 5-1-02. After about a year clean, I scratched my head and wondered if I could return to nursing and what steps I needed to take to attain that goal. Now, 2 years later, I have done an immense amount of work and submitted stacks of paperwork to the OBN to demonstrate my desire to return to active practice. I have been offered an consent agreement w/ the Board and, if all goes as planned, will have a probationary license reinstated in July! I will have permanent narcotic and practice restrictions, as well I should. My reason for this post is simple....I am wanting to hear from other nurses who've been through this process or are currently, to get advice about how to proceed w/ interviews, etc, what jobs would be 'recovery friendly' and how peers treated them. My hands sweat when I think about telling a potential employer about my past but I am confident that, eventually, I will be hired. I feel like a different woman than the one who used IV narcs thanks to the 12 step program, God and my family. If I can get clean, anyone can!

God bless!

Jeannie

Congrats on your recovery Jeannie and best wishes.

We had a coworker in recovery, he couldn't pass narcs and couldn't float, so there was a tad bit of resentment there. This was a med-surg unit. Just be aware not everyone is open minded, and people are judgemental. But that's there problem.

Good luck in whatever you do. Kudos!

Of course people are going to be judgementa AS THEY SHOULD. Would you let a "rehabilitated" pedophile watch your children or would you be skeptical. My God the nursing non-judgemntal BS that nurses are spoonfed is ridiculous

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Many congratulations to you for staying clean and being honest with yourself and us......you deserve the best!

Let me tell you a little bit about my co-worker, whom I'll call Linda. She diverted drugs as well, was caught, served some jail time and a couple of years' probation........but while she was in rehab, she began working on herself, then when she was released she attended a 12-step meeting every day, and after a few years she finally earned a 'conditional' RN license, which allowed her to practice but not to pass narcotics for one year.

Today, Linda is a full-fledged member of our night shift staff, and has not only become a leader, she is now a charge nurse, and a good one. She has been clean and sober now for six years and counting......so if she can do it, so can you. :) She's an inspiration to everyone, even me, and I've been sober for over 13 years myself.

Best of luck to you! :p[/quote It's amazing what can happen when you decide to change. Only you can do it. It's like when you find you against the wall and there is nowhere else to go all of a sudden you are helpless and know that if God doesn't intervene at this point to guide you from the place of desperation to a new place of hope then there will be no future to look forward to. God has given you the will to start over and the opportunity to truly help others by your experience. You see there is no greater testimony than that of one who has passed that way before. With God's help all things will work together for good.

God Bless,

Pistol

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Of course people are going to be judgementa AS THEY SHOULD. Would you let a "rehabilitated" pedophile watch your children or would you be skeptical. My God the nursing non-judgemntal BS that nurses are spoonfed is ridiculous

First, it is accepted that pedophiles cannot be rehabilitated, so no one has to worry about the so called rehab one, just the uncaught one. And since most are someone the child is related to or knows quite well, perhaps one should look in one's own backyard. Fortunately, a large number of nurses tend not to be judgemental of former addicts. It is just the ones who have very limited knowledge or education, in the area of addiction, that tend to be judgemental. And I would hazard a guess, they tend to be judgemental in other areas, as well, IMHO. This being said, BONings tend to be very careful with the nurses they allow back into practice. Hoever, just like any other area, there will always be those that fall down again. We do not need to judge everyone by the few that fall.

Grannynurse :balloons:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hey Jeanne,

Thank God, for Sobriety and Second Chances. I believe that as long as you keep sobriety number one, you can have alot of options. I know of more than a few second chances in the field. A good friend of mine is a counselor in a monitoring program for nurses. As long as your honest to future employers than there will be no need for suprise endings. As a manager, I would look for honesty during the interview as a good sign. It sets the tone. And remember, we are not the only field who has people with addiction histories. Lets start with the the Government, and go to Lawyers, and you could increase the list forever. So just do the next right thing.

Brian

Up Vote Up Vote ×

dumb question of the year, but what does diverting drugs mean ?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Diverting drugs means signing out drugs, but using them yourself instead of giving them to your patient, who they belong to. It is essemtially stealing drugs, you can lose your license over it, as well as serve jail time in some states.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Diverting drugs means signing out drugs, but using them yourself instead of giving them to your patient, who they belong to. It is essemtially stealing drugs, you can lose your license over it, as well as serve jail time in some states.

eyyiyi i'd be scared to death to do that ! :uhoh21:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Funny I don't hear a lot of people claiming pedophiles cannot be rehabilitated, otherwise they would be in prison for life. The fact is i would be careful about hiring someone with a narcotic diversion past, as this could open a whole bunch of lawsuit complications if the person reoffends. It's a hassle I would not deal with. Your supposed to be non-judgmental in the care you provide not of the person. We as a society are supposed to judge people actions.

First, it is accepted that pedophiles cannot be rehabilitated, so no one has to worry about the so called rehab one, just the uncaught one. And since most are someone the child is related to or knows quite well, perhaps one should look in one's own backyard. Fortunately, a large number of nurses tend not to be judgemental of former addicts. It is just the ones who have very limited knowledge or education, in the area of addiction, that tend to be judgemental. And I would hazard a guess, they tend to be judgemental in other areas, as well, IMHO. This being said, BONings tend to be very careful with the nurses they allow back into practice. Hoever, just like any other area, there will always be those that fall down again. We do not need to judge everyone by the few that fall.

Grannynurse :balloons:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Funny I don't hear a lot of people claiming pedophiles cannot be rehabilitated, otherwise they would be in prison for life. The fact is i would be careful about hiring someone with a narcotic diversion past, as this could open a whole bunch of lawsuit complications if the person reoffends. It's a hassle I would not deal with. Your supposed to be non-judgmental in the care you provide not of the person. We as a society are supposed to judge people actions.

Suggest you do a review of the available literature, regarding the rehabilitation potentional of pedophiles. Research has shown that they are among those most likely to re-offend. As for nurses, who go thru impairement programs, offered by their BONs, I do not have any hard statitistics, it is my understanding that they are very unlikely to reoffend. And many BONs place restrictions, on their license, for a number of years. As a society, I was taught, we are suppose to forgive and not continue to judge a person on past actions.

Grannynurse :balloons:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We should not judge. I wish this person the best of luck in their new career, and I think you would make a great rehab nurse, because you know how people with this illness feel. There is a rehab in Minnesota, and every nurse has the DISEASE of addiction. These are the best nurses in their field that I have ever seen -knowledgeable, kind, compassionate and truly skilled in their specialty. You are going to make a great nurse, because you have gotten better from a disease that is so many times incurable. You are strong, and you are a winner!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion