Sobriety and NCLEX?

[gchooljian]

I am in my second year of nursing school, ADN RN program and have been looking at the requirements to apply for licensing. One of the questions is: 5. Having a history of abusing or being addicted to any controlled substance, a regular user of any controlled substance with or without a prescription, or habitually intemperate in the use of intoxicating liquor (pattern of making poor decisions related to alcohol use).

I have been sober almost 11 years and will be close to 12 at time of application. I have never had a legal issue of any kind, never had a diagnosis of addiction/alcoholism and never been to treatment. I am legally required to disclose this information?

[Recovering_RN]

I agree majority here, don't admit to anything! You don't need treatment, or random drug and alcohol testing to keep you sober, so what would be the point? They WILL try to force you into a monitoring program. Anyway, I was thinking the application may state something like "in the last 5 years", as far as substance use, treatment or addiction, not "ever". I may be wrong about that though. But if that's the case, your conscience can be clear because it's been more than 5 years for you

[TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN]

tonyl1234 - this is absolutely untrue. you are required to inform them if you have a substance abuse problem this is not a hippa issue. it is a nursing board requirement

Having a substance abuse problem and being sober for 12 years are 2 different things. Plus nobody is going to get that far and then "Oh, btw, I do coke every night." It's more going to get the recovered addict, and purely over the stigma put on addicts that ironically, nurses aren't supposed to put on them.

He doesn't have to share his past with them, because it's not court ordered, there was no arrest that led to it, it was 100% voluntary to quit, and that was without any kind of rehab. There's nothing on there that's any of their business. OP still has a right to privacy.

Now if the he got arrested for doing something stupid while drunk, that would be a whole different story.

He doesn't have to say that he used to have a drinking problem. If he signed himself into rehab, he doesn't have to disclose that. He has rights to that privacy.

The little gem in there about regularly using a controlled substance WITH A PRESCRIPTION should have been enough to tell you that he needs to just stay quiet, on everything. Maybe bring it up with the state's health department, because that is a little extreme. Him being safe to work while he has a prescription isn't their decision to make, that's what his doctor is for.

[HalfBoiled, BSN, RN]

Unless you have legal documentation or citations; you are overthinking it and are NOT REQUIRED to disclose that information

[RNikkiF]

OP was never in rehab, so there's no documentation. Also, no legal trouble, so there's no record at all. OP took it upon him/herself to quit because they were aware of the potential of a severe issue and impending trouble.

To the OP: Kudos to you for recognizing and addressing your issue. I think it speaks to your character and any employer is lucky to have someone with that kind of tenacity.

[carti, BSN, RN]

nope don't tell them anything.

tell the employers exactly what they want to hear. they are their for you, you are not their for them.

[aabbccdd]

Remember your key nursing school lesson: " If it is not documented, it never happened...." Same here, if there is no documentation regarding your abuse, then it never happened. Shut up and stop creating proplems that don't exist.

[jetsy62]

Please do not disclose and refrain from talking to anyone about this. Just don't.

[SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN]

I'd consider setting some professional boundaries in the future. Everybody doesn't need to know everything about you. The people you go to school with are classmates. The people you will be working with will be co-workers. Just because you are with them more then your family and friends that doesn't make them trusted confidants. My strong advice is to keep your private information private. I have seen countless times where a nurse trusted very private information to another nurse on our unit only to have it blabbed to others and turned into a gossiping point for many. In this case all of your classmates, some of your professors and God knows how many other people know this private and possible career damaging information. This is a distasteful reality but it is one that I've observed. In my experience happy nurses are ones who keep their private and personal lives separate. Good luck to you.

[Randomnurse3]

Would you tell the BON that you had an STD 12 years ago? If your answer is no then why on earth would you disclose anything else that may or may not have happened 12 years ago.

[LindsayRNL]

I just saw this post. Don't say anything!!! I understand you want to be honest, and I did as well but 4 years later I'm still paying for it.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I would talk to an attorney before making a final decision. I would want to avoid saying anything about it on my application if I were in your shoes ... but lying to the BON in order to get a nursing license is dangerous. See if you can find a way to avoid telling them while still not breaking the law by lying. It may depend on exactly how the question on the application is phrased. That's why I suggest a consultation with an attorney.

[rn1965, ADN]

Never, never, never speak of this to anyone ever again. And do not admit on your application.