Hi all, I would like to start this off by thanking everyone on this board for their continual encouragement and support. In the last few months I have been doing a lot of personal soul searching and have decided the best thing for me to do is surrender my license and go on with my life.
I was placed on probation in May 2016 for a DUI I got four years prior. The last year since then has thrown some major challenges my way. In November 2016, I lost my mom to a ten year battle with ALS. In March, my practice was ceased due to a positive ETG test and in June, I had a four year relationship come to an end. While the monitoring program is obviously not to blame for all of this, it has been an added stress that has nearly broken me several times. I still remember how low I felt the day of my mom's wake when I found myself peeing into a cup in my best suit as I had been selected to test that day.
As such, I have recently been taking stock of what is truly important in my life. I like nursing, and I'm a great nurse, I've got patients that come back to my facility all the time to visit me, awards for my nursing care, and co-workers that still turn to me for answers even now when I legally can't practice. However, when I think of the things I truly love in my life, spending time with my friends and family, traveling, my personal freedom; my job doesn't fall anywhere near the top of the list.
I have recently downsized my apartment, minimized my bills to only what's necessary, and am in the running for a few non-nursing jobs that will allow me to pay my bills and still have some fun money left over. I am also looking into grad programs in bio or chem as clinical research has always been an area that interests me. As soon as I find a new job, I will initiate the license surrender process and not look back.
For the first time in over a year, I am truly excited for what the future holds. There is some fear, but all my life, the people around me have pegged me for success so I know I won't fail. I realize that I am taking the harder road here, but if the last year has taught me anything, its that I have the strength to do it. Would love to hear from others who are no longer in the nursing field and what you did after.
