I see that this catagory has been slow moving lately and I wanted to start a new thread with a different direction. I would like to get everyone's opinion (even the people that have never suffered with addiction). What do you think about your state's peer assistance/recovery program? Do you think it is too harsh or not harsh enough? What state are you in, and do you know the rules or guidelines of your states recovering nurses program?
I just want to get a general view of nurses' education on the matter. I have noticed lately in my hospital that the nurses do not know that there is a recovery program out there. They don't know that there are options and many are scared to report someone, especially if it is their friend. They are scared to report themselves if they need help.
I know that there are more impaired nurses out there than any of us want to admit. I think that if we were educated more on the matter, we could get a better grasp on the situation.
Nebraska has no alternative to discipline even for self-reporting, first time offenders (like me). Automatic 5 year contract & a permanent "mark" on the license even after probation is over.
That's terrible. You would think all the states would come up with a GOOD peer program. Addiction is common in the health care field. We aren't bad. We deserve help and a second chance. I think students entering the field need education on these things. I also think peer programs should provide education to healthcare facilities about the up-side to hiring peer nurses
Too bad the "powers that be" in my state don't see it that way.
Catmom :paw:
Catmom: It may not be a lack of sympathy, but a lack of education and funding. Our state added a surcharge to RN renewals to pay for our program. It took a small ad-hoc committee about five years to get a law to mandate reporting and fund the program. Nurses have to get out there and educate the legistators about the need - for the protection of the public. There's not a legislator anywhere that doesn't have some personal connection to the addiction crisis.
Specializes in Impaired Nurse Advocate, CRNA, ER,.
Catmom: It may not be a lack of sympathy, but a lack of education and funding. Our state added a surcharge to RN renewals to pay for our program. It took a small ad-hoc committee about five years to get a law to mandate reporting and fund the program. Nurses have to get out there and educate the legistators about the need - for the protection of the public. There's not a legislator anywhere that doesn't have some personal connection to the addiction crisis.
Someone needs to educate the nurses before they can educate anyone. A majority of health care providers, including MDs and nurses don't know diddly when it comes to this disease. Until the education of health care providers improves at all levels this is going to continue the way it's going. I'm doing the best I can on my end, but it's difficult to force people to attend seminars and workshops about a topic they aren't interested in and actually think they already understand.
Jack, most states DO have alternative programs. So we can assume that some nurses and some legislators have seen the light. Yes, education is so !?@*** slow! But we're talking about what is, usually, a volatile issue for almost everyone because so many children sustain wounds from growing up in families that have substance abuse problems. And they grow up to be adults with some antipathies to addicts. All alternative programs came into existence because a few people had enough fire in their bellies to get these programs up and running. Since addiction is so rampant in society, EVERY nursing student should have some core curriculum dedicated to the subject. It would be a start but only a tiny little baby step.
Specializes in Impaired Nurse Advocate, CRNA, ER,.
Jack, most states DO have alternative programs. So we can assume that some nurses and some legislators have seen the light. Yes, education is so !?@*** slow! But we're talking about what is, usually, a volatile issue for almost everyone because so many children sustain wounds from growing up in families that have substance abuse problems. And they grow up to be adults with some antipathies to addicts. All alternative programs came into existence because a few people had enough fire in their bellies to get these programs up and running. Since addiction is so rampant in society, EVERY nursing student should have some core curriculum dedicated to the subject. It would be a start but only a tiny little baby step.
Amen Su.
Here's a major problem that I've encountered frequently here in my state. While we have an alternative program on the books, very few nurses are granted entry into the program. What good is a program if no one is admitted?
I have 2 suggestions that would have an impact. The first is the same as yours, have mandatory education in all levels of training. The bulk of that training is spent on the pathophysiology of the disease process. The social ramifications could be included in the psychology/sociology curriculum. The risks to the student and the profession could be included in the "professional aspects" lectures.
The second would be a mandatory CEU course in order to renew licensure. That would be a start on getting the folks already licensed the basics and hopefully stimulate further interest.
As I've said before, I have offered several times to speak to my alma mater...no response from the director of the program. I spoke to several individual instructors and they said they already have it in the curriculum (even though several students have told me otherwise). This is not seen as a disease and therefore there is no interest in changing the curriculum.
I was in Michigan's HPRP and it was garbage. Michigan changed its alternative program providers (almost certainly due to monetary considerations) during my contract and lost all my paperwork. Then the new providers said I failed to report. I was sad, sloppy, yet sober at the time and I thought that everything would sort itself out over time. I just gave up. I stayed sober but only because I couldn't bear the thought of disappointing my family again. So I left nursing and took up a $9 per hour job. No obnoxious meetings, no incompetent addictionists, no lazy assed case workers to double my work load. Just me with raw nerves and a family not sure I was able to meet their needs.
That said, I didn't find the program terribly expensive. The urine tests ran $45 and the doctor was $175 quarterly. I could have coughed it up if I had been working as an RN and not a cashier.
I was in Michigan's HPRP and it was garbage. Michigan changed its alternative program providers (almost certainly due to monetary considerations) during my contract and lost all my paperwork. Then the new providers said I failed to report. I was sad, sloppy, yet sober at the time and I thought that everything would sort itself out over time. I just gave up. I stayed sober but only because I couldn't bear the thought of disappointing my family again. So I left nursing and took up a $9 per hour job. No obnoxious meetings, no incompetent addictionists, no lazy assed case workers to double my work load. Just me with raw nerves and a family not sure I was able to meet their needs.
That said, I didn't find the program terribly expensive. The urine tests ran $45 and the doctor was $175 quarterly. I could have coughed it up if I had been working as an RN and not a cashier.
Yes, there are probably fewer caseworkers in every state. Please everybody, KEEP COPIES of all e-mails and paperwork between you and you caseworker. All_over_again, I hope someday that if you want to get back into nursing, you can enlist the psychic energy you'll need. Only you can answer if it is worth it for you. Be well.
It's a great idea to have a program in place, but it needs to be sympathetic to the enrolees rather than treat them as dangerous liabilities. The MI HPRP program is set up so if you sneeze wrong they can say you're not compliant and you won't have any recourse if they accuse you. I'm pretty sure this was done so they can maximize length of "treatment" for their enrolees and so their profits. It seems there are few enrolees that finish their first contract. They call you non-compliant, report you, and make you sign a longer harder contract. I urge anyone who had addiction issues to find health professionals that will treat you without going to HPRP. Don't get them involved if you can help it. Actually I know many cases where patients could have used a good program but delayed treatment because they didn't want to loose their careers by going to HPRP. This program has only served to enlargen the conflict of interest for professional needing help. I don't feel I can ever be honest with any councelor, doctor, etc in fear of them overreacting and reporting me to HPRP. Having such a terrible program such as Michigan's Health Professional Recovery Program is certainly no better than if there wasn't a program in place at all!! My sympathy to the many professional that are caught between this rock and hard place.
I'm saddened to hear of the problems so many have had with their recovery programs through their state BONs. Just let me say that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' SARP (substance abuse recovery program) saved my life, my sanity, and my license when I self reported having been caught diverting. I never felt that I was being treated punitively but compasionately. I complied with what was required of me including meetings, peer support group, random urines at my expense, therapy and all the bells and whistles for five long years. Perhaps that is why it worked so well for me. I even had to take narcotics several times during that period because of major surgeries but was not punished for that. At the end of the five years my record was closed and my license is unblemished. I continued to work in nursing until I retired 1 1/2 years ago. I've now been clean, sober and serene for 18 1/2 years. After reading about other peoples problems here, I'm immensely grateful for having lived in Massachusetts. I wish you all well.
I am glad that you appreciate how lucky you are to have such a program and that you took advantage of it in the best sense to get your life back on track.
I have embraced recovery for almost six years but have been unable to find a job for about the last year due to my probation status. I will probably lose my home and hope that wherever I end up that I can still come online to post. Even when the probation is over, I will forever have a "black mark" on my license.
I am an experienced MDS Coordinator and have been dismayed to be unemployed this long. Well, the skilled nursing world in my city is a small one and my last boss did not like me.
catmom1, BSN, RN
350 Posts
Nebraska has no alternative to discipline even for self-reporting, first time offenders (like me). Automatic 5 year contract & a permanent "mark" on the license even after probation is over.
Catmom :paw: