What's the benefit of self reporting to tpapn?

Omaapecm, ASN, RN · Aug 9, 2015

Would really need more information to answer! What are the circumstamces

sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN · Aug 10, 2015

Yes, more information , needed.

if related to diverting.....and if you honestly have a problem...access recovery as 12step meetings asap, or professional intervention if warranted......Most advise seeking attorney experienced in administrative law as dealing with BON etc.

bookjunkie · Aug 10, 2015

In my state the answer is self-report. I got a lawyer and it was a waste of money. The board of nursing is concerned with protecting the public and the first thing they want to see is that you admit you have a problem. "Fighting" them with a lawyer is pointless if you've got a problem and it has gotten to the point that it's affecting you professionally. I can tell you from experience that starting recovery on your own ASAP and self reporting looks better than anything else.

Good luck â¤ï¸â¤ï¸

TXRNC · Aug 10, 2015

If it was diversion,impaired at work, positive test thing like that you they will report. Now the benefits of self reporting are the BON sees you take ownership of the problem and the plan to fix it and also you could be waiting for the ax to fall for a week ,month ,year or you can report do your work up start meetings and get started in recovery do your time and be done with it your choice.

odaat · Aug 10, 2015

The benefit of self reporting for me is that I do not have a public knowledge online board order to go to monitoring; by the time the BON got around to me I had already been in monitoring 6 months so all I got from them is a letter saying i was given a stay of discipline contingent on continued compliance with monitoring. Others in my state that waited and went for a board hearing have the whole business posted on their online license look up.

Big Blondie, ASN, BSN, MSN, APRN · Aug 11, 2015

Gets you started in what is inevitable. Also when job searching it is reassuring to say I self referred. Taking responsibility goes a long way. Good luck!

verybadkitty · Aug 11, 2015

In addition to all the other things that have been said, you also can say in job interviews that you self-reported. "I reported myself" sounds a lot better than "they reported me."

Biosphere · Aug 21, 2015

They give give great value to those that independently intiate the recovery process and have the documentation to back it up. It will definitely be a positive influence and you will get reported regardless of your actions anyway.

catsmeow1972, BSN, RN · Aug 23, 2015

I self reported relating to a mental health issue. Said mental health issue involved a single instance of diversion. Okay, so that bought me a seat in my state's diversion program. Sucks, totally inappropriate, but just is. While yes I am/was in need of treatment to address the mental health issue, the one-size-fits-all approach did me more harm than good. By self-reporting before anyone else did, I thought I was doing the right thing. Boy, was I ever wrong!! I understand that there are consequences to my actions, regardless of why I acted thus, but this has morphed into a nightmare that I honestly believe is not monitoring, but punishment (and a very lucrative one to those running these programs too.) Not only did I get shunted into the drug/alcohol recovery industry and all of the unsavoriness that accompanies it, the depression issue was not addressed in any way. I was treated for a problem that I did not have and not treated for one that I did. I am doing better now but that is no thanks to the BON, etc. By the time the BON got a hold of the issue, I had already swam through the sewage of their one-size-fits-all mentality and settled into a contract etc. I could rage on about how ridiculous it all is, but that is not germane to my point here. Just when I had come to terms with the fact that I was going to be treated like a criminal for the next 4+ years, the BON strikes!! When they sent me a "settlement agreement" that required me to report to the program and do what they directed, I thought, ok fine, I already have, long time since. So over the ensuing months, I (and my lawyer) went around and around with the DOH, the BON and the AD program, trying to point out the obvious. We were soundly ignored. Come the meeting, (which I could not attend because it was one, a 5 hour drive away and two, way too expensive to drag my attorney there. 18 months of unemployment really puts a dent in the savings.) when there were supposedly representatives from the program present, NOBODY apparently spoke up and said I was already doing this and had been for a long time. So the board proceeds to SUSPEND my license, until I comply with their order to do the AD program. I have been trying to get across to them that I already have! and this is unnecessary. All these people seem to do is rubber stamp stuff without really considering how much damage they are doing. While this is probably just a bureaucratic snafu, my license still shows suspended out there, for all the world to see and I stand a very real chance of losing my job. I certainly cannot work until it is fixed it and if the time they take to do anything else is an indication, then my job, with a company that was willing to take a chance on me, probably is history. When used inappropriately, I am not sure that these "alternative to discipline" programs do anything besides ruin a person financially, drive them into the ground make them sorry they ever entered the nursing field. It's sure done the first two to me.

So, with a nod to the other responders, my recommendation is to get a lawyer before you do ANYTHING, including make that first phone call to them. I wish I had.

So with my story in mind, good luck to you in whatever you decide to do, and I sincerely hope that your experience is not any where near as traumatic as mine.

catsmeow1972, BSN, RN · Aug 23, 2015

You are very fortunate in that it worked out this way. I self reported and did all I was told to and had been in the program for nearly 18 months when the board got a hold of me. I got no letter or even any acknowledgement to my repeated efforts to inform them of my voluntary participation. I had even sent them a letter asking for a stay contingent on continued monitoring compliance. That was ignored too. They just suspended my license like I had never had any contact with the AD program ever. The program representatives said nothing to them at the meeting. They claim they advocate for impaired nurses? I call horse manure on that one. Now I have to fix this one, and for once, I didn't do anything wrong! Oh and yes, it is splattered all over the internet for any and everyone to see. See my long rant below for a few more details.

TXRN2 · Aug 23, 2015

@ catsmeow- I "liked" your posts above- not because I like what has happened to you, but because the truth needs to be posted for those new to the recovery process. I am so sorry about what has happened to you- it is most unfortunate & detrimental to you- having only tried to do the right thing for yourself & your nursing career. I can only hope & pray for a positive outcome in the long run for you.....