I have a very dear friend who is a LPN and has been for 16yrs. she worked very hard to get her license and about 4yrs ago ended up going down the wrong path and became addicted to narcotics. She was caught by her employer and lost her license temporarily, she has sought out treatment and is trying so hard to live with what she has done, she wants to work as a nurse more then anything but fears that no one will hire her. Does anyone know how she could get a job in her field or anyone every gone through something similar? HELP!!
I am an addict, once an addict, always an addict. I went to rehab and met some nurses who had the similar experiences. They all said they wanted to use their experience to help others get sobriety. They worked with programs that helped people detox and get their body back. It seemed to me that they loved their jobs and because of their first hand experience, had a better connection with the patients. I am so grateful to them.
i have a friend who was an addicted nurse for about 25 years. So was his wife. He's sober now and he knows better than to ever put himself in a position where he might be able and tempted to steal prescription drugs.
Maybe your friend should look for a new career. Alcoholics shouldn't work in bars, either.
I too would suggest a new career, somewhere where drugs are not a part of the routine. A lady in Denver gave Hep C to over 40 people because she couldn't stay sober and swapped her dirty needles for the ones pre-filled with drugs. It's just too tempting when you're around the stuff day in/day out.
Maybe she could become a librarian? Maybe meet with a career counselor at the local college. GL to you friend!
I used to work in a nursing home, and there were several nurses who had drug addiction problems. Of course, then she would have access. How about a home health business. I don't know, but it might be more controlled.
Has your friend gotten help for her addiction? There is a reason she was let go by her employer. She needs to go through the proper treatment and help herself before she should be privileged to help others.
It is not the end of the world, but really it is in her best interest to get help.
there is such a shortage of nurses she will find another job! I used to be a CNA and i've seen it all if they didn't take her license permanently she will get another job.
I can't remember what the program is called, but there is a voluntary program (separate from treatment/rehab but often found within the better facilities) that health professionals use in order to regain their licences. A couple of years of monitoring, random UA's, etc.
Hazelden is probably the single biggest place that health professionals go to for treatment (from all over the country), and they're even local to you! <grinning> as in they're in WI and OR... not sure how far distance-wise within the state. They should be able to answer any and all of your friend's q's.
Here's a link to them
http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/adulttxthealthcarepro....
To know ... I know many MANY nurses and doctors (of ALL specialties from NICU to Surgery) that are at various points in their own recovery (aka, brand new and still monitored to decades clean), some "caught" some not. It's a common problem in healthcare. It will probably make getting a job more difficult, but not impossible by any means. Not even impossible to stay in her specialty.
