Related: Addiction, Drug Addiction

I have been a nurse for 15 plus years and was busted halfway through my career for stealing narcotics that were never wasted as a pediatric ER nurse in some of the top ER hospitals in the nation and then later receiving a well deserved felony for writing fraudulent scripts and then doing two years in jail walking out with a destroyed career and nothing [...]

Related: Addiction, appeal, board of nursing

Does anyone know of or have a sample letter to the board for requesting nursing license after a suspension or revocation? Anyone know specifically of an appeal letter after a revocation from not responding to a complaint? TIA

Related: Abuse, Addiction, Anger

Here is my two cent philosophy about the origin of stress in nursing, which causes nurses to abuse alcohol,food,illicit activities and drugs. Caring for other human beings is a privilege and a gift from God. Which I am grateful to do for over 20 years as an RN. I feel pride in the younger people who are excited about joining the profession because they see [...]

Related: Addiction, Drug Addiction, drug screening

I have been a nurse for over a decade and I have worked in a variety of settings throughout my career and one thing I have found to be a universal need within our profession is education about addiction, how to handle it whether it be a patient or one of our own and how to prescribe possible needed medication to that individual. I have [...]

Related: Addiction, Drug Addiction, drug screening

I had surgery a year ago. I occasionally take Oxycontin. my new boss knows about the surgery. The medical reviw Dr. Called and said Oxycontin came up in my urine and wanted to know if I had a script. I said yes and gave him the pharmacy phone no. and the prescription no. and the reason, although he didn't ask for the reason. He said [...]

Related: Addiction, DUI

Will having a recent DUI affect me in getting my RN license or a job after graduation?

Patricia

Related: Addiction, Drug Addiction, Failure, Felony

I was a pediatric ER/Trauma nurse working on a travel assignment in Pittsburgh when I was caught diverting medication.  After I was confronted by the director of the emergency department, I was immediately released from my contract, asked for my badge, and escorted to the door.

Looking back, I realized I could have died.  They should have held me in the hospital-or at least offered me [...]

Related: Addiction, Confidence, Delegation, Drug Addiction, Failure, Fear, Goals, Mistake, NCLEX, Nurse Relationships, Orientee, Perfect Nurse, Stress

As we come to the end of 2008, I thought it would be good for us to do a little RealityRN review.  You know, think about the good, the bad, and the ugly of a year almost gone.

I spent some time reviewing what the "hot topics" have been.  We certainly have covered a lot of ground--that's for sure.  We've talked about drug addiction, the NCLEX [...]

Related: Addiction, Anxiety, Drug Addiction, Embarrassing Moment, NCLEX, Stress

Google is a wonderful thing.

I had been having this weird gunk in my mouth for a few weeks and had no idea what it was. Nor did I want to mention it to anyone because it seemed so bizarre and embarrassing.

So I went to Google. I typed in "white stringy mucous in mouth." (Too much information, I know, but hang in there with [...]

Related: Addiction, Anxiety, Balance, Caregivers, Caring, Compassion Fatigue, Energy, Healthy Living, Motivation, Nurse Support, Spirituality, Stress, Time

“Take care of yourself!” - Wouldn’t it be nice if your job description included this directive?

Unfortunately, nurses, who pour themselves into caring for others, are notorious for self-neglect. There’s no one around to make sure you make “you” a priority.

It’s a conundrum—you know you ought to take better care of yourself, but you don’t. Maybe you’re too tired to care. Maybe you don’t know [...]