Surrendered license...moving out of state

[MMM62]

Hello everyone...Hoping someone has some nifty info on this subject. I voluntarily surrendered my R.N. license 3 yrs after being placed on restriction (such an idiot I was) I live in MS and will be relocating to another state...which one...not sure. Does anybody know if a license can be reactivated (knowing I will be on restriction again) if I move to another state? Anyone encountered this? Any info GREATLY appreciated....have a great week all!!!

[hppygr8ful]

Originally Posted by MMM62

Hello everyone...Hoping someone has some nifty info on this subject. I voluntarily surrendered my R.N. license 3 yrs after being placed on restriction (such an idiot I was) I live in MS and will be relocating to another state...which one...not sure. Does anybody know if a license can be reactivated (knowing I will be on restriction again) if I move to another state? Anyone encountered this? Any info GREATLY appreciated....have a great week all!!!

I have seen people here in California who surrenderd their licenses or were revoked in another state who are on probation here . I think you have to have your case reopened in your home state then transferred to the state in which you currently reside!

Not sure how this all works but contacting the state BON where you currently are would be a start!

Good Luck

Hppy

[MMM62]

Thank you so much for your reply and info....yes...it does appear the best way is to contact the good ole B.O.N. Thank you again....

[cougarnurse]

Don't forget that the State BON's are listed in their respective State Forums here on the site.

'Cat'

[amberdouglas]

Just a word of warning to you first...
when i was in nursing school we were required to go and watch a bon hearing in my home state. ANd there was a girl that that had her license suspended, and she was in recovery for 2 years, she requsted from the board to have her case moved to OK so she could work there, she moved there as well. Well, to make a long story short, she didn't bring any "proof" with her that she had been recovered for 2 years, and the board ended up revoking her license permantly instead while she was there.

[Daisy355]

I realize this is an old thread but I just recently joined and hope someone reading will benefit from it. How long has it been since you surrendered your license in MS? I do not know for sure, but I know if your license is suspended or revoked OIG steps in and that is nationwide, which is something for you to look into before you move. OIG did not contact me til a good 8 months after I moved, but my license had been suspended not surrendered.

Now, I will explain to you why my license was suspended and hope you do not have to do deal with this as well.... we are all aware of the types of things we as recovering nurses have done to get us here, but it really all depends on the nursing boards as to what is done to you. I was shocked that not all states have independent Diversion Programs and not all states will work with other states' diversion programs. In other words, they don't want to be responsible for letting a recovering nurse practice under their states license based on the nurse working a program of recovery in another state.

When I discovered this I was already in my new state and expecting happily that everything would transfer. My initial states' program dropped me, they could not monitor me from so far away. They told me to go through my new states recovery program since I would be working there and they would accept compliance reports every 3 months.

I completed all my stuff for the second state turned in all my "New" evals from local docs, therapists, etc in a timely fashion, But because this state Board only had 2 meetings a year (yes that is right, 2 Board meetings a year!) months passed before they got to me. (Their diversion/discipline program was not "separate" from their Board whereas some states contract a separate entity. MOVE TO ONE OF THOSE STATES, LOL) I kept good records and good contact with my first program, and they gave me as much latitude as they could, BUT because so much time had passed they had to close my file and sent it to the BON, which resulted in a suspended license. OIG also suspended my priveleges because of this.

By the time the other state got to me 8 months later... all they saw was that I was suspended in another state, I even explained why, and they said they also had to put me into suspension because I was suspended in my initial state of licensure and "failed" my monitoring program. They said the only thing I could do was clear things up with that state before they could help me. I had no relapses, and was seeing my counselor like I was told and going to meetings. My counselor was drug testing me periodically.

I was stuck and they put me into discipline (but not actual monitoring) for a year. This was the same thing as monitoring with meetings, evals, drug screens,etc. like I was already doing. When this was finished I petitioned the their Board. They could not reinstatement me or let me into their program, BUT, their head of Monitoring phoned my initial state and told them I was completely compliant with them.

This is when they FINALLY let me in to their monitoring program. They took into consideration my time sober and my history of compliance (by this time it was over 2 years later). They monitored me from afar with no issues. While they were monitoring me, though, I discovered the state I was living in would not take their compliance reports. I had to start their program from scratch when I was done in the first state (now at 3 1/2 years)... I am not making this up.

OIG had revoked my priveleges after suspension in first state, but I am now reinstated there too. Finally, I am able to work in this state with far more restrictions that my previous state, because I am being treated as someone who has relapsed/etc because my licenses were suspended and I didn't go into the diversion program immediately.

Please anyone who is considering moving to work another state, know exactly what the policies are in both states programs, AND GET IT IN WRITING. Document every conversation....

This was a horrendous experience and I shared it so you wouldn't move and cross your fingers. With all this time having passed, I could not work as a nurse, nor anywhere else related to healthcare (without OIG benefits). I was extremely frustrated and gave up on being a nurse for a good deal of time. Then one day I woke up and decided that I am still a nurse whether or not I am practicing. When I stated my very first job another nurse told me that I was a nurse even before I started nursing school, and that is something that I never forgot. It is so true. Whether we knew from childhood, or junior high, or even decided in college, nursing is a calling. It takes a special kind of person to be a nurse in the first place and we are not immune to the mistakes the rest of the world makes, we are just required to be more accountable for them. Don't give up, you persevered through nursing school, even made it INTO nursing school. You have what it takes.

[hppygr8ful]

Originally Posted by Daisy355

I realize this is an old thread but I just recently joined and hope someone reading will benefit from it. How long has it been since you surrendered your license in MS? I do not know for sure, but I know if your license is suspended or revoked OIG steps in and that is nationwide, which is something for you to look into before you move. OIG did not contact me til a good 8 months after I moved, but my license had been suspended not surrendered.

Now, I will explain to you why my license was suspended and hope you do not have to do deal with this as well.... we are all aware of the types of things we as recovering nurses have done to get us here, but it really all depends on the nursing boards as to what is done to you. I was shocked that not all states have independent Diversion Programs and not all states will work with other states' diversion programs. In other words, they don't want to be responsible for letting a recovering nurse practice under their states license based on the nurse working a program of recovery in another state.

When I discovered this I was already in my new state and expecting happily that everything would transfer. My initial states' program dropped me, they could not monitor me from so far away. They told me to go through my new states recovery program since I would be working there and they would accept compliance reports every 3 months.

I completed all my stuff for the second state turned in all my "New" evals from local docs, therapists, etc in a timely fashion, But because this state Board only had 2 meetings a year (yes that is right, 2 Board meetings a year!) months passed before they got to me. (Their diversion/discipline program was not "separate" from their Board whereas some states contract a separate entity. MOVE TO ONE OF THOSE STATES, LOL) I kept good records and good contact with my first program, and they gave me as much latitude as they could, BUT because so much time had passed they had to close my file and sent it to the BON, which resulted in a suspended license. OIG also suspended my priveleges because of this.

By the time the other state got to me 8 months later... all they saw was that I was suspended in another state, I even explained why, and they said they also had to put me into suspension because I was suspended in my initial state of licensure and "failed" my monitoring program. They said the only thing I could do was clear things up with that state before they could help me. I had no relapses, and was seeing my counselor like I was told and going to meetings. My counselor was drug testing me periodically.

I was stuck and they put me into discipline (but not actual monitoring) for a year. This was the same thing as monitoring with meetings, evals, drug screens,etc. like I was already doing. When this was finished I petitioned the their Board. They could not reinstatement me or let me into their program, BUT, their head of Monitoring phoned my initial state and told them I was completely compliant with them.

This is when they FINALLY let me in to their monitoring program. They took into consideration my time sober and my history of compliance (by this time it was over 2 years later). They monitored me from afar with no issues. While they were monitoring me, though, I discovered the state I was living in would not take their compliance reports. I had to start their program from scratch when I was done in the first state (now at 3 1/2 years)... I am not making this up.

OIG had revoked my priveleges after suspension in first state, but I am now reinstated there too. Finally, I am able to work in this state with far more restrictions that my previous state, because I am being treated as someone who has relapsed/etc because my licenses were suspended and I didn't go into the diversion program immediately.

Please anyone who is considering moving to work another state, know exactly what the policies are in both states programs, AND GET IT IN WRITING. Document every conversation....

This was a horrendous experience and I shared it so you wouldn't move and cross your fingers. With all this time having passed, I could not work as a nurse, nor anywhere else related to healthcare (without OIG benefits). I was extremely frustrated and gave up on being a nurse for a good deal of time. Then one day I woke up and decided that I am still a nurse whether or not I am practicing. When I stated my very first job another nurse told me that I was a nurse even before I started nursing school, and that is something that I never forgot. It is so true. Whether we knew from childhood, or junior high, or even decided in college, nursing is a calling. It takes a special kind of person to be a nurse in the first place and we are not immune to the mistakes the rest of the world makes, we are just required to be more accountable for them. Don't give up, you persevered through nursing school, even made it INTO nursing school. You have what it takes.

One thing recovoery has taught me is not to blame my situations on anyone else. That anything I had to go through was the fault of the actions I did while in my disease. Today 5 years sober I still run into incredible predujice from people who don't understand the disease. I agree you should know what you are getting into before transferring states and it's always best to complete your diversion/disciplinary program in the state where you began. One f the things we addicts do is make rash decisions that are not always well thought out. That's because we want what we want right now! Plus we don't particularly like other people telling us what to do.

When I was in diversion I was told by my sponsor(another nurse in recovery) to just do what I was told and if that meant putting my life, career vacations, home purchases etc... on hold for 3 to 5 years so be it.

While in Diversion I met a nurse who had been an LVN - got suspended, went toschool to become an RN, then found out she couldn't get a license until she completed what amounted to 3 concurrent programs. She was monitored for a total of 14 years. The point is that no matter how many monitoring programs you are in it won't matter if you are truely working a program of recovery. Even if you are not being monitored at this time I tell every nurse I meet at a meeting to keep signed attendance cards. If you ever have to prove you've been going to meetinings you'll be glad you took this advice.

Peace and Namaste

Hppy