[spark808]

Hi everyone one.. new member here from California.. I am currently finishing up my prereqs for nursing school but I am very concerned that I might not be able to get into a nursing school or take the board exam because I just got my second dui about a month ago. I do not believe that I have a problem with alcohol but I do know that I have made some very careless and dangerous choices. I regret that these incidences have happened but I believe that I have learned from my mistakes and will never make these misjudgments again. In both of my arrests there was no accident involved and nobody was hurt. Do you think it would still be a smart idea to pursue this career as a registered nurse? I really feel like i could do well as a nurse but im scared that they wont accept me.. please help!!

[AmandaWIRN]

Check with your state's board of nursing and with your school's nursing program. They can give you a better idea of if or how your DUI's will affect your getting into nursing school or getting licensed as an RN.

[lpRN13108]

Hello California,
I am also a newbie to this site from Maine. I immediately identified with your situation. I too used to be just someone who used bad judgement a few times when it came to alcohol but I never caused injury to anyone or anything. "I did not have a drinking problem"I completed nursing school in 1997 and went to work as a pediatric nurse in an MD office. I only drank occasionally on weekends..BUT when I drank I didn't stop til my body stopped me in some way. I continued to work as a nurse and be a wife and mom to 2 kids. I landed a job in a cardiologist office that was "loosely" run where some how they had obtained lots of med samples for percocet. I started creating reasons why the aches and pains..toothaches,leg pain from being on my feet etc. were valid reasons to help myself to the samples, after all they didn't belong to anyone,I wasn't diverting meds from a pt. just easing my pain so I could do my job. It wasn't long til I was taking them several times a day and had trouble thinking or getting out of bed in the morning. I soon lost that job but before I left I made sure I took all the samples so I could get through til I could find a dentist to give me more narcotics Of course I blamed the the Dr for losing my job, which I argued with her about in a crowded waiting room full of patients. This cycle went on for about 2 1/2 years
until I felt like I was losing my mind. All I did was cry,scream,and sleep. I moved from Florida back to Maine in an effort to find a geographical cure for the way I was feeling because I was sure it was because I was so far away from my family and friends. I felt a bit better being around them but it did NOTHING for my alcohol and substance use. I quickly found a "sympathetic" Dr. who prescribed vicodin and my family could easily be persuaded to give me their meds. Some how I was able to keep working as a Home Health nurse, To this day I am not sure how I managed my pts. and driving but I did. In Aug 2005 I contracted Lyme disease which might sound bad to you but it was a secret blessing to me because now I had a REAL reason to need drugs. The disease causes anxiety and sleep disorder so my Dr. was more than happy to keep me well stocked with xanax and vicodin..For a couple years this kept me happy but in Dec. we had some financial struggles which caused marital disputes and I realized that alcohol and xanax together made the hopeless feeling go away. I did that for 2 months passing out during the day and the night and waking up to drink more to go back to sleep again. Finally on Jan 31,2008 even though I had a wonderful husband and 2 beautiful children my brain told me I was too unhappy to live anymore. I took a lethal overdose of xanax and tylenol PM and barely survived. I woke up the next morning in the SCU wondering what in the hell I was thinking. Those thoughts were quickly replaced with the crisis nurse explaining my impending commitment to a psych. facility. All I could think was how could I do this to my kids,my husband,my family,and my nursing career. I spent 6 days in treatment inpatient the first 3 blaming EVERYTHING on the effects of xanax and how as an RN I would be very cautious with my patients who take it. Of course I wasn't a drug addict just a victim of medicine or so I told my shrink. They refused to d/c me and told me to stop and think about the last few months and my behaviors and actions. I realized that I had created situations and delusions that helped me justify my need for more and more drugs and alcohol. I began remembering things I had done in the past and things that had happened to me and suddenly I realized that I was an addict who had been self medicating since my early teens. I can remember back then saying my life is not out of control like those alcoholics I've met who can't even sleep without being drunk..but 24 years later I became the person who is powerless over drugs and alcohol whose life has become unmanageable.
I'm sharing this with you because I would not be at this place if I had not ignored the fact that I had a problem with control when I was 15. I'm not saying that you are an alcoholic or that you need intervention don't misunderstand me and I definately think you will be able to get into nursing school..they may req. you to attend sobriety classes or some other req. though. I just hope you take a moment to think about your life and decisions you have made..If you see a self destructive pattern get some help before you try to start a nursing career or you will set yourself up for failure like I did. I can now only work telephonic disease management from home because I can't trust myself around meds ..I guess I'm lucky to be able to be a nurse at all..Luckily I never got caught on the job...and hopefully by the Grace of God I never will either.
best of luck with your nursing career!
lp