"I am writing this because I am irritated that in the nursing field if you receive a DUI during your off duty time it can (and usually will) seriously affect your career. I have a colleague who has been nursing for over 40 years, they have never put patients in danger, and have never been intoxicated on shift. Yet this person receives a DUI and the BON immediately treats this person as if they are the scum of the earth."
First, with all of the ads about drinking and driving it's pretty tough to say "I didn't know..."
Second, anytime a person drives while under the influence of a mood altering chemical, whether it's alcohol, prescription medications (opioids, sedatives, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, etc.), or illegal drugs (marijuana, cocaine/crack, amphetamines/methamphetamines, heroin, etc.) it's a sign of poor judgment. Not the type of judgment I want to see in a health care professional caring for me or my loved ones.
More importantly, a DUI is an overt sign of a serious problem with substance abuse or chemical dependence and should be referred or court ordered to treatment.
According to the website "DUI Foundation" (http://www.duifoundation.org/):
On average, the first time drunk driving offender has driven drunk 87 times prior to being arrested.
According to Rebekka S. Palmer, Ph.D., Yale University School of Medicine, and Mary E. Larimer, Ph.D.,University of Washington: in a press release on March 26, 2007:
Most first-time offenders for driving while intoxicated need help for more than just alcohol
* Driving while intoxicated (DWI) is a significant public-health problem in the US.
* New findings indicate that many first-time DWI offenders also have high rates of other substance-use disorders as well as other psychiatric disorders.
* Intervention programs may need to provide enhanced services to help this more severe subtype of DWI offenders.
Also in that press release:
"We found that 42 percent of first-time DUI offenders reported a lifetime history of drug abuse or dependence," Palmer said in a news release. "Marijuana abuse or dependence was the most prevalent, followed by hallucinogen abuse or dependence, and then cocaine abuse or dependence. Approximately 30 percent of the participants also indicated a lifetime history of anxiety or mood disorder. Social phobia was the most frequent anxiety diagnosis, and major depression was the most common mood disorder."
It always makes me shake my head when I hear the "what you do in your private life shouldn't affect your license" argument. When the things you do in your personal life are illegal or show poor judgment, the licensing agency has a duty to investigate. Their job is to protect the public from professionals who are unsafe. A professional who drives under the influence is declaring loud and clear "I make poor decisions regarding controlled substances and the welfare of others" (not to mention their own welfare).
Chemical dependence is a disease that alters the brain which alters perception, learning, and decision making. Active alcoholics/addicts are incapable of seeing they have the disease...it's called pathological denial. There are very few truly recovering individuals who would agree with the argument that a DUI should be ignored by the licensing boards. We've been there and know exactly how out of control we were before we entered treatment, and we don't want to see others go through the same living hell we've been through. While we aren't responsible for having the disease of dependence, we all MUST accept full responsibility for our recovery.
The person who struggles with substance abuse or chemical dependence usually faces an intervention before they will seek treatment. That intervention can take one of the following forms:
- Planned by family, friends or colleagues.
- An arrest and/or conviction for a DUI or diversion from work.
- Accidental overdose or trauma as a result of an accident, domestic violence or other criminal activity.
- Or death
Hopefully someone will love and respect the addict enough to perform an intervention.
If you know of someone who may be dealing with substance abuse or addiction, contact me for assistance in obtaining help before a consequence occurs that can't be remedied.
jack@jackstem.com or call me at 513-833-4584. All contact is confidential.
Don't forget to attend the nursing workshops on Nursing Law (by LaTonia Denise Wright, RN, BSN, JD) and The Impaired Nurse by yours truly. They begin next Monday March 30, at 6:00 PM. Seating is limited, so call to reserve your seat. Fee is $20.00 at the door (cash only please...receipt provided). Contact me at the resources listed above.
MARCH 30, 2009
Substance Abuse and Addiction in Nursing: The Profession’s Response
6pm-7pm
2009 RN Renewal Application and the Ohio Board of Nursing
7pm-8pm
Location:
Panera Bread
405 East Kemper Road
Springdale, Ohio 45246
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