Please share any resources you have throughout the State of California to assist nurses in completing required mandates of Intervention (Diversion) and Probation Programs. All comments are anonymous. You are welcome to leave your name but it is certainly not necessary.
Being in Diversion and Probation can evoke strong feelings. Please explore and verbalize those feelings at an alternative location and with appropriate people who can guide you through the process. It is respectfully requested that comments posted at this site remain of a positive and supportive nature to nurses because that is what nurses are in need of.
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I would not use Von Stieff again. I used him as the addictionologist. He was easy, his staff welcoming, but he rushed our meeting, wouldn’t let me talk, wouldn’t let me give any context, put words in my mouth, magnified things ridiculously, and he was so spastic that I was sitting there thinking to myself, “this guy has done drugs in his lifetime.” He displays pressured speach, and is very spastic, and doesn’t seem to hear or listen to what you are saying. It was frustrating. I don’t know what his life history is but that was the thought going through my mind while being “interviewed” by him. Whatever you do, do not tell him you have a prescription for norco or ever had one! This guy hears you took Norco 2 years ago and all of a sudden you are a drug addict! He’s grilling you and telling you that’s how addiction starts and it’s dangerous, most of the people in his clinic started out on pain killers, etc. Ummmm…yea I’m aware of the statistics. I used to take one or two pills a week which is why I discontinued my prescription due to pack of need. I told him this and he wouldn’t listen! Kept talking down to me as if I was at risk for addiction if not already! I said, “I’m not here for painkillers, I’m here because of one random DUI over three years ago. I don’t even take that medication anymore so it’s a non-issue…I take Advil now.” Well he reported to the BRN that I was basically at risk and I should not be allowed a prescription for norco or any other opiates and that he recommended an outpatient intervention program. I was pissed! Now I was being forced by the BRN to find an outpatient program I didn’t need for supposed possible addictions I didn’t have; more money out of my pocket, more anxiety due to more hoops to jump through, etc. Is he easy sure. Will he get the job done sure. Does he give an honest thorough assessment based on interviewing you….HELL NO! Save your money and go to someone else. I was literally in his office for 15 min although he told the BRN in his report I was there for like an hr. Isn’t that misleading and falsifying a medical report? It certainly isn’t truthful or ‘ethically correct’ to lie on such a report that will affect the future path of your patient! I called his office very upset and demanded an explanation and the answer he gave to his receptionist to give to me was basically, ‘tough. Deal with it; I’m not changing my assessment.’ those obviously aren’t the exact words but essentially the message given. Thank you to the person putting this site together. The BRN refuses to give any real education to those in probation as they consider it enforcement and they are, “not here to coddle people.” So having info like this is exceptionally helpful and I wish I saw it when I first started out almost two years ago. I truly believe we as nurses need to band together and demand our politicians get involved and stop the Gestapo tactics of the BRN. It’s fine to regulate us, punish those of us who deserve it, but many of us made a mistake and are not criminals nor should we be treated as such. Also, we need to demand punishments commensurate with the “crime” we are being punished for. First offenses should be more lenient and used as warnings. Trust me…after a year in this program I certainly would have gotten the point and certainly would look at choices around me differently. If I committed another offense after that then 3-5 yrs would be much more acceptable. We need change people and we can only do that if we stand as one. Every nurse across California in this program or not because all those not in this program are also at risk of finding themselves in this program because of an honest mistake in judgement. As far as probation is concerned those mistakes are most likely away from work and have no impact on our patients and should be looked at less harshly then those issues that are patient related such as intoxication at work, diverting meds, etc. As for Von Stieff; put your money to better use and go somewhere else.