Daily quote

"Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars.  You have to let go at some point in order to move forward."   ~  C.S. Lewis

Isaih 54:17 "No weapon formed against me shall prosper.  And every tongue that rises against me in judgement You shall condemn.  For this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord."



This passage from the Holy Bible was very powerful for me during the time I went through an investigation and the process to be cleared.  I met an African American Pastor during that period and she used to sing this passage and rock with it.  There was not standing still and it was a very powerful exercise not only physically to move and be in motion with the words but it sinks in deep and makes the connection with the mind, heart and body.  Try it and see for yourself.  Of course you can use any quote that is meaningful to you.  Sharing what has helped me will help those of you who have felt the despair that is natural but you can shed the negativity through using this positive affirmation.
I will post a daily quote each day.  As I have shared I have only just begun to stabilize and have difficulties still.  I wanted to spread my roots so to speak and focus on writing and supporting nurses undergoing state board discipline.  I want you to know that prayers and positive thoughts are with you to add the intention to your struggle that you will overcome the obstacles ahead.  Unlike a charge that would be brought before a criminal or civil court where you would be considered innocent until proven guilty, when faced with the State Board of Nursing you are guilty.  The process will take time and you will have to stay with it each day until you move through it.
Take care of yourself and know that others are in the same boat and can connect with you during this time.  You can use the acronym NUSBD (nurses undergoing state board discipline) to find connect on www.meetup.com  You have to do the local organizing yourselves and I send my very best wishes to each and every one of you as always.
lawrencerita511@gmail.com

Trust in your ability to get through the process and be happy.

In the West we have great value for justice and people's right to work and yet I see a trend with nurses who go through the investigation and disciplinary system with the Board of Nursing unable to get these rights met. People often prejudge nurses who are put under investigation resulting in being marginalized in their personal as well as professional lives.  Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) has recently posted information regarding how the system works for most people who are ten times more likely to be tried by an agency than a court.  The rules are different as information is withheld from the person who is accused.  Many nurses are unable to pay the fees for legal representation or are unaware that they can and surrender their licenses.  The fear factor plays an enormous part and if they are unused to being approached in a manner which is forceful from my own experience they succumb to their fear.
I have a more positive vision for how this process can be done if nurses will stand up for themselves and their right to protect their license and ability to work.  Rep. Tony Shipley (R-TN) has recognized that there is a need to protect licenses and he passed a law to have the SBRN report to a committee within 74 hours of any suspension or revocation.  This means that the agency has then to explain and provide grounds for this level of intervention.  I will be interested to see if there are changes in the number of licenses that are suspended or revoked since this law was passed.  He also introduced a law which has the SBRN report any fines over $1,000.  For most people this is a lot of money especially during a time of crisis and not being able to earn income.  Most of the state board of nursing websites do not report fines but ones which I have visited have fines ranging from a few hundred dollars to ten thousand!
I advise any nurse to contact his/her MP or State Representative to disclose the charges and how you were approached.  All details are important for politicians to learn how the process is handled and the impact it has had on the individual nurse.  Many I think are in fear and are shamed by being on a list that is mailed out to all license holders statewide.  For most people this type of public humiliation is overwhelming and degrading.  I encourage nurses to come out of the corner and be strong and confident in his/her ability to go through the process and stand tall.  Florence Nightingale shone a light and I want you to keep shining yours. Florence Nightingale is considered the Mother of Nursing and in fact did not want licensing bodies.  Perhaps seeing a powerful establishment that is removed from the realities of nursing practice which would not have been the case if those responsible who were closer to the nurse and environment in which he/she worked were decision makers.  The trend for revocations has increased over the past five years and with the present care setting it is unlikely to reverse.
Some practical and supportive advice for nurses undergoing state board discipline:
1. I always have to make it clear that I have great faith in One Creator and to turn to the One you know and call Him by name to assist and guide you through the process.  Sometimes it is during times of stress and personal challenge that we become clearer about our relationship with God and rely totally on Him to help us through a crisis.  This is your time to learn that and accept who you are and trust in your ability to draw upon this inner strength and power.  Don't let go and give up but know each day you will go a little further and deeper because the Power that you are drawing from is far greater than any human factor.
2. On the metaphysical level see the situation as being of equal size or smaller than yourself and breath deeply to abate any fear.  Learn to enjoy life with this hanging over your head because you will learn to trust your ability to move forward.
3.  Fear is about as negative an experience as we can experience and it doesn't serve us at all.  We are far removed from the evolution of man when the fight or flight mode of response reacted as quickly as our knee jerk response does today.  We have a higher brain and if we retrain our thoughts to pause and train our mind to think positive thoughts we shall be less likely to continue to feel fear.  Write down what you think and if that is true.  Ask yourself what your Higher Power's teachings are for the content of your thinking and what he/she would do in the same situation.  Pray and write down what comes up from your inner intuition about the situation and rest assured that you are being guided.
4.  I highly recommend that nurses connect by way of www.meetup.com  Mother Teresa said that it is better to connect person to person than to wait for leaders.  Studies have shown that supporting others improves well being through increasing certain hormones.  Once you befriend someone you can share the experience being mindful to make sure that you don't disclose details that should be kept between yourself and your lawyer.  Perhaps small groups will be able to help stabilize any nurses who are more vulnerable because of the investigation period being prolonged for instance.  It will be interesting to hear from nurses and share stories about how lives are changed and uplifted because of this experience.  Transcendence is always possible despite how tragic and stressful the situation is.
5.  Make sure that you do the very practical things that will help you survive the process.  Legal advice and representation is a must and researching for a lawyer who is specialized in license law is essential.  Keep a notebook with you to got down any information where ever you are is helpful to your case.
6.  Rest and relaxation are important.  I recommend that you meditate daily.  There are instructions on the website that I follow that I find works very well www.TonySamara.org  Attend Church or any other type of spiritual meetings you are draw to.  Take up yoga which helps to relax the body and gain an inner equilibrium.  Walk in nature and enjoy time in solitude.  Perhaps you have been used to being around people everyday and now find that you are alone.  Turn the experience into a positive on by viewing it as a time for self contemplation and journaling.  Keep a daily journal and note thoughts and feelings that arise.  When a negative thought arises jot it down and the feeling that you experienced.  You will then become aware of how negative thoughts bring you down and start to have positive thoughts.  It's a choice we have and we can either be unhappy and feel bad or work on ourselves until we get it right.
7.  Sleep is necessary and I recommend that you don't turn to pills to make you sleep but rather set up a routine such as bathing before bed and drinking hot milk which has a natural sedative.  Daily exercise should help make the body tired and ready for rest also.  You can meditate as you are going to sleep and that helps focus the mind and let it calm down.  Repeat the name of God inside and focus your attention between the eyes.  You will find the instructions on the above website.
8.  Don't worry, be happy should become your motto.  Repeat it as you walk around.  Feel and believe that you don't have to worry and feel the difference when you choose to be happy!
My thoughts are with each and everyone of you are you learn to adjust and stand up for your right to defend your license and work.
Please feel free to contact me lawrencerita511@gmail.com as I am always happy to hear from those who are undergoing state board discipline.  Always in my heart and prayers.

What you think will impact your actions and life.

http://www.brucelipton.com/bruce-event/change-your-mind-transformational-dialogue-radio
Dr. Bruce Lipton has specialized in an area of psychology called Behavioral Epigonetics (Biology of Beliefs) which deals with the mind's influence over our body's genetics and can cause disease as well as reverse and cure disease depending on the kinds of thoughts and emotions we emit.  As I have proposed before you have a choice to use your time wisely as you make adjustments in your life and gather resources to work through licensing issues with the State Board.  The above link will open up to a radio program that is scheduled to start on June 18th and I hope you will tune in and learn how to control your mind and make it work for you.

You may say to yourself that the problem is so overpowering that you won't be successful in defending yourself which may mean not being able to keep your license and ability to earn a living.  Find time each day for meditation and find the still place inside.  Try starting with fifteen minutes a day and increase to one hour.  Sit in the same place at the same time if possible.  Tell your mind that you are going to meditate and it will also get used to co-operating with your new behavior.  Keep a journal and write down thoughts that come up after your meditation and at the end of each day write down thoughts that were negative and see whether they were valid or coming from a base of fear of negative core beliefs about yourself and your ability to manage the problems that your are facing.
You can go online and download Cognitive Behavioral forms that help organize your thought monitoring.  This is important to do and where you feel there is a negative core belief work on it through positive affirmations, exploring deeper into its meaning related to your past etc.  You will feel freed from a lot of negative emotional baggage that you don't need hindering you now that you are going to see yourself as worthy and having the ability and scope of knowledge to pull together the resources to defend your license.
For nurses in each state I recommend setting up groups on MeetUp.com to get together for support.  Be aware not to share sensitive information to your particular case but having other nurses who can share with you is a good thing.

"Keep praying and walking," was something that Black people used to say when times were harsh.

This life is one in which we all experience ups and downs that can come in many forms.  For nurses undergoing state board discipline it comes as a huge dilemma to  a person's self-worth, professional standing and economic well being that can have a negative effect on his/her mental or physical well-being.  This challenge leaves a person feeling disempowered and overwhelmed by the magnitude of the entity (State Board of Nursing) whose power to tread over your career path and crush your livelihood is in their hands.  Doctors feel a similar dread of dealing with licensing boards and although things can work out and the board may view that they were not threatening they do in fact threaten those who are called before them.
Not being along during the legal process in important and no matter what people assume or try to do to distance themselves from you professionally it's important that you keep reaffirming your self-worth and go deeper into another type of experience that you might not have done before - explore your spiritual connection with God/Universe or whatever term fits your conceptions best but take the opportunity to go deeper and become freer as a result.  Join a Meditation group and this provides instruction and support to silence the mind and connect with your heart and soul and rid your inner psyche of the junk that has been carried around inside that never seems to go unless this kind of intense delving takes place.  It's not a cognitive process as that leads to more distance from your real self that is really a sweet and gently place to be inside during a time when the world may feel unwelcoming.
Meditation can be practiced by anyone and has indeed been part of the lives of many Religions who seek to find God in silence, stillness and away from any rigid framework that doesn't encourage the true experience of the bliss and love that can be tapped within one's own being.  Meditation is simply as one great Master has said "sitting still and being quiet just like your mother told you!"
Keep a journal and write about the things that come to your mind and when you sit for meditation ask for the answers you need to help eliminate the thoughts, find solutions etc.  You have the answers inside and they will come to you when you need them.
Make sure that you focus on the practical steps you will need to take such as finding an Attorney who specializes in license law.  Sloate & Links have a web site that describes the state board of nursing investigation and disciplinary process that can be helpful in gearing up to dealing with your particular situation/charge.  Keep a separate note book and write down questions for your Attorney and all conversations regarding your case, date, times etc.  Keep a separate journal and write about your feelings and if there is information about where the charge originated from write as much as you can remember about the situation in question and people who may be called upon to testify on your behalf.
Keep your focus inside and don't get so caught up by external affairs that you feel depleted.  Replenishing yourself is a key to keeping well during the process.  Make sure you get rest and extra rest if needed.  Take time to care for your hands, feet, hair and all other grooming habits that can be neglected.  Take long relaxing baths with candles lit and soft music playing.  Learn to be comfortable with your life as you move through this process.
Reach out to other nurses who are undergoing state board discipline and call one another on the phone.  Except when told it's ok to do by your Attorney don't discuss your case per se just how to best deal with the inquiry and other social issues such as stigma once your name is listed in the State Board of Nursing News Paper that is mailed out to other nurses in the State in which you live.  It's hard to protect yourself when they make it very public but "this too will pass" is what you must tell yourself and move on with you chin held high.  When we close down and clam up about a situation like this it feeds into the idea that you have something to be ashamed of and that just isn't healthy especially for nurses who know that they would encourage patients to work through this type of shame/blame culture.
Once you have established a network of nurses in your state set up meetings using the web and phone to connect.  There is a site called Meetup which could be useful to arrange for support.  If anyone has the resources start a 24/7 hotline and ask other nurses to volunteer to be part of a group to cover a schedule and provide support to nurses who are initially approached by the State Board.
The key is being prepared.  Advise nurses to politely give the investigator in person a business card with your Attorney's contact information or tell the person over the phone that your Attorney will be in contact with them and you will hear from him/her regarding any scheduled meeting to discuss the matter.
Start your diary now and record who, what, where and when style of documentation and record how it made you feel.  In time go to your State Representative and share your experience and invite him/her to connect with Rep. Tony Shipley (R-TN) who has written two laws for nurses that provides some over-site.
Unwinding:
Go for long walks in nature and breath fresh air deeply into your lungs and breath out deeply.  Enroll in a yoga class, vegetarian cooking class or other activity that helps you feel more relaxed.  Play chants, soft music and create a calm atmosphere in the home.  Ask a relative or friend to help with extra chores if you are depleted or need to take time for yourself when you have a family to care for.
Just as you earned your license through hard work and a strategy of commitment and dedication so will you have to muster the kind of inner resolve to see the legal process through.
Please contact me if you would like further tips and information.  Nurses will experience an improvement in morale by supporting one another and forming groups in each state.  It can be done together and it makes sense to be there for each nurse who then doesn't have to feel isolated or shamed.