ANA Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation® Spotlight: Kristin Waite-Labott, BSN, RN, CARN, CPRC
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Nurse builds substance use recovery community following her own recovery process.
Hi, my name is Kristin Waite-Labott, and I have been a nurse since 1991. There was never anything else I wanted to do. My story is difficult to read, but it is an important one to share so I hope you will read to the end. In 2004, I lost nearly everything when I was discovered diverting fentanyl from the hospital I worked for.
My substance use started long before that-when I used alcohol in college to manage my anxiety. Later in 1997, an opioid prescription after a surgical procedure helped my anxiety as well as the depression that had creeped in. Life was stressful and those pills made it better… at least for a little bit. In the years following, I found reasons to get more pills from my physician, which she gave me without question. I was working in an emergency department at the time, and I realized we throw away a lot of controlled substances (CS). One day, instead of wasting the CS, as I was required to do, I put what I had left over in my pocket and took it home. When I used that IV opioid, I had a sense of relief, similar to alcohol and pills, but faster and more intense. From that point on, I took almost every left-over CS I had instead of wasting it. My use escalated after a divorce around 2003 when I tried fentanyl for the first time. I found myself unable to stop. I eventually started stealing fentanyl from the stock. After that, it didn’t take my employer too long to discover what I was doing. In 2004, I was fired, lost my nursing license (and my ability to support my children), was arrested, and ended up spending 4 months incarcerated after a re-offense.
But this is where the story really begins. Once released from jail, I threw myself into building a recovery community because I never wanted to return to substance use. I vowed to continue to develop the skills I needed to stay in recovery. I have done that since January 17, 2005, with no return to the use of substances.
I was, and am, an excellent nurse. I excelled in my practice and was looked at as a role model by my peers, I had exemplary yearly evaluations. But it still happened to me. I am certainly not the only nurse to go through this. Substance Use Disorder (SUD) can happen to anyone, to any nurse. When I was diverting, I wanted to stop so badly, but I could not. I didn’t know there was a program with the Wisconsin Board of Nursing (BON) called the Professional Assistance Procedure, that I could have joined that would have helped me find treatment, enabled me to keep my nursing license, and ensured I practiced safely. Most states have similar programs. But, even today, not many nurses know these programs exist.
Once in recovery for a couple of years, and with encouragement and support from my therapist, I applied to join that Professional Assistance Procedure through the Wisconsin BON. I was accepted into the program and received a limited nursing license again. I was overjoyed, I had thought my nursing career was over, but now I could practice again. There were many rules, restrictions, and limitations and I followed them, but it was hard, and I wondered if I could make it through. I didn’t know what to expect, and I was often fearful that I would do something wrong and lose everything again. I wasn’t sure I could complete the program while working a full-time job and raising 2 daughters on my own. There was no support at the time, and no one to guide me through. Many nurses quit the program: they either couldn’t afford it or they couldn’t manage the limitations and requirements. Finding a nursing position that accepted the limitations while in such a program was also difficult. I didn’t know that there were about 300 other nurses also going through the same program as we had no way to connect with one another. I completed the program and have my full licensure again, but it was more difficult than it needed to be.
Fast forward to 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing, and I was introduced to nursing peer support organizations in other states. These included programs like Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses (SPAN) in New York (https://www.statewidepeerassistance.org/) and the Nurses Peer Support Network of Minnesota (https://www.npsnetwork-mn.org/). These programs offer peer support to help nurses navigate early recovery, including working with monitoring programs. This was a revelation to me; I had no idea that such programs existed. It was then that I decided to start a similar program here in Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Peer Alliance for Nurses (WisPAN) was born.
The mission of WisPAN is to be the leader in peer support for nurses. We offer peer support meetings for nurses with a substance use issue and/or those going through monitoring programs, and we also offer peer support for nurse mental wellness. Understanding that substance use often starts with some form of unwellness, we wanted to provide peer support to nurses BEFORE their stressors get to the point where they are using substances to cope. Wouldn’t it be great if we could intervene for nurses and get them the support they need early? All meetings are run by nurses that have faced issues similar to the group they are leading. We are based in Wisconsin, but meetings are virtual and open to any nurse anywhere.
It would have been so helpful to talk to someone else who had gone through or was going through similar circumstances in those early days. I didn’t have that option, but today nurses do. It’s critical that nurses, and nursing leadership, know the resources available in their state.
Thank you for reading my story. If you would like more information or would like to talk, please email me at wispan2021@gmail.com or call me at 414-376-7002. Thank you and be well.
Kristin Waite-Labott, BSN, RN, CARN, CPRC is the Founder and President of the Wisconsin Peer Alliance for Nurses (WisPAN). For more information on WisPAN, visit www.wipeeralliance.org. Kristin is also an emergency department nurse and author of the book “An Unlikely Addict” which chronicles her story of recovery.
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12/09/2024 4:51pm CST
The #healthynurse Spotlight is a shout out to nurses who are making changes in their lives to improve their health and wellness. You can too! Read their stories for inspiration here.
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