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- Oct 9, 2016
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I have met many sober doctors. Most got sober many years into their career practicing medicine. A few got sober during medical school. I have not yet met any who got sober well in advance of enrolling in medical school, so I have not yet met anyone who had to navigate the circumstances wherein I find myself.
I am an MS2 currently, and I have been sober for 6 years.
I got sober before I applied to medical school.
I did the whole therapy/drug-screening/etc routine for a good while when I was first getting sober, and it was very beneficial to me. I feel comfortable and confident in my sobriety without that higher level of accountability.
My questions are: is there anyone with similar experience?
And specifically: when I am applying for residencies or my license, will I be better off to voluntarily sign up for the Provider Referral Network (PRN) or another monitoring organization?
Reasons not to:
1) Money. The initial evaluation by PRN is like $300. Then, if I do contract with them, it is my understanding that I will pay for weekly group therapy sessions and urine screenings. I am living on loans, so this is unattractive to me. The Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor at the University has offered to enroll me in their drug monitoring program, which would be a) cheaper drug screens and b) no required group therapy, but it's still like $50-$60 per week.
2) Time. I'm an MS2, busy studying for class and Step, trying to get to the gym and fit in a social life where I can.
3) I don't need it. These programs are no doubt beneficial for many impaired providers, but I don't know that I will get much out of dropping urines (more than 5 years since my last drug test) or being in talk therapy with people still detoxing.
Reasons to:
1) Technicalities with licensure application. I've heard that there is a question on the licensure application, about if substance use has ever impaired your ability to care for a patient, or something along those lines. I think I could candidly and honestly answer no to that question. But I also heard some people being asked (not sure if it was licensure or residency forms that asked it) if they had ever received treatment for substance use disorder or other mental health issues, followed-up with "are you currently being monitored by PRN?" And if the applicant said "Yes" to being monitored, it would not impact their licensure application, but if the applicant said "No," then the entire process could be significantly delayed and the applicant might miss that year's match. I will do just about anything to avoid this as a possibility. I don't really care if an individual residency program isn't interested in me because of my being a sober alcoholic, but I definitely don't want to pass over an opportunity to make sure that I don't have extra obstacles to get my medical license.
I am an MS2 currently, and I have been sober for 6 years.
I got sober before I applied to medical school.
I did the whole therapy/drug-screening/etc routine for a good while when I was first getting sober, and it was very beneficial to me. I feel comfortable and confident in my sobriety without that higher level of accountability.
My questions are: is there anyone with similar experience?
And specifically: when I am applying for residencies or my license, will I be better off to voluntarily sign up for the Provider Referral Network (PRN) or another monitoring organization?
Reasons not to:
1) Money. The initial evaluation by PRN is like $300. Then, if I do contract with them, it is my understanding that I will pay for weekly group therapy sessions and urine screenings. I am living on loans, so this is unattractive to me. The Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor at the University has offered to enroll me in their drug monitoring program, which would be a) cheaper drug screens and b) no required group therapy, but it's still like $50-$60 per week.
2) Time. I'm an MS2, busy studying for class and Step, trying to get to the gym and fit in a social life where I can.
3) I don't need it. These programs are no doubt beneficial for many impaired providers, but I don't know that I will get much out of dropping urines (more than 5 years since my last drug test) or being in talk therapy with people still detoxing.
Reasons to:
1) Technicalities with licensure application. I've heard that there is a question on the licensure application, about if substance use has ever impaired your ability to care for a patient, or something along those lines. I think I could candidly and honestly answer no to that question. But I also heard some people being asked (not sure if it was licensure or residency forms that asked it) if they had ever received treatment for substance use disorder or other mental health issues, followed-up with "are you currently being monitored by PRN?" And if the applicant said "Yes" to being monitored, it would not impact their licensure application, but if the applicant said "No," then the entire process could be significantly delayed and the applicant might miss that year's match. I will do just about anything to avoid this as a possibility. I don't really care if an individual residency program isn't interested in me because of my being a sober alcoholic, but I definitely don't want to pass over an opportunity to make sure that I don't have extra obstacles to get my medical license.
