Be careful what you put on your application......if you disclose a mental illness, the BON will more than likely force you to go through a monitoring program that's actually designed for addicts, nurses who have diverted drugs, DUIs etc. This lasts for a minimum of three to five YEARS.

You'll have to provide observed random urine samples and call in to an automatic messaging system daily, go to THEIR counselors and psychiatrists.....all at high cost. And on top of that, you'll have to work with stipulations that will probably not allow you to administer narcotics, which will make it bloody unlikely that you'll be able even to find a job with your newly-minted RN.

Nervous yet? You should be. I certainly am. I don't know why the nursing boards feel we have to be punished for having a mental illness, but they do, so it's best NOT to disclose if there is any way at all of getting around it.

I'll be honest here. I dodged my state's question that's worded like this: "Do you have any physical or mental condition that impairs or may impair your ability to safely practice nursing?" I said No. At the time I renewed my license last January, my BP actually hadn't affected my practice; there were times when I went home (or was sent home) because I was manic, but I didn't work under those circumstances.

Now that I've lost a job to bipolar and had to severely restrict myself at my current workplace because I can't handle regular nursing anymore, I'm not so sure that I'll even renew next time. I don't have five years to suffer through a monitoring program; I'm almost 55 and would never find another nursing job if I had stips on my license, especially at my age.

With you it's different, because you're just starting out. But while I would NEVER recommend out-and-out lying to the BON, if the wording on that question is ambiguous, I wouldn't think twice about saying No. Just sayin'.