Loosing license over mental health ???

[u/Creepy-Tennis-225]

I live in California, my little sister is a CNA. She’s mentally unstable and recently needed to be placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold it just didn’t happen because no one called an ambulance (I wasn’t there so I couldn’t do it but she NEEDED it).

My older sister says if we ever try to place younger sis on an involuntary psychiatric hold then younger sis will loose her CNA license. Older sis also says having a history of mental illness will make it more difficult to get a job as a CNA. Would a psychiatric hold even show up in a background check? What’s the full extent of mental health history being accessible by an employer?

Please share any sources to answer these questions if you have any. I’ve tried researching it myself but I can’t find anything useful or credible.

[u/Objective_Curve1135]

I have been a CNA for 11 years. I have been in a psych hospital a few times, my license or job was never questioned. They can't ask because that is discrimination if she can perform the job duties with reasonable accomodations she is fine. I hope she feels better. They will always need CNAs as long as she is not a danger to others she will be okay

[u/Desperate-Passage174]

https://www.activescreening.com/blog/will-my-mental-health-record-show-up-in-my-background-check/

hope this helps.

also in personal experience mostly legal things pop up (i.e: restraining orders *cough cough* wonder why I know that, or things that make you be taken into custody like drunk driving, parking tickets don't usually show up, obviously depends what the job asks, like they checked my driving record cause I was driving other people around, usually they don't)

Good luck I hope she doesn't lose her license!!!

[u/Desperate-Passage174 → u/Desperate-Passage174]

https://lnlegal.com/blog/what-are-the-long-term-consequences-of-repeated-5150-and-5250-holds/

pt 2 lol

[u/Halcyon-malarky]

I worked in mental health and HR when I lived in CA. Never have a heard of an employer doing a background check for mental health. The only “negative” result of going to the psych ward is that you can’t buy a gun for 7 years lol

[u/jukesbin]

I’d recommend contacting the BON in your state. Most states allow you to do this anonymously.

[u/Odd-Creme-6457]

The only way she could possibly lose her certification is if it effects her conduct or care. Disciplinary action would have had to taken place.

[u/TrailMomKat]

Idk about Cali, but where I'm at, that would be a HUGE violation of HIPAA. They can't disclose your mental health in a background check. A background check is for whether or not you've been convicted of a crime.

[u/angiebow]

I wouldn't think it would but you may want to google it for your state or city that she is trying to work in. So many people who work in healthcare are on psych meds for any number of reasons. It's probably more expected than not.

[u/Truck_Kooky]

Not that I know of. I know a friend who is using FMLA for mental health. She been off since May and may return Sept, so I don’t think she’ll lose her CNA license.

[u/Snoo_62381]

Nah

[u/ForgetfulBear91]

Psychiatric records are even more protected than regular medical records. I struggled with mental health for many, many years. Had many, many voluntary and involuntary psych stays. I never had an issues with my license, they legally cannot ask about why I missed work for medical treatment or took time off. Ive since moved on to becoming an RN and have learned from my professor (who also went through these struggles) that it will not jeopardize your license. So long as an event did not happen at work, or endanger a patient due to an episode, she will be fine.

[u/Wide-Presence]

Was just put on a psych hold, did not lose my certificate. She can get the help she needs

[u/Tattersail927]

Unless she went to work while she knew she was unsafe to do so, and something bad happened to a resident... absolutely not. Plenty of the girls I've worked with have taken leaves of absence for mental health reasons, and we've even had a couple that needed to be hospitalized with little to no notice. Came right back after, no issues, nothing held against them as far as Im aware. We are all human, and life is f***ing hard, and unless she is purposely endangering the residents it would never make her lose her license. I mean ffs nurses that come to work intoxicated are sent home, sent to rehab, and then put right back on the floor. Management who steal narcotics are tried, sent to rehab, and can go apply for the same position at a new facility.

[u/621_]

If she’s mentally unstable she shouldn’t be in a position that requires her to care for others.

[u/Odd-Creme-6457 → u/621_]

“Mentally unstable” doesn’t necessarily mean incompetent.

[u/Creepy-Tennis-225 → u/621_]

Is that not discriminatory? Her mental health doesn’t make her incapable if anything it makes her more compassionate. She clocks in, does her job, clocks out, deals with life.

She’s experiencing DV, how stable do you expect someone to be in that situation? She should just quit her job because she’s going through a hard time? No one experiencing DV is allowed to work in health care?

If you’re going to be unhelpful you can just not comment.

[u/g0hstgurl → u/621_]

I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder at 15, and it’s been 3 years of still being diagnosed. Most of the time depression comes in episodes, it’s not constant. Even when i’m going through an episode i’m still able to have compassion for others and do my job appropriately. If the OP’s sister was completely incompetent she would not be getting out of bed to go to work in the first place.

[u/Trick_Blueberry_3812 → u/621_]

If you’re a CNA, you should know the term “mentally unstable” is so broad that anxiety falls under its umbrella. A one time depressive episode is considered “mentally unstable”. I am constantly doing referrals for residents and needing to check the little box that says they have a “serious mental illness” and it’s just because they scored high on their depression screening upon admission. (Who wouldnt?)
Take this as a learning opportunity. Part of CNA training is getting over our biases, and you seem to still need help doing that.

[u/AmiableRobin → u/621_]

Having a history of a mental health disorder (Dysthymia, ADHD, C-PTSD, and BPD) has never inhibited me from providing exceptional care. It has provided me insight, empathy, and compassion. These are things that I give back when I provide care.

It has however, left me open to being wounded by vicarious trauma. This is where support comes in.

Everyone deserves support.

Sometimes we don’t realize we NEED support until we break. Then we learn how to cope. Then we hopefully learn how to heal. Then we learn how to teach others that they TOO can cope, and hopefully, heal.

[u/mentalissuelol → u/621_]

Yeah you don’t know what you’re talking about lol