Drug Testing At Hospitals

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi, I was just wondering if nurses have to take random drug tests for illegal drugs? Don't worry, I'm not a druggie nursing student I was just wondering. We had to do them all the time in the Navy. Thanks.

"why refuse unless you have something to hide?"

This is the statement I have a problem with. It applies to so many arguments - warrantless wiretapping, government monitoring of my library record, the Patriot Act - and is the reason our civil liberties are quickly disappearing in this country.

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i'm against "random" drug testing. if you want to smoke MJ in cancun while you're on your 2 week vacation in Cancun, then do it.

I'm for drug testing with a "cause". For example, if you're acting impaired at work.

Side note: I'm so tired of people saying, "Well, MJ is illegal. So you shouldn't do it. Ever. Period!" It was once illegal for a black person to drink out of the same water fountain as a white person. An extreme example, yes, but it proves the point of just because it's a law, doesn't mean it's right.

By the way, I am not a pot head - even though my position may suggest it! ;)

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I have 2 kids with adhd . one with meds one without- you should never have tried them meds without getting a doc to check you out. there are a lot of things can be done besides meds that can help depending on the severity. if you already made it through HS and are going into college without it- there is a good chance you would not need the meds. and even if you did, you need to be monitored as they can have significant side effects. you got lucky you didnt do more harm than good by taking another's pills. people who " I think I need this " or " the kid needs pills" and get em without so much as a psych eval or therapy or other measures such as stopping red dyes, sugars and things like behavior management - are the ones who make it such a stigma for those who really do need it. furthermore- why owuld your sis give that pill to you- folks who take it need it and should not be giving it out. this just sounds wrong on every level in my opinion only.

Friends06 said:
OK so here's the story...I am about to start clinicals in January, so we had a drug test done last week. I have always wanted/needed to be on something for ADD for a long time but have never done anything about it. My sister told me to try one of her low dosed adderalls to see if it helped me focus. Two days later was the drug test. I started freaking out bc I wasnt prescribed any meds, and I knew that it would show up as amphetamines. So the next day I went to the doc and he actually put me on some ADD med, Concerta. So now I am prescribed concerta, which is not an amphetamine. But my question is...will they look at the prescrition fill date and see I had it filled 2 days after the drug test, and will they give me a bunch of crap for taking the adderall instead of concerta? I know that adderall is a highly abused drug, and I dont want them thinking I'm one of those that do that.
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Ok well thanks for your OPINION, but that didnt asnwer my question....but I already talked to the drug ppl and they said as long as I had a scrip for something to treat ADD they didnt care.

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I did not mean to offend you- I was simply stating my opinion and some possible alternate solutions to the meds - I have had some experience with it due to 2 children ( one now an adult herself ) and was trying to help you. sorry if you took it as anything else. blessings.

Friends06 said:
OK well thanks for your OPINION, but that didnt asnwer my question....but I already talked to the drug ppl and they said as long as I had a scrip for something to treat ADD they didnt care.
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Specializes in Forensic Psychiatric Nursing.
dorimar said:
Why would one refuse a drug test? hmm....

I resent the intrusion into my personal life. I'm an employee, not a slave. If my work performance is unacceptable for any reason, fire me. My body is not my employer's property.

Can I look at the financial books my hospital keeps to see whether I can trust that my paycheck will show up on time this week? Can I have a doctor tested if I think he's impaired? Can I toss a patient out on the street if his illness is his own fault? No to all, but I have to submit to having my body fluids tested for one substance or another.

But nobody says anything to the nurse who shows up to work hung over and is moving like a snail.

I got a letter in the mail from my temp agency telling me that they just changed the employee handbook last week. Now, they will show up on site and have us **** in a cup with no notice for a drug test. Sorry, that's demeaning. I don't plan on submitting to the test. I can **** clean and I will be more than happy to do so right after they fire me.

There's plenty of temp agencies out there, and I can give a clean test as a condition of employment.

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Friends06 said:
OK so here's the story...I am about to start clinicals in January, so we had a drug test done last week. I have always wanted/needed to be on something for ADD for a long time but have never done anything about it. My sister told me to try one of her low dosed adderalls to see if it helped me focus. Two days later was the drug test. I started freaking out bc I wasnt prescribed any meds, and I knew that it would show up as amphetamines. So the next day I went to the doc and he actually put me on some ADD med, Concerta. So now I am prescribed concerta, which is not an amphetamine. But my question is...will they look at the prescrition fill date and see I had it filled 2 days after the drug test, and will they give me a bunch of crap for taking the adderall instead of concerta? I know that adderall is a highly abused drug, and I dont want them thinking I'm one of those that do that.

Yes, they will look at the prescription. It's date and what the name of the drug. Occupational health deals with this crap everyday, so if I were you I wouldn't try to "trick" them because you'll look like a fool and make them mad in the process.

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Specializes in Acute/ICU/LTC/Advocate/Hospice/HH/.

When you sign the paperwork the day you are hired, please keep your copies! This is exactly the reason. Know your company policy on certain issues, or at least know where to find the information. Just had an incident at my job where they referred to the evening nurses at the "junkies" because they take and discuss the use of OTC energy drinks and diet aids. They pulled one nurse aside at the nurses station and in a public venue, told her she could not take, use, dispense or even have any of these OTC items in her car or on her person. I was shocked! First, you can't slander a licensed professional in public like that. Second, you can't dictate policy banning staff from having them in their possession and taking them while at work as it does not impair their judgement. Plus the company can't be held responsible for any incident that happens to the nurse who took it, or the one who gave it.

ie.. If I gave you a tampon while we were at work, could you hold me legally responsible if you get TSS? Same thing if I gave you a coke and you went into DKA. So, to answer the question. Know your facility policy. Never refuse a test, simply tell them you will be happy to submit after confering with your attorney. It is your right to know why you are being tested, unless it is random, and to submit to a neutral testing center within 24 hours of the initial request. (in most cases) So know your rights, but know what's right. good luck from someone who knows 1st hand.

Never pee if you don't have a script, or if it is illegal.

:uhoh3:

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Specializes in Burn, CCU, CTICU, Trauma, SICU, MICU.

as a traveler, i get one done before every assignment (every 3 months) and yearly as well. some hospitals have asked for hair samples.

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I came across this in an e-mail and couldn't agree more.....

"THE JOB - URINE TEST

(Whoever wrote this one deserves a HUGE pat on the back!)

I HAVE TO PASS A URINE TEST FOR MY JOB... SO I AGREE 100%

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test.

Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their butt, doing drugs, while I work. . . . Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

Pass this along if you agree or simply delete if you don't. Hope you all will pass it along, though . . .

Something has to change in this country -- and soon!!!

I guess we could title that program, 'Urine or You're Out'. Just a thought."

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Specializes in Acute/ICU/LTC/Advocate/Hospice/HH/.

Bravo! What a unique idea. Will have to write this up, find some evidence based practice and submit it to every person I know involved in politics and policy. I think we should really push for this to be tagged as a research idea and do whatever we can to get it started. I also think that what I do in my own home is my business. When it effects my work or has the potential to harm others, then and only then would I consider involving the board. If I get cited for public intoxication while on vacation, should that be reported to the Board? Should people who hold public office or other high profile positions be mandated to rehab and years of monitoring for similar offenses? Just a thought from a bitter RN. PM's welcome. :smokin:

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The New York State Nurses Association has a position statement on drug-testing that reads, in part, that health care workers should not be tested except in cases where there is suspicion of impaired functioning and/or diversion, which is to say randomized testing is unethical.

Full url: http://www.nysna.org/practice/positions/position19.htm

For my part, I worked in corporate America for ten years and was randomly drug-tested on at least four occasions. I often doubted the test was random. I think I was singled out instead because of office politics and a desire to reduce headcount. People were getting laid off left and right. That is a reality that you nurses have been protected from in today's economy.

But I passed all the tests. I figured out that drug-testing is a signal to drink, because drug-tests can't detect drinking. You have to stop smoking marijuana. That's the only thing a drug-test does. You can snort coke, drink all you want, and do acid, but you cannot, I repeat, cannot smoke marijuana if your employer does drug testing. But acid, coke, and booze are all easy to get away with.

The irony is that marijuana stays in the system longer than any other substance. It has the least harmful effects, the least chance for abuse, and no impairment other than the initial high.

Welcome to a situation brought about the world's insane drug laws which were built upon racism. Due to the fact that marijuana was popular in the dusky countries of the world like Morocco, white leaders of the 1930's became paranoid that pot would destroy the morality of the working class. So now we have a situation where plenty of people drink until the drinking destroys their body and mind and soul.

Alcohol is out in 48 hours if not sooner. You can detect elevated triglyceride levels until then. The anti-pot puritans on here are quite amusing as they betray their ignorance about the substance and their secret preference for alcohol, which tends to fit in better with aggressive personalities.

I'm a student considering an RN degree and I think based upon my research that drug-testing will not be a significant problem at all. Employers understand the downside of drug-testing. Why lose an RN over a few joints she or he may have had over the weekend. In many cases your weekend pot-smoking RN is going to be a better RN than your boozehound or your puritan who stays keyed up all the time. Some people still cannot get over the stereotypes put forth by Cheech and Chong. Give people a little more credit than that.

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