Drug testing a RN while a patient in the er

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi! I work in a busy level 1 trauma center's er. A couple weeks ago due to the stress in my life I had a meltdown at work(I cried). I ended up signing in as a patient in to my er to talk to a psychiatrist. As a patient I got drug tested three times. The first time was their standard test. The second time was because the standard test came back negative and since I had told my doctor I took klonopin to sleep as needed (it's prescribed) she thought I had used someone else's urine. Meanwhile, during the second test, she made another one of my coworkers watch me pee. First of all is that legal? We never do that for our regular patients. Ever. The third time was an employer drug screen. Can they drug screen you when you've already signed in voluntarily as a patient? All 3 came back negative so while it's not a big deal, I still have my job...I'm just wondering.

Specializes in PICU, ICU, Hospice, Mgmt, DON.

(i am aware that this is not a popular position for a health care worker, but, hey...i'm entitled to my own independent thinking. and, just for the sake of argument, i recently flew for nearly 20 hours straight on 3 different aircraft and i do not believe that those folks should have to submit to testing either. the pilots are not alone, they are supervised and monitored by the other staff, and they are professionals. co-pilots are required to question the actions and behavior of the pilot if it is suspect. frankly, i don't care if the pilot drinks scotch or smokes pot on his/her off hours, i just want him/her straight for the flight. also, if he/she drinks rather than smokes an allowance should be made for the possibility of "hangover" which will impair performance as well.)

ummmm, how about that little case of the jetblue captain this last week....you know, the one who the passengers had to subdue until the flight could make the unscheduled landing and he could be let off the plane bound and tied to a wheelchair????

how supervised and monitored was he? how safe were the staff and passengers? fortunately one of the passengers was the head of a security firm and led the rush to subdue the captain. this could have ended poorly.

Well, not sure why you needed 3 drug test. However, if an employee signs into the ER as a patient while on the clock, a drug screen HAS to be done, especially if workman's comp is filed or there's a possibility it might be filed or else the hospital's insurance won't pay for the visit. (Insurance's rule, not the ER doc) And it's not just in hospitals. Before I became a nurse I worked as a reg rep in the ER. ANYTIME someone filed workman's comp (construction, healthcare, retail, fast food industry, etc.) I was required to call the immediate sup and ask if a drug screen was required or not. Most required this as well. And from what I seen working in the ER, if someone comes in having emotional problems, they do a drug screen....just to rule out what is going on. You'll be surprised by how many come in freaking out and just don't feel right and we don't know what's going on until we get the drug test back. And before you flame me, I am in NO WAY saying you are using drugs, just offering you a reason why they did one. (Well, 3 in your situation.) Sorry.

Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.

(i am aware that this is not a popular position for a health care worker, but, hey...i'm entitled to my own independent thinking. and, just for the sake of argument, i recently flew for nearly 20 hours straight on 3 different aircraft and i do not believe that those folks should have to submit to testing either. the pilots are not alone, they are supervised and monitored by the other staff, and they are professionals. co-pilots are required to question the actions and behavior of the pilot if it is suspect. frankly, i don't care if the pilot drinks scotch or smokes pot on his/her off hours, i just want him/her straight for the flight. also, if he/she drinks rather than smokes an allowance should be made for the possibility of "hangover" which will impair performance as well.)

ummmm, how about that little case of the jetblue captain this last week....you know, the one who the passengers had to subdue until the flight could make the unscheduled landing and he could be let off the plane bound and tied to a wheelchair????

how supervised and monitored was he? how safe were the staff and passengers? fortunately one of the passengers was the head of a security firm and led the rush to subdue the captain. this could have ended poorly.

i completely agree that it could have ended poorly. but there is nothing to suggest that this guy was under the influence of anything or that he was an abuser of anything. it is entirely possible that he suffered an acute episode of anxiety or experienced some other mental health issue. no matter...he will now be watched very closely if he is allowed to return to the cockpit at some point. i am certain that you did not mean to imply that the cabin attendants played no part in his containment or the actions that kept the crew and passengers safe.

flight staff have very stressful jobs with long hours and frequent absences from home and support system. it would be unreasonable to expect that they are immune to the potential harm caused by those issues.

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