Drug testing

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Hello All!! I have just been accepted into 2 nursing schools but am still trying to figure out which will suffice my financial needs. But, I have had lower back pain from maternity which resulted in miscarriage, and found the only medicine to help me get through the day to be medicinal marijuana. I am aware that certain programs (SJSU) require a drug test prior to clinicals. However, what about after clinicals begin? Do they drug test regularly?

Please consider my circumstances before making judgments about me. Do you think I wanted that to happen to me? Do you think I intentionally ripped the muscles of my lower back for another life that I couldn't keep, so I could be prescribed weed? No!

Please, if anyone is currently in the program help me out!

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Specializes in LTC, Orthopedics.

The first question I can see arising from this is....Does the Weed in any way compromise your judgment making skills? Or how quickly you react to situations? I know that all school are different but we are subject to Random Drug Testing at any time. I am trying not to make any judgments but myself as a patient would not want my nurse to be "high" or smoking weed prior to providing my treatment.

The best way to find out your answers is to be upfront with your Nursing Adviser, go into the school, ask how to solve your problem, and see if they can accommodate you.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

If medicinal marijuana is legal in your state and prescribed by your provider, then I would contact the schools and simply ask them.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

If marijuana is legal in the state you live then what is the problem with drug testing? Merely show the prescription when you take any drug test. You do get your prescription in a labeled container, don't you? You do follow the laws of your state for the usage of the drug, don't you? Then there should be no problem.

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Specializes in (none).

Yeah, she's in Cali. SJSU...San Jose State U.

You shouldn't have any issue...you got your meds with a script.

IMO, those drug tests are in place to filter out people using ILLEGAL drugs so the admins at your school can't say ****. But if they did refuse you even with an Rx, I think that'd be good grounds for a nice, healthy lawsuit.

Good luck!

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I hate to be the downer here, but more than likely this will be a problem for you both as a nursing student and even more so as a nurse.

You will at some point before you are allowed in a clinical rotation be required to submit a physical exam and attest that you are physically able to carry out the duties of a nurse. The problems here are:

1: You obviously suffer from severe back pain. Nursing students and acute care nurses need to be able to transfer patients, assist in ambulation, and a number of other tasks this would interfere with.

2: You need to be able to react appropriately, free from the influence of any drug.

Understand this, if you test positive for marijuana at any time, prescription or not, there is no way for the school or a hospital to know WHEN you were high (at home or at work). That means that if you mess something up with a patient the school/hospital can't say with any kind of certainty that you WEREN'T high at the time. It's a HUGE liability both for you and for them. I'm sure you're a conscientious person and wouldn't come to work impaired, but there's no objective way for a hospital to guarantee patient safety with you in the hospital.

What you need to understand here is that the patients come first, before anything. No hospital is going to "take your word for it" that you won't ever come to work high, because they're responsible for those patients. I really think you need to ask yourself if nursing is the right move for you at this time. I don't know what you're prognosis is, but consider waiting.

My heart goes out to you as a chronic pain sufferer, and I'm truly happy that in this state you are able to get the medication (marijuana) that you need to treat it. But nursing might not be the best thing for you until this issue is resolved.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Medsurg.

In my program we cannot test positive for ANYTHING. Prescription or not. I had a lump removed from my breast 1 week before classes. I came home from surgery and took one pain pill only to wake up and find the notice to take a drug screen in my email. I panicked. I called everyone I knew or could think to call and asked if it was still ok since I had a script. The answer was "no, you are still impaired". luckily I recovered without the use of anymore pain meds and my drug screen was fine. But just to let you know, it isn't always "ok" even with a script.

I would be open and honest with your advisors and get their opinion but it might end up being an issue on both ends.....patient care and your physical ability. Good Luck to you and I wish you the best

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