Dismissed from nursing program for taking a prescribed narcotic!

[Andysmom25]

I was dismissed more than half way through my LPN program for taking a prescribed narcotic during a clinical rotation. I gave my instructor the notice that I was perscribed the narcotic that morning before I started and she let me work. (I took the medication more the 4 hours prior to the shift for neck pain which is what it was prescribed for) That evening when i returned home I took another one and received a call from my instructor that "some meds had been stolen from the hospital" and I needed to take a drug test immediately. I brought my prescription with me and submitted to the drug test and of course it came up positive for narcotics. i showed them that I had an RX for it and they said they didn't care about that part. I was told that I was banned from campus until further investigation. This was on last Friday. On Tuesday I was called into the administrators office and was told I could withdraw or they would dismiss me from the course. I asked why they told me that I had been cought in a "random drug test" and that I had not notified anyone that I was taking a narcotic which was a violation of policy. I explained that I HAD given my instructor notice of my injury and the medication they had prescribed me and she said that the instructor did not know that I was taking the medication. She said that just because I was prescribed it does not mean I am taking it and she didn't know so they were dismissing me. Now I took the medication more than 4 hours before my shift and not during it as well as showed no impairment during my clinicals...as a matter of fact I received praises from my instructor for finding and noticing things with the patients that she herself had not noticed. I feel I have been wrongly dismissed and am being railroaded. Does anyone have any input or ideas as to what I should do or what rout I should take. I am appealing it but feel that still may not be enough. I need all the help I can get as this is my life and my future. Thank you sooo much.

[BabyLady, BSN, RN]

Wow I am glad I read this post. I have to take lots of painkillers for my arthritis. Now I know to tell them the first day of class more than once :|

READ your handbook...don't assume that the policy of one school applies to yours.

[Andysmom25]

I fought it and they reinstated me and apologized. I am sooooo happy. Thanks for everybody's support.

[Andysmom25]

Here is the problem you are going to run into:

1. You did not notify your instructor in writing, preferably, by e-mail that you can keep a copy of. I would refer to your program handbook of who you were supposed to contact and how to see if you gave notice properly.

2. You cannot "assume" that just because you took a medication 4 hours prior to a shift that it did not impair you. That is not for you to judge. That is for the nursing program to judge. In my facility you CANNOT take ANY opiate within 12 hours of your shift and work...prescribed or not.

So, I have no idea of what you should do, but my advice is to run through your nursing handbook and famliarize yourself with their policies and make sure they are following them.

I did follow them to a the letter and have been vindicated. Actually in the state of Louisiana it IS up to the nurse to decide level of impairment and be able back it up.

[BabyLady, BSN, RN]

I did follow them to a the letter and have been vindicated. Actually in the state of Louisiana it IS up to the nurse to decide level of impairment and be able back it up.

I would seriously question that. It is also not a state call but a FACILITY call. So Louisiana, I would wager, has no such law.

Because most facilities are not going to let you work if you have a glass of wine before your shift or work two hours after taking Loritabs.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I fought it and they reinstated me and apologized. I am sooooo happy. Thanks for everybody's support.

That is great to hear that it was all worked out. I would try hard to not take the pain pills anymore unless it's a Friday night or weekend or something in case they "randomly" test you again. Not right, but also not worth the risk. I have a prescribed narcotic that is a monthly script. I was open about it with my new employer when it was asked on my pre-employment stuff. I made sure though that it would not show up in my urine for my UA because although they knew and it was valid, I didn't want the risk or the hassle. I was in some pretty bad pain 2 days before my UA but I just dealt with it best I could.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I would seriously question that. It is also not a state call but a FACILITY call. So Louisiana, I would wager, has no such law.

Because most facilities are not going to let you work if you have a glass of wine before your shift or work two hours after taking Loritabs.

People handle things differently. I can have a glass of wine (although you wouldn't catch me drinking the stuff) or lets say 1 Mikes Hard lemonade, and I would be pretty buzzed. I can take 2 7.5 mg percocet and I guarantee that you would never know. I am very drug tolerant, not just pain meds either, it's been a problem in surgery, it's been a problem with lidocaine, they gave me 2 heavy dose Valiums before my Lasik which I had never had before and an hr later nothing STILL happened. I was not calmed down at all. I could not even tell I took anything. The Dr. was actually pretty impressed on how I was functioning perfectly alert and fine after a second dose. Might be why her state says it's at the Nurses discretion. Although even with that said I am sure if someone felt the person was impaired and reported it, it would be looked into. Sometimes people don't have the best discretion. Also if they called her in for a UA it might still show in the system if it wasn't taken during the shift or right before in the time prescribed. Like taking it at bed time the night before you next shift.

[caliotter3]

Congrats on your reinstatement. I guess, one lesson to be learned here, is to make very important notifications in writing. Best wishes on completing the program with no further problems.

[chellevonne]

"That evening when i returned home I took another one and received a call from my instructor that "some meds had been stolen from the hospital" and I needed to take a drug test immediately."

Am I to assume from your above statement that missing meds is why you were drug tested? Was anyone else tested? Was the medication missing the same as your prescription? If you were the only one tested due to stolen medicine I would for sure want to know why.

[DolceVita, ADN, BSN, RN]

It never ceases to amaze me how reactionary some nursing schools can be. They teach us not to behave in a paternalistic/maternalistic way and to use critical thinking.

How does an instructor decide that someone who tells them they are taking a prescribed narcotic is the most likely person to have stolen some? Also, what would the drug test have to do with it?

If it were me I would be concerned about the damage to my reputation at the clinical site.

[P B and J]

I'm wondering how the instructor can deny knowledge of the rx after being informed, but miraculously happens to pick the one person who would come up positive to accuse?