Do nurses, DR's, health care workers get randomly drug tested?

CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN · Jan 11, 2007

i know as an rn i was drug tested all the way through cna & rn schools and when i applied for work at my current facility. if there was any question that i was intoxicated at work, i would be drug tested without hesitation. actually about a month ago a physician came in to do his rounds drunk....since i do like this doc i did not have the heart to mention this to my supervisor or anyone...just a personal bias you might say...but even still i was appalled at this action on his part.:smiletea2:

ps. if we as health professionals are tested, teachers should suffer the humiliation of a drug test too degnabbit!

Plagueis · Jan 11, 2007

I work in LTC, and us CNAs and the nurses had to pass a drug test before getting hired. However, there hasn't been any drug testing since. This seems to be the same policy in other nursing homes in the area, based on what coworkers who worked in them told me.

MomNRN, BSN, RN · Jan 12, 2007

I work as an ER RN.

I was drug tested upon initial employment. We also have random drug testing done.

clee1 · Jan 12, 2007

Pre-employment and if there is reasonable suspicion of impairment or work-related accident.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Jan 12, 2007

I've been drug tested for every job I 've had since 1994, health related or not. randomly, no.

Imissthefall · Jan 12, 2007

"""ps. if we as health professionals are tested, teachers should suffer the humiliation of a drug test too degnabbit""""

i agree!

danh3190 · Jan 13, 2007

For the record..I don't use drugs. I was wondering though if health care workers get tested? I was surprised recently to find out that teachers don't get drug tested. I don't know why I was surprised I just thought they would be subject to it. I guess I find it sort of weird that some places do and some don't.
What is your opinion>?

But teachers don't have access and the opportunity to divert drugs do they?

That said, I'm not in favor of drug testing unless the employee's performance seems to indicate some form of impairment. I know people who take quite large doses of narcs legitimately but perform perfectly well in everyday life.

kitty=^..^=cat · Jan 13, 2007

One of the worst things that ever happened in my supervision of employees was when one of my very best RNs -- long term employee, great guy -- got hurt at work and had to have a urine screen. Positive for THC. He's just gotten back from vacation on one of the more free-wheeling islands, and I KNOW he wasn't under the influence at work.

I managed to help him keep his job and minimize the professional damage, and the experience really made me reconsider how I feel about drug testing. If narcotics are missing or there are major breaches of professional conduct indicative of drug use, maybe, but even then the relevance is shaky (Nurse stealing Lortab has a prescription for it -- what does a drug test tell you?)...

We've had so many rights taken away post 9/11, I'm beginning to feel very possessive of my pee...

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jan 13, 2007

I haven't been drug tested since I've been a nurse, but for the time I was hired.

However, I have seen other people/units randomly drug tested if there is a problem with narcotics. They were about to drug test us one day and when one nurse walked in and found we were being drug tested she ran out the door. They stopped the urine testing then, knowing the runaway nurse was guilty. Also our entire OR was drug tested looking for a culpruit....it was an MD, but they also caught a nurse who tested positive for marijuana.

So where I work it does happen, but usually for a reason, not randomly or routinely.

PralineLPN · Jan 13, 2007

I was drug tested before LPN school. My workplace now required all new hires to be tested. Also, if mgmt suspects drug use, they reserve the right to get a urine sample.

jetscreamer101 · Jan 14, 2007

We do pre-employment, work related injury and reasonable cause.