Drug testing to get into the nursing program

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Specializes in certified nursing assistant.

I am 27 years old with two beautiful little girls. Im going into the nursing program to provide them with a better life so that when they get older I can actually pay for the college and give them the things that they need. Im about to enter the nursing program, i recieved a seat. Now i have to do a drug test. I am currently subscribed vicodin and soma for my back pain and klodipin for my anxiety. Is this going to affect my entrance? Can they deny me my seat for taking these prescriptions even though i have a reason for taking them? I have come to far for this all to get thrown away. Im scared and I dont know what to do. I just need some answers. Any comments would be helpful.

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I am in ALA so I am sure that some things are different than other places. Before I started Nursing school(about to enter my 2nd semester) I was taking a prescribed medication that was still not allowed. I would suggest that you call the school and verify if it is ok for you to take those meds(my school told me no even with a RX)( I was taking Adepex). When it is time for you to submit for a drug test be sure to have you RX bottles on hand and put the medication on the form. You don't want to get kicked out for falsifying information(not disclosing is considered falsifying) for have a legitimate RX. Good Luck to you.

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Specializes in certified nursing assistant.

So what did they do when they found out you were taking it?

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

You need to check with your school of nursing's policy on the use of prescribed controlled substances. You can also check with your state BON.

For my school, we were not permitted to disclose any medications or prescriptions at the time of drug screen. If the drug screen came back positive (depending on the medication), then prescription information was required. Depending on the type of medication, medical clearance may be required before proceeding with the admission.

Were you required to have a physical prior to entrance indicating whether or not you were clear to practice without restrictions? (Some schools require physicals after you clear the drugs screen & background check, others at the same point in time.) If you have back pain severe enough to require narcotic pain relievers and muscle relaxants (if it is not an acute injury) you may not be able to be medically cleared for nursing school. For my school, there was a list of requirements such as the ability to lift 50lbs without restriction, standing for long periods of time. If your primary physician could not clear you to perform these tasks without restriction you were required to delay admission until you were medically cleared. Again medical clearance would be at the discretion of your own physician.

For example. when I worked as a tech I had an on-the-job injury bad enough to require narcotic pain relievers. I was not permitted to return to full duty until I was medically cleared and no longer on narcotic pain medications.

As far as your anxiety medication, does your prescribing physician know of your desire to enter nursing school? You can make an appointment to discuss with your physician whether he feels this medication would permit you to successfully practice as a nurse or whether other medication might be a better choice. Again this is a discussion between you and your physician

Good luck.

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So what did they do when they found out you were taking it?

I stopped taking it before Nursing school. With you being on those types of med you cannot just stop taking them. I agree with MOM-TO-BE that you should check with your school because they are different. I too had to get medical clearance but we had to disclose the RX info the day of the drug test. Also, our drug test was given 3 weeks into the semester not before or the day of with no prior notification.

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Specializes in certified nursing assistant.

I have to take the drug test in a couple of days and i will come up positive. Can they deny me my seat because of these prescription meds? Or is it safe to say they will just ask me to stop taking them? I dont want to loose my seat due to this. I am about to start physical therapy on monday so I can hopefully get weened off of these narcotics. I'm just freaking out. I dont want to take these meds anymore anyways but now my body is addicted to them. It is going to be really hard to ween myself off.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
i have to take the drug test in a couple of days and i will come up positive. can they deny me my seat because of these prescription meds? or is it safe to say they will just ask me to stop taking them? i dont want to loose my seat due to this. i am about to start physical therapy on monday so i can hopefully get weened off of these narcotics. i'm just freaking out. i dont want to take these meds anymore anyways but now my body is addicted to them. it is going to be really hard to ween myself off.

the fact that you know you are now addicted to narcotic pain medications should be a red flag for you.:redlight:

can they deny me my seat because of these prescription meds? or is it safe to say they will just ask me to stop taking them? check with your school & bon. there is no way anyone on this message board can tell you what it is safe to assume regarding your potential positive drug screen with a valid md rx. even if someone else was in a similar situation with the same bon, there is no guarantee what that student was told will be the same as what you will be told.

many bon's prohibit the use of certain narcotics/controlled substances when working (and clinical placements are often considered "working"), regardless of whether or not you have a prescription.

make an appointment to discuss your situation with your physician and let him/her know of your concerns.

remember this is a public message board, anything you post or that is in your public profile is available to anyone with an internet connection.

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Specializes in future OB/L&D nurse(I hope) or hospice.
I have to take the drug test in a couple of days and i will come up positive. Can they deny me my seat because of these prescription meds? Or is it safe to say they will just ask me to stop taking them? I dont want to loose my seat due to this. I am about to start physical therapy on monday so I can hopefully get weened off of these narcotics. I'm just freaking out. I dont want to take these meds anymore anyways but now my body is addicted to them. It is going to be really hard to ween myself off.

I think it is safe to say that the OP is "physically dependent" on the narcotics, not addicted. There is a big difference. OP: you never want to use the word addiction unless you are in fact psychologically addicted, rather than physically dependent...IMO.

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I think the more you can get ahead of the potential problem, the better. As everyone said, check your school's policy (I would use email so you have a paper trail) and definitely bring your prescription numbers to the drug test and disclose. That way it will only be a matter of whether you will be allowed to proceed while actively on that script. What you really don't want to have happen is to fail without a disclosed reason. Good luck!

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Specializes in CNA-MA.

Like everyone has mention check with the school and see what they say. It would totally suck if you weren't allowed in school cause who's to say that you will be on these medications forever. I also take anxiety medication and I know when we had a drug test we had to bring are prescription with us and then when the test came back I had to talk to the dean of nursing and explain what I was taking and why. Hang in there and hopefully everything will work out for you:)

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