Drug testing?

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I was thinking about going into nursing and I was just wondering if drug testing is a requirement. It doesn't say anything on the sheet, only a background check and physical. The physical sheet says i need titers, hep b, and recommended tetorifice, thats all.

Even though it doesn't say anything about testing, I was thinking surely they test you before you go into clinicals. Is this always the case or no? Thanks.

Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
People that are not doing illegal drugs, should never fear of a drug test.

I don't even ask what a company's policy is on it...it doesn't concern me in the least because they aren't going to find anything.

I am 100% sure I would say this same thing, had I not had my bad experience with drug testing years ago. You assume you have nothing to fear because you are innocent. Hmmm.

About 15 years ago, I was working at a hospital, and I got a better offer at another one to work in their ER. So I quit my job and started the training at the new hospital.

Something like one day into new employee orientation, the HR manager pulled me out and said I failed my drug test, was positive for cocaine, and that they were revoking my job offer. She basically said, "leave you sleezebag"

I was horrified. I had never done any drugs. I insisted I had never done drugs and the test was wrong. They treated me like a guilty creep. I had to go home. My old job was gone and it looked like the new one was.

Well, I called HR raising a stink. They said they would do a more comprehensive test, and they'd send it outside the hospital lab. I think it was a chromatography test. They said I'd have to pay for the test.

The more comprehensive test came back showing no drugs at all. Yet I had the stress of waiting and no income because I had been sent home.

I later learned that the antibiotics I had been on can show a false positive for cocaine. I'm not sure if they knew that then.

Anyway, there's my drug testing horror story. Don't assume everyone who's concerned about drug testing is guilty! I've never had a problem since, but let's just say when I have to pee in a cup for a job, I feel funny about it, still.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
Okay call me silly, and this is where everyone thinks I am just a tad "paranoid" but I'm one of those people who always thinks I will be tagged for something I'm not doing or didn't do--LOL. When I see police lights in my rearview and I'm not doing anything wrong, I panic for a second thinking they might "think" I'm doing something wrong. I have a perfectly clean criminal background, never been arrested, not ever a tie-up with the law-EVER, but I get scared that someone might have used my name and my criminal background check will have something on it. When I was fingerprinted for my CNA license for a brief moment I thought, What if I touched something right before a crime happened? Or I fear that I may have eaten something that might show up as an "illegal drug" haha I can thank Elaine on Seinfeld for that one--remember the episode where she ate all the poppyseed muffins and she tested positive for opium? LOL, yeah and thanks to all the identity theft episodes of 20/20 and Dateline for giving me this little bit of paranoia. I gotta stop watching CSI! or TV all together!

Are you my twin? When I went for fingerprinting for the FBI background check that is required for another professional license I have, I was thinking all sorts of neurotic things.

Running through my mind as they rolled each finger on the fingerprint card were thoughts like...what if a relative sold a gun we used for target practice three years ago and it was used in a crime and now I'm wanted, etc.

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Am I the only one that feels if people are really concerned or worried about passing a DRUG test, then maybe they're going into the wrong field? I understand that many people take prescribed medication, but that doesn't seem to be what's making people nervous.

I know I certainly wouldn't want a nurse who is "using" (even on their days off) to be responsible for taking care of my loved ones!

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......

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Specializes in High Risk In Patient OB/GYN.
I know I certainly wouldn't want a nurse who is "using" (even on their days off) to be responsible for taking care of my loved ones!

Well, you can bet that they are. Nurses are humans too. I'd rather my loved one be cared for by someone who smokes MJ a few times a month on their own time than someone who smokes cigarettes regularly. Blech!

All hospitals require testing as a part of the hiring process.
Just wondering where you got this information from, what you're basing it on. Maybe you meant to say that all hospitals in your region require testing? Because I've certainly not been tested and am employed at a hospital.
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Specializes in CNA, RN Student.

Desert Rain....

Your not paranoid in my opinion your just on top of things lol. Here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area just a few months ago there was a story on the news. The police went into an elementary school, handcuffed, and arrested a food service worker. She was freaking because she knew she had not done anything. They arrested her for making, and dealing drugs (not exactly a good thing for someone who works in an elementary school). It came out a few days later that they had arrested the wrong person, and she just had the same name. It wasn't even ID theft!!! She was just guilty of having a common name, and living in the same city. I check my credit reports every few months just to make sure my identity is safe. I have NEVER had a run in with the law. My worse offense to day was an expired registration sticker on my car which I promptly got, and it was dismissed. I figure even if something like the above happens like the lady we were talking about I will be able to fix it.

LOL, see what I mean... I keep hearing these kind of stories and I always think...with my luck, that can and will happen to me! I used to cross the Canada/US border regularly and the Officers at the Border used to make me believe I had illegal items in my car...sometimes they made me believe I had illegal aliens in my trunk....they are so good at that!! LOL

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Am I the only one that feels if people are really concerned or worried about passing a DRUG test, then maybe they're going into the wrong field? I understand that many people take prescribed medication, but that doesn't seem to be what's making people nervous.

I know I certainly wouldn't want a nurse who is "using" (even on their days off) to be responsible for taking care of my loved ones!

I was thinking this same thing..... I wouldn't worry so much about getting thrown out of nursing school as I would about killing someone because I was on drugs...

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Specializes in High Risk In Patient OB/GYN.
I was thinking this same thing..... I wouldn't worry so much about getting thrown out of nursing school as I would about killing someone because I was on drugs...
You'd worry about killing someone (years later) by having smoked weed a few weeks before even entering nursing school?

I don't know what kind of pot that is, but it sure must be strong. Last I heard, MJ clears from the system in an average max of 30 days, but the effects on behaviour last only hours. Not the 3-5 years it takes to obtain a nursing degree. :uhoh21:

Because the OP already explained that it was a while ago and he's not going to do it anymore.

It's reefer madness all over again!

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Specializes in Junior Year of BSN.
You'd worry about killing someone (years later) by having smoked weed a few weeks before even entering nursing school?

I don't know what kind of pot that is, but it sure must be strong. Last I heard, MJ clears from the system in an average max of 30 days, but the effects on behaviour last only hours. Not the 3-5 years it takes to obtain a nursing degree. :uhoh21:

Because the OP already explained that it was a while ago and he's not going to do it anymore.

It's reefer madness all over again!

LOL:lol2::lol2::lol2:

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Specializes in CNA, RN Student.
Are you my twin? When I went for fingerprinting for the FBI background check that is required for another professional license I have, I was thinking all sorts of neurotic things.

Running through my mind as they rolled each finger on the fingerprint card were thoughts like...what if a relative sold a gun we used for target practice three years ago and it was used in a crime and now I'm wanted, etc.

Oh my goodness, your drug-testing horror story totally gave me goosebumps...SEE, that stuff does happen to innocent people! I wasn't sure from your post but did you end up being able to keep that job? Gosh I hope so. That's another thing I fear with the drug testing, when you appeal their conclusions, of course they expect you to pay. And then no matter what the end result is, the "positive" test is what everyone remembers, even if you weren't doing anything wrong. I mean, think of it like this, those lab workers are only human themselves, sometimes things can go wrong...like in any profession, in any field...mix-ups can happen!

One thing that happened to a friend of mine, she had just bought a used car and she was pulled over, spent a night in jail because the previous owners of the car had used it in illegal activity. Sure that won't show up on her records...but she still got pointed at for something she never did...and spent a night in jail which they can never give her back!

So, see, perhaps we have reasons to be paranoid! Thanks for sharing your mutual fear!

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Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.

My school has a mandatory drug test as well. I think they have to do it for clinical/hospital requirements.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
Oh my goodness, your drug-testing horror story totally gave me goosebumps...SEE, that stuff does happen to innocent people! I wasn't sure from your post but did you end up being able to keep that job? Gosh I hope so. That's another thing I fear with the drug testing, when you appeal their conclusions, of course they expect you to pay. And then no matter what the end result is, the "positive" test is what everyone remembers, even if you weren't doing anything wrong. I mean, think of it like this, those lab workers are only human themselves, sometimes things can go wrong...like in any profession, in any field...mix-ups can happen!

One thing that happened to a friend of mine, she had just bought a used car and she was pulled over, spent a night in jail because the previous owners of the car had used it in illegal activity. Sure that won't show up on her records...but she still got pointed at for something she never did...and spent a night in jail which they can never give her back!

So, see, perhaps we have reasons to be paranoid! Thanks for sharing your mutual fear!

Yes, I was able to keep the new job. I was without pay for about a week while waiting for the results. As soon as the results came back from the more comprehensive test, I was called to come back in and start the job.

I've never had another false positive. I'm thinking it was the antibiotics I was on.

Stressful! And yes, you are correct about the innocent person being 'tainted'.

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