Drug Testing

[shel_wny]

I'm going to get raked over the coals for this one...

But I just HAD to ask this question.

At any point in your nursing career were you drug tested?

I'll say no more.

And no, I'm not a pothead.

Shel

[CHATSDALE]

If i was a pt or any of my family i would be more secure if i could be sure that the facility we were in was making every effort to protect us from the nurses which we all know are out there

We had a nurse in our facility who every one "knew" was on illegals and propably on drugs pilfered from pts but knowing and proving are two different animals......when DON requested all of to take a drug test she quit and the tests were never ordered

As for canada being more concerned about nurses privacy than we if i may respectively say that is a crock

[Kim44]

Canadian here. I've never been tested at work, or when I was in school. I did have a co-worker once who had drug issues. The hospital asked her for weekly urine tests. This when on for months, then she began having "issues" again, and the hospital gave her the option of quitting or being reported to the College of Nurses for disciplinary action. She quit the hospital but still works in nursing.

[z's playa]

If i was a pt or any of my family i would be more secure if i could be sure that the facility we were in was making every effort to protect us from the nurses which we all know are out there

We had a nurse in our facility who every one "knew" was on illegals and propably on drugs pilfered from pts but knowing and proving are two different animals......when DON requested all of to take a drug test she quit and the tests were never ordered

As for canada being more concerned about nurses privacy than we if i may respectively say that is a crock

What do you mean its a crock?

[NGACAYAN-CORTES]

:) i had my drug test this afternoon. i am applying for a new job. it's a part of their pre-employment requirements. :)

[Vsummer1]

Yes, my fiance was drug tested before he started med school. This particular med school also requires females to take a pregnancy test. (complete invasion of privacy if you ask me)

My employer does not do pre-employment drug screening.

While it may be an invasion of privacy, you have to understand the climate of this country and people being sue-happy. The preservatives used on the cadavers may have a tetragenic effect, so the schools need to keep pregnant females away from the chemicals. Or that is how it was exlained to me.

[talaxandra]

I guess I really don't understand what the problem is? Invasion of privacy or not, it's totally necessary - if you are doing illegal drugs or taking meds that you don't have a doctor's prescription for, then you aren't fit to have people's lives in your hands. And generally, it's rare to find someone getting all up in arms about privacy and random urine testing if they're not doing anything wrong.

As I've previously posted, drug testing isn't routine in Australia, so this isn't something I've been faced with. Let me add that I don't use illicit drugs. However, I have a script for Panadeine Forte - although I only take it rarely (my migraines being mercifully less frequent), I have taken it at work (from my own, prescribed and paid for stock) and it has not affected my performance.

Here's the thing - if I'm tested and test positive for opiates a) I can't prove that I haven't been diverting morph and b) I need to explain my use. I imagine that an employer who feels the need to drug test me won't accept my word, so at the least I need to show them the package and prescription label, perhaps even a note from my GP. Apart from the privacy issue (which I'm not minimising), I don't personally have a problem with that in this context. However, people take a variety of prescription meds for a variety of reasons that are not their employers' business.

Even doing it in your off time, it's still mind-altering and illegal! It WILL cross over to your work life eventually, believe me.

The mind-altering part fine, but as other posters have pointed out, alcohol is also mind-altering and that's not checked for. In fact, there are a whole host of things that affect performance, including lack of sleep (which some studies equate to being over the limit for drunk driving) that are a whole lot more prevalent than drug use.

The fact that the drugs they test for are illegal is not so much of an issue for me. In the first place, there's a difference between recreational drug use and drug dependency - drug dependent nurses tend to use prescription meds, day in day out; recreational users are more likely to separate their drug use and their work schedule, allowing time to recover. I acknowledge that this is not always the case, just my experience working with nurses who use recreational drugs - it's hard to be a heavy duty stoner and still haul yourself in to work!

In the second place, there are a bunch of other illegal things that people do which is not the business of the employer. I'm thinking here primarily of victimless crime that is of differing legal status depending on location - gambling and prostitution, for example. If a person is caught by the police with a personal-use quantity of marijuana, first offense, they'll be let off with a caution. If they test positive they could lose not only their job but also their ability to practice. This seems a little extreme to me.

I admit that this argument is based on the premise that recreational drug use is not a serious thing for most people, so if one has a different basic premise none of this will hold water.

I just think the entire issue is out of control surrounding marijuana because legalization would be the beginning of the end of the war on drugs and our U.S. Govt. makes too much money from that little enterprise.

Just think of the money to be made if illicit drugs were legislated by the government - not only direct revenue through taxes but a) decreased expenditure on police, courts and jails, and b) legal drugs undercut organised crime profits. Less blood-borne diseases = decreased healthcare costs, and some of the money could be put into education and rehab facilities. Or is that a whole new thread?!

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

I have been drug tested for almost every job I've had, and was tested prior to being admitted to nursing school, as well.

My personal belief is that no one should be drug tested unless they have done something to warrant suspicion of drug use.

[CCU NRS]

As I've previously posted, drug testing isn't routine in Australia, so this isn't something I've been faced with. Let me add that I don't use illicit drugs. However, I have a script for Panadeine Forte - although I only take it rarely (my migraines being mercifully less frequent), I have taken it at work (from my own, prescribed and paid for stock) and it has not affected my performance.

Here's the thing - if I'm tested and test positive for opiates a) I can't prove that I haven't been diverting morph and b) I need to explain my use. I imagine that an employer who feels the need to drug test me won't accept my word, so at the least I need to show them the package and prescription label, perhaps even a note from my GP. Apart from the privacy issue (which I'm not minimising), I don't personally have a problem with that in this context. However, people take a variety of prescription meds for a variety of reasons that are not their employers' business.

The mind-altering part fine, but as other posters have pointed out, alcohol is also mind-altering and that's not checked for. In fact, there are a whole host of things that affect performance, including lack of sleep (which some studies equate to being over the limit for drunk driving) that are a whole lot more prevalent than drug use.

The fact that the drugs they test for are illegal is not so much of an issue for me. In the first place, there's a difference between recreational drug use and drug dependency - drug dependent nurses tend to use prescription meds, day in day out; recreational users are more likely to separate their drug use and their work schedule, allowing time to recover. I acknowledge that this is not always the case, just my experience working with nurses who use recreational drugs - it's hard to be a heavy duty stoner and still haul yourself in to work!

In the second place, there are a bunch of other illegal things that people do which is not the business of the employer. I'm thinking here primarily of victimless crime that is of differing legal status depending on location - gambling and prostitution, for example. If a person is caught by the police with a personal-use quantity of marijuana, first offense, they'll be let off with a caution. If they test positive they could lose not only their job but also their ability to practice. This seems a little extreme to me.

I admit that this argument is based on the premise that recreational drug use is not a serious thing for most people, so if one has a different basic premise none of this will hold water.

Just think of the money to be made if illicit drugs were legislated by the government - not only direct revenue through taxes but a) decreased expenditure on police, courts and jails, and b) legal drugs undercut organised crime profits. Less blood-borne diseases = decreased healthcare costs, and some of the money could be put into education and rehab facilities. Or is that a whole new thread?!

your point a) decreased expenditure on police, courts and jails, and b) legal drugs undercut organised crime profits are two reasons that the Govt. won't legalize.

I also agree with what you said about recreational use as relates to users being in better control and not using surrounding work hours, addiction is overwhelming and an addict will use regardless.

[hogan4736, BSN, RN]

We had 2 po dilaudis missing from our E box...

What if I am on Vicodin, and have to drop a UA because I work at the facility that's missing dilaudid?

I test opiate positive...

There are holes in the random UA testing policies...

[z's playa]

We had 2 po dilaudis missing from our E box...

What if I am on Vicodin, and have to drop a UA because I work at the facility that's missing dilaudid?

I test opiate positive...

There are holes in the random UA testing policies...

I'm guessing a script for the narcotic would clear it right up but...what if the drug missing was your drug prescribed? Imagine! They couldn't prove it but boy would you be watched. I agree, many holes.

How many times has one of you taken one of your friends prescription meds for pain like T3? No script? PANIC CITY!

I believe all this testing infringes on personal lives and it could be too easy to lose your license.

But on the other hand it has its good side.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

A pregnancy test? That's against human rights! That's grounds for a law suit and you could prove it was discrimination as well! I can't believe it.

Several hospitals that I have worked for required an RPR.

I do not even want to know the reason behind that one.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

As Professional nurses

all wanting to further the nursing profession

you should support Random Drug testing

help keep the drug impaired nurses out of patient care

Do you want some nurse under the influence of Fentanyl or hydrocodone giving you your meds or treatments, I certainly dont.