Drug Testing

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Alright, here's the story:

I haven't smoked pot for quite some time until about last wednesday when I took a couple hits - I know it was stupid and am very mad at myself for doing it :angryfire but I did do it so now I'm gonna have to live with it. My problem is I just came across a new job opening I want to apply for. It's a clerk position in a hospital - just filing papers, answering phones, etc. I was wondering if they would give me a drug test for such a position. They did ask if I was willing to take a drug test if asked and I marked yes. I haven't even been called into an interview, and I know no one can really tell me how long the THC will be in my system, but can anyone give me an educated guess? There's all these websites guaranting quick fixes for money and giving false information, so I thought I might try out some educated people for a more accurate answer. Thanks.

Anonymous

Rhiannon,

Do you know how long most hospitals keep positive test information? This particular facility said an applicant with a positive drug screen could not reapply for one year. Do you know if they keep this information forever, or would a positive drug screen preclude someone from employment indefinitely?

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Hi May,

I know that the hospital I work they keep the drug tests on file for six months and then they throw them away. I think that this is the normal M.O. for most hospitals and health care facilities. Good luck and if you have any more questions let me know!

Rhiannon

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As far as I know urine tests only go back 1 month, but again it depends on your metabolism speed and amount/duration of usage. Don't feel too bad. I'm trying to get into nursing but have also applied to a local police dept. They take hair samples from the head or body so detection times are much longer. They can actually go back up to 7 years with hair analysis.

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Specializes in Emergency.

THC is in your system for 30 days unless you are a daily regular user, then it's more.

even second hand smoke will go into your system as far as I know.

chances are for a hospital job, you will get drug tested, by urine......

I don't know of anyone doing hair samples....... like someone else said, hair is lifelong.

I would try one of those "quick fix" things that you heard about....... I heard they work. if it doesn't, just reapply somewhere else, and remember not to smoke pot if you are going into the health care field.

not to preach, cuz i used to travel with the dead back in 93 and 94, but don't smoke pot period and you are golden!

best of luck!!

xoxo Jen

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what about this situation: i was at my dad's house a month ago, and had a very bad headache. i took tylenol, advil...nothing helped. he had a script for lorcet + and i took 2 of them while i was at his house, and after i slept that night the headache was gone the next morning. i however do not have a script for that medicine...so what happens if i was for some reason drug screened on monday when i returned to work, for some reason? many of the nurses i work with have wondered about this kind of question. is there a specific amount of a medicine that has to show up in the test for it to be positive? i mean, if you take a small amount of a medicine and are tested within a week, will it be positive? may sound silly to some, but there are so many nurses around here who are on probation for drug abuse, it's ridiculous. i just don't want to get caught somewhere in the middle because of a one-time medication.

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what about this situation: i was at my dad's house a month ago, and had a very bad headache. i took tylenol, advil...nothing helped. he had a script for lorcet + and i took 2 of them while i was at his house, and after i slept that night the headache was gone the next morning. i however do not have a script for that medicine...so what happens if i was for some reason drug screened on monday when i returned to work, for some reason? many of the nurses i work with have wondered about this kind of question. is there a specific amount of a medicine that has to show up in the test for it to be positive? i mean, if you take a small amount of a medicine and are tested within a week, will it be positive? may sound silly to some, but there are so many nurses around here who are on probation for drug abuse, it's ridiculous. i just don't want to get caught somewhere in the middle because of a one-time medication.

a good friend of mine took tylanol w/ codine for severely bad cramps. she bought it in canada..........anyhow, she did not get hired at the hospital she applied because it showed up in her urine and it was not prescribed to her. :rolleyes:

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Specializes in MS Home Health.

Yes this is very true on the hair. I was reading along and going to post this but you beat me to the punch.

renerian

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A good friend of mine took tylanol w/ codine for severely bad cramps. She bought it in Canada..........anyhow, she did not get hired at the hospital she applied because it showed up in her urine and it was not prescribed to her. :rolleyes:

If she bought it in Canada, she must have had a prescription. T3's require a prescription in Canada. Any narcotic is regulated by the RCMP (three copies of paperwork, one for the pharmacy, one for the RCMP, I forget who gets the third copy). The RCMP even regulates narcotics in Ontario where we have seperate policing (the Ontario Provincial Police).

As for the issue of testing positive - I guess I'm a prude. The way I avoid the risk of this ever happening is NOT doing it!

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Oh, and hair isn't actually lifelong, but it is the life of the hair. Typically, hair grows for an average of five years before it falls out and is replaced with a newly growing hair. The longer the hair, the greater the time span that it can represent as fair as testing goes. It is much more expensive testing so I doubt that it is done a wide spread basis.

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I am thinking of becoming a nurse and I smoke pot and i know that i am gonna have to stop because of drug tests. I am just scared because I am dependent on it. Do you know if once you get hired in a hospital as a nurse, do they randomly test you? A couple times a times a year? Or before they hire you? Is it mostly urine test?

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Oh, and hair isn't actually lifelong, but it is the life of the hair. Typically, hair grows for an average of five years before it falls out and is replaced with a newly growing hair. The longer the hair, the greater the time span that it can represent as fair as testing goes. It is much more expensive testing so I doubt that it is done a wide spread basis.

I'm a prude too LOL! I didn't know that about Rx. in Canada! Who knows where she got it from :rolleyes:

Thanks for the info :)

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If she bought it in Canada, she must have had a prescription. T3's require a prescription in Canada. Any narcotic is regulated by the RCMP (three copies of paperwork, one for the pharmacy, one for the RCMP, I forget who gets the third copy). The RCMP even regulates narcotics in Ontario where we have seperate policing (the Ontario Provincial Police).

As for the issue of testing positive - I guess I'm a prude. The way I avoid the risk of this ever happening is NOT doing it!

Tylenol 1 's can be bought OTC with no prescription in Canada. Omly a small amount of codeine compared to the others however I'm not sure how many you need to have taken for it to show up on a screen.

Hey! Do doctors get subjected to drug testing too?

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