Pre employment urine drug screen for nursing home, will they test for alcohol?

Specialties Geriatric

Published

This is my first RN job offer so I had no idea I would be drug tested when I went in that day to sign paperwork (I would not have drank at all had I have known this). I thought they would give me a 3 day heads up and send me to a lab corp. So my employment at this nursing home is contingent upon me passing a drug and background check.

The night before I drank about 10 or 11 beers, I probably went to sleep around 1am and the drug test was around 11am the next day.

Is this going to show up in the urine drug test? I'm a small person (5'8, 130 llbs) so I don't know if it had metabolized out of my system yet. I did feel a little buzzed that morning.

I'm freaking out, will they report me to the BON if alcohol shows up? :(

I wish they would've told me that I'd be taking a drug test when I went in to sign paperwork :(

Specializes in geriatrics.

Are you serious? Party or not, 11 beers is excessive when you know you have to go to a new job the next day. You probably smelled of alcohol. Not a great first impression to make. And yes....people that don't drink can often smell alcohol on someone even if they drank the night before.

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HI guys I was reading your posts I had my physical today in a hospital. I am just worried I took a glass of wine yesterday I don't know if that would appear in my blood or urine. Also I am working in a nursing home so I am crushing this narcotics for some residents, I don't know sometimes I feel like the powder spreads and it enters your nose or I'm just paranoid... I'm just worried, need your advise :(

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.
HI guys I was reading your posts I had my physical today in a hospital. I am just worried I took a glass of wine yesterday I don't know if that would appear in my blood or urine. Also I am working in a nursing home so I am crushing this narcotics for some residents, I don't know sometimes I feel like the powder spreads and it enters your nose or I'm just paranoid... I'm just worried, need your advise :(

How in the world are you crushing meds that they are getting within the danger zone of you snorting them? Also, I think all of the narcotics that my residents receive are XR, which means they can't be crushed anyway...

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HI guys I was reading your posts I had my physical today in a hospital. I am just worried I took a glass of wine yesterday I don't know if that would appear in my blood or urine. Also I am working in a nursing home so I am crushing this narcotics for some residents, I don't know sometimes I feel like the powder spreads and it enters your nose or I'm just paranoid... I'm just worried, need your advise :(

Just calm down, haha. No one would fault you for one glass of wine, even if it did show up. As for the narcotics -- I don't know about your pill crushers, but the ones at my facility are rather industrial and require you to place the pills in a plastic pouch before crushing them, making it virtually impossible for you to inhale any medication... even if you were bending down with your face right next to the pill crusher.

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To the pp, if you are getting "dust" anywhere near inhaling it, you are doing it wrong..... AND to the OP.....you were so stressed, what ever happend?????

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Thanks for the replies... oh its in a nursing home and you crush pill in a plastic pouch but i have to transfer them back to the plastic cup to put some apple sauce as elderlies can't swallow them whole... so in the process of pouring them back from the plastic pouch to the medicine cup... dusts spread and i think i can smell them cause i am petite so the medicine cart is just a little bit higher than my breast level.... yeah i guess i'm just paranoid hahaha... but thanks for the posts :)

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.
Thanks for the replies... oh its in a nursing home and you crush pill in a plastic pouch but i have to transfer them back to the plastic cup to put some apple sauce as elderlies can't swallow them whole... so in the process of pouring them back from the plastic pouch to the medicine cup... dusts spread and i think i can smell them cause i am petite so the medicine cart is just a little bit higher than my breast level.... yeah i guess i'm just paranoid hahaha... but thanks for the posts :)

OK, after reading about your fear initially, I paid super careful attention to when I crush meds, I didn't ever notice that there was a dangerous dust cloud. And again, as I mentioned, every narc I happen to give are XR and should never be crushed anyway. Not saying you don't give XR narcs, but double check if you're still concerned

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Being judgemental gives this site a bad reputation.

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Specializes in Management, Med/Surg, Clinical Trainer.

This is according to the US Dept of Labor.

"Urine [test]...detects and measures use of a particular drug within the previous few days and has become the defacto evidence of current use. Because alcohol passes rapidly through the system, urine tests must be conducted very quickly after alcohol consumption in order to ensure any degree of accuracy. For this reason, urine tests are generally not helpful in detecting alcohol use as opposed to illicit and prescription drug use...."

"...alcohol is absorbed and eliminated more quickly than other drugs. This is why post-accident testing procedures often require testing for alcohol to occur within two hours...."

"The following are estimates of the length of time that certain drugs are detectable:

  • Alcohol – 1 oz. for 1.5 hours ..."

elaws - Drug-Free Workplace Advisor

I read the information and did not see any reference made to the fact that women metabolize slower than men.

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Specializes in Management, Med/Surg, Clinical Trainer.

I wish they would've told me that I'd be taking a drug test when I went in to sign paperwork :(

It is a bummer for sure. You are an adult and have the right to drink as you like it is legal. I make no judgments on that or you....as I sip my beer.

The last statement is the learning curve.....next time ask when and where the test will be. Or at the very least assume each time that you walk in to a place that will be or is your potential employer you are being evaluated in some way.

Good luck.

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This thread is old.

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This may be an old post but... did the OP ever get the job?

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