Hospitals discriminating against medical conditions..?

Nurses General Nursing

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If a person has a medical condition and is prescribed medical cannabis by a medical doctor would it not be discrimitory for a nurse to be denied employment? Nurses should have the same rights as any other individuals that are not nurses. This is common sense. A nurse should have the right to chose either man made chemicals (which can lead to absolute dependance) or chose naturally occurring medicines such as cannabis (which is much less likely for dependance). Why are we being denied this right? If you say its because there is no test to measure if a nurse is high on the job or not then guess what? Its not the nurses fault this test does not exist so why does the nurse have to limit their options for medical care? Having said that I feel hospitals are discriminating against medical conditions and I don't even know how they are not being prosecuted for this. Medical cannabis is prescribed by a medical doctor and therefore is in FACT a medication! Hospitals are not hiring and firing people with medical prescriptions.

Specializes in Acute Care Pediatrics.
. The hospital I worked for didn't allow anyone to work while taking narcotics, regardless of the reason they were prescribed. I don't know their policy on employees and medical marijuana but I'd bet it's similar.

After a car accident, I was prescribed Lortab for a minor concussion. I called out of work (because who can work with a concussion on narcs?) and got written up. Ah, nursing. LOL!

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Specializes in Acute Care Pediatrics.

Obviously, my hospital does not terminate employment for cigarette smoking - this is honestly the first I have heard of that gem!

While I understand the logic, it does bother me a bit that an employer and truly dictate your life outside of work hours. :/

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Hern and roser, I see this site as a way of expression and it actually helps me. I can question, vent, listen to others views and so on.. And yes I like to throw a few curve balls here and there to u guys and see the responses..

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Specializes in critical care.
Hern and roser, I see this site as a way of expression and it actually helps me. I can question, vent, listen to others views and so on.. And yes I like to throw a few curve balls here and there to u guys and see the responses..

Self-admitted trolling? Doth my eyes deceive?

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We are expected to be perfect robots, can't get hurt and take medication, can't have anxiety and take medicines etc.. Nurses can't do this and nurses can't do that and nurses better do this and they better do that or else!!! There isn't enough money In the freaking world for me to be expected to be inhuman!! Ugggggghhh!!! Oh not to mention all the female dogs we are surrounded by..

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Laws that govern drugs/medications are on the state level, not federal. As such, it is my belief (which means absolutely nothing) that if the state approves either medical marijuana or marijuana altogether (like Colorado), then a nurse cannot be fired or have their license revoked. .

This is not accurate. They sure can be fired. And this has been upheld by the Colorado Supreme Court.

My understanding is that states can create MORE stringent laws, but not LESS stringent laws, than what federal law is.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
Self-admitted trolling? Doth my eyes deceive?

Moderators!!

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We are expected to be perfect robots, can't get hurt and take medication, can't have anxiety and take medicines etc.. Nurses can't do this and nurses can't do that and nurses better do this and they better do that or else!!! There isn't enough money In the freaking world for me to be expected to be inhuman!! Ugggggghhh!!! Oh not to mention all the female dogs we are surrounded by..

Bad trip, huh, kiddo?

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Also, the way the word "discrimination" is used is as if it is not allowed to happen. Even in employment, some forms of discrimination are allowed. In fact, right from hiring, there is some acceptable discrimination in play.

Can I discriminate against pregnant women in favor of women who have already established their family?

Discrimination against pregnant women is not "acceptable." Not saying it doesn't happen, but it is not legal, much less "acceptable."

[h=2]Hiring and Working Conditions[/h]An employer cannot refuse to hire a woman because of her pregnancy related condition as long as she is able to perform the major functions of her job. An employer cannot refuse to hire her because of its prejudices against pregnant workers or because of the prejudices of co-workers, clients, or customers. The PDA also forbids discrimination based on pregnancy when it comes to any other aspect of employment, including pay, job assignments, promotions, layoffs, training, fringe benefits, firing, and any other term or condition of employment.

More on the Pregnancy Discrimination Act from the EEOC:

Facts About Pregnancy Discrimination

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I think the word "discrimination in hiring" is typically taken out of context, and given an implication that isn't there. Of COURSE employers discriminate in hiring...and I should hope SO! I would hope they would choose a qualified candidate over an unqualified one...and in doing so, made a good discrimination.

"Discrimination" as a dirty word only applies to the abuse of employers in unfairly refusing to hire qualified candidates based on factors that are NOT to be considered when determining eligibility for the job. This is what I lifted off the government FAQ page regarding EEO:

Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Laws

I. What Are the Federal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination?

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin;

  • the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination;
  • the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older;
  • Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (ADA), which prohibit employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector, and in state and local governments;
  • Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities who work in the federal government;
  • Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), which prohibits employment discrimination based on genetic information about an applicant, employee, or former employee; and
  • the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which, among other things, provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.

So, Dear Readers, in no way is marijuana use part of any protected class ;)

There is also the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.

Facts About Pregnancy Discrimination

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Specializes in critical care.
We are expected to be perfect robots, can't get hurt and take medication, can't have anxiety and take medicines etc.. Nurses can't do this and nurses can't do that and nurses better do this and they better do that or else!!! There isn't enough money In the freaking world for me to be expected to be inhuman!! Ugggggghhh!!! Oh not to mention all the female dogs we are surrounded by..

Pretending for a minute that this was not supposed to inspire some aggravated ridiculous response......

Opiates and marijuana, a.k.a. narcotics, do impair people. Unfortunately, yes, this does require that nurses and other medical professionals have a certain amount of superhuman about them. Because the boards of nursing have no way of knowing whether you are a person who becomes impaired by narcotics or not, some boards of nursing or hiring facilities will require that you not use any of these as medication while you are working. Due to the nonspecificity of urine drug screens, unfortunately this means that you may be dinged even when you did not use them at work at all.

Regarding your last statement, shame on you.

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I didn't say anyone rioted over marijuana. The laws have changed but it's still so confusing it's ridiculous. The boards should address this on their websites if they expect us to know and make informed decisions. And as it stands now from what I can tell is that people without professional jobs can smoke while the hard working professionals are restricted but yet paying taxes for everyone else. Just a bunch of government bull to me is all I was saying.

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