ok i'm a nurse, fresh out of school. i had an accident after graduation, my doc put me on hydrocodone. now im interviewing for positions as a nurse. i take about 15-20 mgs a day for the pain. he gave me 10's and i break them in half, so not to use to much (i have a presciption).
heres my question, with me being a nurse do you think my potential employers (hospital) will deny me employment because i take this?
i had three interviews this week and supposedly if everything works out(drug test and background check), 2 have offered me the job.
i feel that i cant tell the hospital im on these meds for pain because i really think they will look at me as a liability or even worse a drug user, like someone whos abusing it... what do you think?
i wanted to be a nurse for as long as i can remember and now what!
I take Lortabs for 3 bad disks and never have a problem with drug screens. Seems the lab we use does not ask about any meds in advance, you only have to give them several numbers to contact you for questions. They call and I give them my Rx number and the pharmacy and thats that.
I may add that while I am taking these legally, I did inform my unit manager that I am on pain-management. Since I function perfectly well she has no problem with this. I also do not use them while at work, only after I get off! I think half of the older nurses that I work with have chronic back problems. I just could never figure out why so many nurses have back problems.....
One thing that I would advise you to do if you are hired and are taking pain meds:
DO NOT tell your co-workers that you take Opioid pain medication. There is still a lot of ignorance surrounding opioid use for chronic pain. Many have the attitude that Scheduled Medication=Impaired Individual.
This is old-school thinking and simply not true for people taking the drugs as prescribed by their Physician.
I throw out this bit of advice because I have worked with others that know that their co-worker is taking a Prescribed Scheduled Drug. This poor co-worker was criticized constantly. If she was tired, late, sick, cranky, happy, pleasant, etc., etc.....it was because she was a "pill popper". Yet it seemed to be OK for anyone NOT taking a Prescribed Opioid to do these things. Terribly unfair.
Personally, I think a person in chronic pain and who does NOT have their pain managed properly, more dangerous than a person who can take medications, be free from pain and function normally.
What might not get you hired, is not the drug itself, but the fact that you're in pain. The employer might think........mmmmmmm..........is the pain limiting their ability to perform their job, or is it something that can be exacerbated by being a nurse, do I need to have medical clearance from this person's MD first?
It's understandable that if a person's pain is bad enough they need narcs that an employer might be hesitant to hire them. Nursing is a physically demanding job.
HIPPA prevents the testing laboratory from asking about your PIH and this includes your medications. If the hydrocodone does show up on the test the medical director of the testing laboratory will contact you about the medication. Just give him all the info off the rx bottle and you should be fine.
Not true. Most labs do ask you about your prescriptions and they are allowed to ask you; HIPAA has nothing to do with it.
HIPAA does not prevent anyone from asking you anything. It is supposed to curtail unathorized disclosure, not inquiries.
When I was recovering from a back injury, I disclosed my Lortab script, and Lortab showed up on the drug screen. I had already been offered the job and accepted, but I never heard from the employer again. In a "right to work" state an employer does not have to give a reason for not following through on an offer of employment.
Specializes in Women's Specialty, Post-Part, Scrub(cs).
I went to the dr. for flu-like symptoms. He put me on a Z-pac and Hycatuss...cough syrup with codeine. A couple of days later, I woke up with severe pain in my groin. Somehow...(I really don't know) maybe the vomiting or stumbling to the bathroom to vomit...I pulled a groin muscle. Was then put on a medrol dose pak and hydrocodone for pain. Just my luck...In the middle of all this, I got the call I had been waiting for....orientation paperwork & drug screen for my new job. I had finished the Z-pak, did not take the cough syrup or the pain pill the day before I went. AND Disclosed everthing I had taken for the past 3 months...including tylenol, benedryl, & tums. Yes...My form had a check list that included these & asked for the past 3 months. Took my bottles with me, just in case they wanted to see them. If anything showed, I was never called about. And the facility has a strict policy on having a prescription for anything in your system. I started work the next week. Granted mine was not long-term pain managment and was only small doses. I did inform my supervisor that I had an injury but it was better and had completed my round of meds. I hobbled some those first few days but did not take anymore of the pain pill until I got off and was going to be off the next day. I haven't had any problem. Just be honest. And don't endanger yourself or your patients. My old job schedule was where I had 7 days off in a row. My doctor would only write the cough syrup prescription when I was on the 7. He knew I worked 12 hour shifts of forbid me to take it while on my work schedule. Everyone gets sick or injured at some point. Most employers are looking for abusers. And they are old hands at spotting potential abusers. Just disclose and be honest. GOOD LUCK
Not true. Most labs do ask you about your prescriptions and they are allowed to ask you; HIPAA has nothing to do with it.
HIPAA does not prevent anyone from asking you anything. It is supposed to curtail unathorized disclosure, not inquiries.
When I was recovering from a back injury, I disclosed my Lortab script, and Lortab showed up on the drug screen. I had already been offered the job and accepted, but I never heard from the employer again. In a "right to work" state an employer does not have to give a reason for not following through on an offer of employment.
My thought process was that it would be better to disclose a med BEFORE the screen (for nursing school) but they absolutely won't listen due to HIPAA issues... any school or employer themselves legally can't ask you anything about your health. Now the procedure is to run the screen, and a doctor from the outside lab will call with a discrete message. When you talk to them they often ASK first what meds you are on to see what you say instead of saying "you tested positive for ____." For us, anyone that had any rx's come up you had to fax a copy of the rx, written prior to the test. Then the report reads "negative" to the school/employer, since it's a legal prescription. Just thought I'd throw that out there that they do it a little differently now!
But yes, biggest thing is to be honest and tell the truth... it will come out one way or another!
Specializes in Women's Specialty, Post-Part, Scrub(cs).
That is really interesting. Even though I was asked and did disclose, I felt like I should have come up positive for the hydrocodone. Maybe because I had dated bottles prescribed by one of this facility's doctors....I showed negative!?!?!? Very VERY INTERESTING> Just glad it didn't jeopardize my new great job.
That is really interesting. Even though I was asked and did disclose, I felt like I should have come up positive for the hydrocodone. Maybe because I had dated bottles prescribed by one of this facility's doctors....I showed negative!?!?!? Very VERY INTERESTING> Just glad it didn't jeopardize my new great job.
Yeah I know that's weird... that you technically are positive for the med, but the REPORT they send will say negative... meaning negative for illegal substances, and because you had a legit rx that doesn't apply to you. It's a weird system, but as long as it works so be it.
HIPPA prevents the testing laboratory from asking about your PIH and this includes your medications. If the hydrocodone does show up on the test the medical director of the testing laboratory will contact you about the medication. Just give him all the info off the rx bottle and you should be fine.
:yeahthat:
I take dexedrine which will show up positive on my drug screens. I noticed the form I used for the lab no longer asks what medications I take. The lady told me the same thing above...they can't ask.
Amphetamines did show up in my urine and the medical director called and asked where I got my script filled and he verified that I had a legitimate prescription and it was ok.
Just so everyone knows even if you take Vicodin for example and have a RX for it . When you take a drug screen the medical review officer (MD) is going to report the result as negative. Same goes for any drug they might be testing for, one just needs to have a valid RX, and by valid its generally accepted less than 6 months old. Obviously one is not going to have a RX for illegal drugs.
It varies when you take a test if they ask what meds you are taking. I have taken several tests and actually have only been asked beforehand once. Come to find out later that form I filled out at the time was not the labs but the facility getting one to self admit to use. Then I had a endoscopy with Demerol and Versed about 3 wks prior and noted that on the form. Coincidentally I had taken a screen a week earlier with an employer who I was already working full time for, the lab never asked and I never heard word one from.
TazziRN, RN
6,487 Posts
HIPPA will not prevent anyone from asking or telling anything.
HIPAA, on the other hand..............
Sorry.................couldn't help it!
Boopy, you cannot rely on what you've heard. Lots of inaccurate information is passed along that way.