Yesterday I started a CNA class. It is a required class to have to get into a local nursing program. During orientation the instructor starts to talk about drugs not being allowed in class then goes on to say that ANY medications are not allowed to become a CNA... She explained that because YOU wouldn’t want a CNA to care for YOU if they were on meds so we don’t allow it. Well after class I went up to her and asked her what I should do. I am on several different pain medications like the patch. She told me I would have to call this number and talk to a lady then get back to her. Well today I called and got no answer so I left a message, I called back again later and still got no answer. We were home all day and no one called. I went to class tonight and she took me outside as soon as I walked into the room and told me I wasn’t allowed to go to class because I was on medications. She also LIED and said that the lady tried to call me and could not get a hold of me. Is this really legal? Can she not allow me to take a class because of DOCTOR RX's? I am calling up to the Continuing Education department tomorrow and try to talk to her boss but I have a feeling that’s who lied today and said she tried to call me. Does anyone know if this is legal? I am freaking out because if I can’t get this CNA class done I will not be able to apply to the nursing program. Help please!
Hugs :icon_hug:
Shannon
PS We are also talking about finding a lawyer to see if this is legal or not we do not believe it is legal.
Your own quote "methadone is for active drug addicts." this just isn't true so don't give me the "I don't care for your judgemental tone" garbage! There is nothing more judgemental than your own words! I am perfectly capable of having a dicussion and I understand we all have differing opinions... I also have mine! That is all I really have to say on the subject.
Like I said, you have blown your little top because someone disagrees with you. I have no judgement on the matter, just dont want impaired people caring for patients. And with regard to methadone that methadone statement was in response to methadone maintenance, not methadone for pain control. No one ever mentioned methdone for pain control. And I stand by what i say, methadone maintance = legal opiate abuse FOR ACTIVE DRUG ABUSERS. I also have no judgement on those poor souls, I think its an injustice to the people on the methadone programs.
Sheesh, you should take some methadone before you post on this site, hehe
You know, this is going to come down to a matter of statutes, most likely the Nurse Practice Act. Until the OP has something concrete from the State Board, then she will always be running into difficulties, with a school or a job.
Until she can get something certain, preferably in writing, she is going to be bumping into roadblocks all along the way, from school to every employment application.
I think the OP needs to see imagine the liability to which she and her employer will be exposed. We (nurses) all make errors. By God's grace, they're usually trivial, and we all live in fear that we could be involved in some patient care "trainwreck" where multiple people are being named in suits. The hospital ALWAYS is named because they are the deepest pockets. And if the plaintiff's attorney discovered that the nurse involved in the trainwreck (regardless of whether she made an error or not...) was on fentanyl, with the hospital's full knowledge and approval... well, they'd be toast.
So they do drug testing not just for patient safety, but for theirs.
You know, this is going to come down to a matter of statutes, most likely the Nurse Practice Act. Until the OP has something concrete from the State Board, then she will always be running into difficulties, with a school or a job.
Until she can get something certain, preferably in writing, she is going to be bumping into roadblocks all along the way, from school to every employment application.
I think the OP needs to see imagine the liability to which she and her employer will be exposed. We (nurses) all make errors. By God's grace, they're usually trivial, and we all live in fear that we could be involved in some patient care "trainwreck" where multiple people are being named in suits. The hospital ALWAYS is named because they are the deepest pockets. And if the plaintiff's attorney discovered that the nurse involved in the trainwreck (regardless of whether she made an error or not...) was on fentanyl, with the hospital's full knowledge and approval... well, they'd be toast.
So they do drug testing not just for patient safety, but for theirs.
You know... if this is of supreme importance to the OP, her long-held dream, I'm wondering the following.
It seems to me that her using the fentanyl patch indicates she has been under the care of a thoughtful physician. (Most would just keep writing Vicodan scrips.) But, one wonders, if she has done everything possible to deal with her chronic pain.
If the use of opiates was the wall keeping me from my dream, I might do the following... I would go to ther American Pain Society website and see what studies are going on in the field. I'd also look into NIH studies, too. Find out what (and who and where) is on the cutting edge of this problem.
Essentially what the OP is describing is a neuropathy. So, for example, there are new sodium channel blockers being used (off label) for neuropathic pain. (These are marketed as anti-convulsive agents.)
What about UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke, both big research institutions? Is there some active pain research going on right in her backyard? I mean, this field is a HUGE arena of research. OMG, if you've ever been to the APS meetings and seen all the research going on, it would blow you away! It is a rapidly evolving field as well and no clinician, no matter how diligent they are in their reading and continuing education is going to be able to keep up with all of it.
OP seems resigned to the use of fentanyl for the remainder of her life, and certainly it makes her life possible. But it also may restrict her and limit her horizons.
what a bummer:sniff: even if you get back in, you probably can't continue with this class, will have to start over as you missed a session. let us know what happens!
Well.........nurses are not allowed to work while under the influence of certain medications, even when prescribed legally. You could take meds while off duty or not in class, but not while working or in class.
Can you give me some examples of these prescription drugs? Thanks.
I know this thread is not about methadone, but I just had to reply and share this story in support of this quote:
What an absolute insult to anyone taking methadone for a legitimate medical issue that causes chronic pain (and there are many) to be compared to a "not fully functional" person who "is a drug addict" who takes methadone for a completley different reason. Do not lump all patients taking methadone into one big "drug addict" pile. That is just so ignorant in my opinion!
The Physician I worked for who specializes in chronic pain works tirelessly to talk and give seminars/insevices to other healthcare workers to help overcome these stereotypes. It is so disheartening to me to see this kind of post on this site especially when this thread is NOT about methadone and the OP is looking for advice!!
In my first semester of nursing school, my assigned patient was suffering from chronic pain from a vertebrae surgery gone horribly wrong many years prior. I went with her to surgery and watched the surgeon fail to implant an electrical stimulation device (for pain relief) due to "seriously messed up anatomy". She was so sad that nothing worked. Anyway, she had cycled through just about every pain med available over the years, and finally found that methadone worked better than anything else available. Well guess what...her nurse just assumed she was a recovering drug addict and all but refused to give her the time of day, took forever to get her meds and was hostile. I spent lots of time with her learning about her life...turns out, she was a CRNA and had to stop practicing due to the back pain. Great lady, precious, smart, tragic. I found it even more tragic that she was treated the way she was because the nurse assumed she was an addict. Nothing in her record even had the slightest suggestion that she was an addict...it was all about the methadone.
My husband is a chronic pain sufferer and is on narcotics to help control that pain.
There are many things he can do with his life, but I think ones that involve actual reaction time, ie nursing, truck driving, anything physical like that, is not a good choice for him.
There are so many ways to be involved with caring for people without being a nurse or CNA.
her nurse just assumed she was a recovering drug addict and all but refused to give her the time of day, took forever to get her meds and was hostile.
Methadone certainly does have a bad rep. Sadly many folks do believe it is only a legal alternative to illegal drug addiction. While I firmly believe ONE of the uses is a legal alternative to drug addiction, that doesn't mean it doesn't have a place in pain management. It sure does.
I hate methadone clinics. Just hate 'em. "Here! Get addicted to Methadone, it's okay to be addicted to this instead of the illegal stuff!" Gahhh....
Maybe it is because of the bad rep that docs don't use it more for pain management.
i may be on the wrong page here but what about a Psych eval? Since a side effect of most narcotics is psychological and physical dependence would an eval from a professional who can perform certain test to rule out a possible problem help with your admission to a program.
Someone mentioned that it seems you have come to believe this is the only way you can live without pain by using a Schedule II drug.
You can have both a dream come true and a life free of horrible pain if you are willing to go the extra mile and have an open mind.
You have already started your journey down that road, you reached out to us for suggestions.
Best of luck, keep us posted and I will keep you in my prayers.
PS--The first nurse to touch me after I was born must have made a huge impression on me because as far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a nurse. (I live in New Orleans and every Mardi Gras I dressed up as a nurse). However, something always got in the way of my dream until one day I took a different approach and outlook. I finally got my nursing lic at the age of 49. I know what having a life long dream is like and I know what it feels like to make that dream come true and that is what I wish for you.
Wow I dont even know where to begin with this. I am extremely concerned about the confidentiality of her medical conditions. In my opinion there is no reason for a CNA instructor to inquire about medications someone may be on. Health conditions may be another story--I too am concerned that CNA work may be too demanding for her. However I realize my limitations and if she (along with her doctor) feel that she is healthy enough for this then who I am to say she isnt?
If there are laws or regulations that are covering this program, I will admit defeat although I still wont agree with them. I am just a bit concerned about who they will get to do the work. To be a CNA you have to have a calling and a true desire to help people. You put up with constant abuse, have the dirtiest jobs, and are constantly belittled by nurses, managers, patients, and families. I guess we can just depend on healthy 18-19 year olds can't we? You know the ones for the most part that work a month or two at the most then decide Walmart is a much better place. Who can blame them? At my first nursing job, the a good number of aides that had worked for 10-20 years were in horrible shape, back injuries and such. Combine this with the fact that almost any restaurant payed as much and some department stores paid more, you really have to hand it to most CNAs as sincerely wanting to help people. Nurses are too but in all honesty we usually make at least 3 times what they make and often it is much more than that.
Back to the subject though, CNA work is very task oriented. You have nurses there to assess situations and make decisions. You do have to report any problems you find, but when it comes right down to it, the nurse on is responsible for each patient's assessment. If you are alert enough to drive a vehicle then I cannot see this medication hampering your ability to be a CNA and perhaps even a nurse.
I hate situations like this when someone's honesty ends up hampering them. Obviously you are a honest person to report your medications to this person and honesty is a value that we really overlook too much today. What good is a competent nurse who is not honest?
Psychiatric disorders have a stigma attached although this has lessened somewhat over the past 10-20 years. We are taugh though that a psychiatric disorder has a physical pathophysiology and medications can control or help these illnesses similar to taking medication to control any illness. I am no expert but that is what the experts usually say, and I dont have the credentials or data to contradict them.
I dont think there were any questions about medication use on my nursing admission form but that has been over 10 years ago. I havent even been drug tested for my last 2 jobs which is really really odd this day and time. Although if you are a new nurse you should fully expect to get to tested because every hospital or nursing home is going to test you now.
I won't tell you to withhold that information from a college because who is to say a year down the road they won't require a drug test. If they do have a policy that you cannot be on narcotics then you have wasted a years worth of very hard work and money.
I personally think it is wrong for anyone to stereotype people on pain medications. Are pain medications being abused? Absolutely! Is illegal prescription drug use a serious problem with young people today? Yes!
But I also realize that pain is also real and just because someone takes pain medication does not mean they cannot be competent.
Once you get accepted into nursing school you are not immediately a registered nurse. You have to learn the material and you have to prove than you can be a competent nurse. If you can do this in spite of your disabilities or health issues then I say everyone should have a chance to prove themselves.
A problem I have is that a lot of people dont realize this--rocket scientists arent nurses, they are rocket scientists. There are jobs out there that require much more education or "knowledge" than nursing. Certainly there are nurses out there that have the intelligence to be rocket scientists. Nursing doesnt require a genius level IQ. Nursing does require critical thinking skills, the ability to learn, and a sincere desire to help a fellow human being.
Nurses are human despite what some want them to be portrayed as. We make mistakes(even if we dont take Fentanyl). We have medical issues and problems. We arent always going to be young healthy 20 year olds. We are going to have black sheep who do unethical things. I cannot think of any other profession that has the diversity of nurses--and I think that is a big reason that we are viewed so highly as we are as far as polls asking what is the most honest profession. Yeah isnt always portrayed by families or patients
Hospital and nursing home administrators place in a position on those surveys I agree with and I will leave it at that. The real reason there are so many medical mistakes or liabilities is not because nurses have health issues, it is because health has become such a large and money making business that they are constantly cutting corners to make an extra dollar. As long as nurses are ignorant to this fact and just accuse other nurses who make mistakes as being incompetent or impaired it will keep going on.
Sorry for getting off topic but to the original poster there is some great advice in these threads. Look into other options for your pain. Perhaps there is some type of treatment available that would deal with the problem and not have to mask it. You however should not be forced to live in severe pain. People that follow their dreams and do exceptional things rarely do so by taking no for an answer.
I do encourage you to talk to a lawyer. I think you are being discriminated against. Talk to the ACLU--perhaps they can offer you some advice. It is a sad day though in nursing when we have to rely on lawyers and the ACLU to just be given a chance to prove ourselves.
In my nursing school, we are required to be drug tested.
I believe employers, especially ones that are in the health care field, are allowed to say they want sober employees. Whether the sobriety is from valid RX usage that is necessary, or illegal substances.
NP2BE
182 Posts
Like I said, you have blown your little top because someone disagrees with you. I have no judgement on the matter, just dont want impaired people caring for patients. And with regard to methadone that methadone statement was in response to methadone maintenance, not methadone for pain control. No one ever mentioned methdone for pain control. And I stand by what i say, methadone maintance = legal opiate abuse FOR ACTIVE DRUG ABUSERS. I also have no judgement on those poor souls, I think its an injustice to the people on the methadone programs.
Sheesh, you should take some methadone before you post on this site, hehe