Nicotine Testing (Cotinine)

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Hey guys!

So I was recently accepted into RN school. Super excited about this next phase in my career (prior engineer).

One question. I just recently quit smoking cigarettes. I have a drug screen before school starts.

Is nicotine (cotinine) something that is regularly tested for nursing school? I realize it will probably be gone before my test (3 weeks) but I'm a little hesitant. I don't do any types of illegal drugs and rarely drink. But the facility I work at actually tested for nicotine (for insurance purposes), so I wasn't sure if this was something is that is regularly tested for starting RN school.

Thanks for any insight on the matter!

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Specializes in ICU Stepdown.

No, it is generally just for testing marijuana, benzo, narcotic use, etc.

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Not something most schools test for

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Congratulations on quitting. Future employers may test for it (for insurance purposes, as you already know), so keep up the good work.

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Some facilities have gone nicotine free and do those not any pre-employment, but require employees to remain nicotine free, and a positive result post employment can be grounds for termination.

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