No longer conducting drug tests

[oldie]

I just felt like sharing , the facility I work for has recently started a new employee benefit where if we recruit someone we get a raise and get this..... the drug testing will no longer be a requirement and when asked why the boss said " because there's a shortage of nurses and it discourages people from applying " how many nurses are actually on drugs !!???!?!?! 

[Davey Do]

oldie said:

 every job I've ever had dating back millions of years 

Billions of times I've encouraged people not to exaggerate.

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

I've been an RN for 30 years. I am retiring next month and I've never been drug tested. 

[Emergent, RN]

If certain drugs, such as opiates, are dangerous to use while working, why are they allowed with a prescription? Yet someone who smoked a joint a week ago can get stuck into onerous and expensive monitoring program.

It all strikes me as part of the patriarchal system of government control, combined with a demeaning view of women harkening back to yesteryear. 

If taking a prescription drug that may alter one's ability to concentrate, or perform the duties of the nurse, is okay, shouldn't they get that in writing from the prescriber? Instead what you get is a warning on the bottle not to perform potentially dangerous activities while taking this drug.

It all strikes me as the medical establishment wanting to have control over the people. Is that any different than religious theocracy, past or present? 

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I think this is a good thing. Just do it "for cause". Otherwise it seems like over reach and waste of resources.

 

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

I've been tested three times in my 25+ years. Twice as part of the onboarding process, once when a narc went missing and the employer tested every nurse and CNA that had worked on that unit. We all thought that was a waste of time and resources as the missing narc had been stored in the med room and was not on a locked cart so staff other than nursing and nursing staff other than the limited few nurses and CNA's that had worked that unit also had free access  to the room yet due to cost they only tested a few.  Making it even more stupid after going through that silliness they found the meds. The med card had fallen behind a counter.