Drug tests

[OhioRN1234]

Hello all,

I finally got my agreement and the big packet of paper. I will have two years of monitoring for drugs, nowhere does it say anything about alcohol other than if they deem me to need a chemical dependency evaluation I may THEN be required to abstain from alcohol. Has anyone heard of this? I assumed it would be a soy sauce/wine/drink free lonnnggg couple of years. I am very grateful but don't trust the process. How do they eliminate that from the tests? The different options?? I wonder if my tests will be cheaper?

As for testing? I am planning on going in the am if at all possible on those days. Do you hold your bladder and not urinate at all until you get the test from the whole night? Do you pee in the middle of the night? I am worried about planning for those contingencies!

First lab is now first source. What are your experiences with it? Do you use the app?

Thank you in advance

[OhioRN1234]

I wonder, although from my understanding Ohio ran their own program. They are overwhelmed like all of the other boards and just dropped it. No chance anymore of anonymity which is very sad to me.

I will still have the quarterly reports, approval to work, 6 month narc restriction, daily call in, etc but not chem eval, no meetings, alcohol is ok, and its two years. I am tentatively relieved.

Until I job hunt that is!

The three years of not working as a nurse and the heart sick feelings I have had constantly make this hell still. I hated myself for a very long time and had no pride in what I had accomplished. Those days were dark and lonely.

[catsmeow1972, BSN, RN]

Not a like as i like, it's a like as in I understand.

At least for mine they wanted all kinds of info like my therapists name, my primary care docs name, the pharmacy I use, all kinds of personal stuff. They expect me to tell everyone from my employer to my docs to anyone treating me for anything (like the PA at the urgent care where i get antibiotics for my UTI cares about this crap), I refuse to broadcast this to anyone that I don't feel is absolutely necessary. I'm an adult, i can make that decision, thank you very much. I don't even have addiction issues and i've been offered Rx scripts for pain meds for fall injuries that I decline because there's too many hoops to jump through. Nothing hurts that bad.

Don't hate yourself and have pride in what you have accomplished because you have accomplished A LOT. The worst will be getting past the narc restriction. After that, other the annoyances of the thing actually being there, it's a skate. You will do fine, my friend.

[SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN]

I agree. Don't let the control freak jerks who run these programs steal your identity. You are a Nurse. You are a good person. You are an adult. Demand to be treated as such. Know their rules and follow them but that's it. I have to a weekly "nurses support group" where I have to speak & boy do I. I tell them exactly what I think of all this non-sense and that fact that I'd rather die drunk in a dumpster than go to 12 step meetings for the rest of my life and that all there "help" has done nothing but hurt my career and drive me to bankruptcy. Any more help like that could kill a guy...