Nursing School admit policies.

[PennyWise]

I am currently in a "Nursing Trends and Issues" class for my RN to BSN program. I'm trying to get some research done on our topic of choice.

While I was researching our topic, a question came to mind that might be of interest to my group. Our topic has to do with nurses who divert narcotics. We are looking at different ways we can reduce the incidence of this occurring. My specific area of focus is how some nurses begin their path towards addiction while in school (via dependence on anti-depressants and/or anti-anxiety medications).

The question that popped into my mind was:

"Are the rules regarding acceptance into a nursing program universal in regards to having a criminal record?"

What I am interested in is, if a student has a prior record that is drug related, they may be denied admittance to the program. But are the rules for who can and can't be accepted universal? Or are there some schools that are tougher than others? Are there different rules for this in different states, or are the policies nationally accepted?

Reason I'm asking is..........well, I just don't want to be caught with my pants down while giving the presentation. I know how my school regarded applicants with a record. I remember a friend who told me how close he was to being denied entry into the program for something he did when he was a teenager. I also remember having to submit to a drug test myself prior to acceptance to the program. I just assumed it was that way everywhere. It might now be though. Mostly I'm just curious, it never dawned on me that there may be schools that handled it very differently than mine.

[PennyWise]

Not all schools require a criminal background -- and even some who do are not allowed to look at the results or consider them in student selection. In some schools, the background checks are simply turned over to the clinical facilities who make the decision as to whether the student can come there for clinicals or not. I know that because I am the person in the hospital who checks them for those schools who have policies against the faculty seeing the background checks.

So the answer to your question is clear: No, the "rules" are not universal. It varies from place to place.

I finally broke down and called my local BON. This is pretty much what they said. Another poster above also said the drug screens and background checks were for the clinical sites not the school. Thats exactly what my BON said.

The answer I got: Schools have nothing at all mandated to them concerning who they can admit to the program. Any policies they have in place with regards to drug screens and background checks are implemented by the school by choice. Indirectly though, the state does control entry into nursing school programs through two avenues:

1. The drug screens and background checks required by the facilities that accommodate clinical hours for the school. If a student can not pass either of these two requirements, they can not complete the clinical course work.

2. The rules governing who can sit for state boards. If someone has something in their background that would prevent them from being allowed to gain licensure, why bother going through the schooling?

These are very indirect means of control though.

[PennyWise]

So your thesis is stating that you believe strict nursing school admittance policies will lead to lower narcotic diversion among professional nurses because many of those at risk would be selectively removed in the school phase?

To prove your thesis you would first identify who are at risk students and what are their characteristics, next you would have to identify specific policies in school admittance deter possible diverters from being registered. Do certain accreditations alter admittance policies?

You will have to talk to admission representatives at multiple schools across the country to get a general feel (Northeast, Southwest, West, etc)

I honestly think this is the possibility to be a huge research project and may be very difficult to do without seeming subjective and opinionated.

Mmmm, yes and no lol.

There is research on students who begin using drugs while in school. We are reading up on that to identify whether or not one can say there is a large number of students who have no prior records or history of use who being using while in school.

We suspect this to be the case actually, and if we are right then we will propose a number of different theories on how to help the problem. "many of those at risk would be selectively removed in the school phase" may or may not be a part of our proposed solution.

Better support systems so students do not feel the need to turn to drugs might be another. We aren't that far yet.

[Aurora77]

"My specific area of focus is how some nurses begin their path towards addiction while in school (via dependence on anti-depressants and/or anti-anxiety medications)."

I honestly had trouble getting past this assumption that antidepressants and anti anxiety med are gateway drugs.

Agreed. I would love to see the research the OP has to back that up.

[PennyWise]

"My specific area of focus is how some nurses begin their path towards addiction while in school (via dependence on anti-depressants and/or anti-anxiety medications)."

I honestly had trouble getting past this assumption that antidepressants and anti anxiety med are gateway drugs.

I don't know why you would have trouble with it. Abuse of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds is not new and is well documented. This is far from a new theory/view. Unless one is taking these meds under the direction of a physician, the risk for abuse is great. When one can not get the doses/frequency they desire from their PCP, they turn to other drugs that are not prescribed. That story is common and far from new.

If you are looking at it from the standpoint of someone going to the PCP, being prescribed the med and taking it only as prescribed........meh, risk is definitely reduced.

On the other hand, most nursing students I knew who were taking Xanax and Ativan or w/e were not taking this route. Most were running out of their meds less than half way through the month because of all the "extra doses" they allowed themselves to take. Then they'd be left to suffer through the rest of the month with none or with having to find more. And we have not even gotten around to the ones who have the meds but were never prescribed them.

[SweetPEI]

According to what I've learned (Georgia), the BON's are a lot stricter on students than already licensed nurses. They can easily reject you. For example, in Georgia, licensed nurses can seek help for substance abuse issues. Addiction is considered a disease and if they seek treatment and follow protocols, they can still practice. Of course if they do it again, they face revoking of their license. By the way, substance abuse is the number one reason nurses licenses get disciplined

[Wet Noodle]

My specific area of focus is how some nurses begin their path towards addiction while in school (via dependence on anti-depressants and/or anti-anxiety medications).

I don't know why you would have trouble with it. Abuse of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds is not new and is well documented.

You had used the word "dependence." You did not use the words "abused" or "illegally obtained."

Unless one is taking these meds under the direction of a physician, the risk for abuse is great.

I know that a lot of people obtain benzodiazepines illegally, but it's a bit of a surprise to learn that people are obtaining antidepressants illegally. Are you saying that doctors hand them out so easily that they can be easily abused?

How about the hypothesis that someone who abuses Ativan likely has an addictive/drug-seeking personality, and would go on to abuse or divert drugs regardless of their Ativan addiction? Or are you focusing on the correlation?

[PennyWise]

OK. Now I follow you. The use of the word "dependence" matters here, I agree (in hindsight). I meant "abuses". I think my slip came from the term "alcohol dependence". Its considered a bad thing either way. Not the same for the anti-depresents. You can be "dependant" on them but not be abusing them. Am I following you? IDK.

Actually, I'm glad this happened. I can avoid the same mishap in my presentation.

"How about the hypothesis that someone who abuses Ativan likely has an addictive/drug-seeking personality, and would go on to abuse or divert drugs regardless of their Ativan addiction?"

Yeah, I think thats the direction we are taking. But we are only talking about people/students who are actively abusing. Another poster above said something about "those at risk" being eliminated from schools. Like the term "dependence" and "abuse" meant a lot above, the term "at risk" means a lot here. Just because someone is "at risk" doesn't mean they should be targeted, at least thats not our stance. We are focusing strictly on those who are currently abusing drugs, while in school.

[Murse808]

I think you are dancing in shades of grey here. What is dependency? What is addiction? The fact is nurses are put in a unique position when it comes to drugs. We have access to them and are prescribed them because we are human and have human problems too. Yet often times we are denied employment for actions that we promote to our patients. The hypocrisy in the system runs deep. The war on drugs, just like any war, has created casualties of its citizenry while taking away from the real issue, impairment. I see nurses impaired by overeating, lack of sleep, emotional problems, etc. Things that are not in your urine. I should have the right to struggle thru my problems and should only be judged on how well I do my job, period. Some companies have adopted a floating point test to check impairment for any reason. I have seen nurses have "back problems", get a script for opiods and then be at work high and diverting. what are you gonna do? drug test them? They have a script! The war on drugs when looked at thru this perspective is more of a class war. Rich people don't go to jail for doing drugs, they go to there doc. they keep there jobs, freedom, etc. Poor guy with same problem gets locked up and looses everything. The system is broke. I will go 10 rounds with the Socratic method with anyone on this issue...