Nursing Student Unlawfully Removed from School

Nurses General Nursing

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hello,

i am or i was a nursing student until i was removed pending an appeal because i have a medical condition that requires i take a medication that is screened for in a random drug screen. i previously worked in the aircraft field. i am a usaf disabled vet who wants to work in the nursing field. by the way i was in the panama conflict (just cause) and the gulf war. i recieved several medals while on active duty and i am also listed in the national deans list. they removed me from my classes the day before veterans day. i was hoping i could find information about drug screening policies related to nursing jobs. i was told by the nursing staff at my college that all hospitals and clinics require that all nurses that have to take controlled substances at any dosage have to give up their jobs as nurses until they become free of any prescription that fall in the category of controlled substances that are in the classes that are screened for in a drug screen. i have been taking for close to 10 years a low dose of a medication for pain. i have been evaluated by my physicians and cleared to do all of the essential functions of a nurse. i have invested three years only to be told i should go into some other field of study. i know there are a number of nurses that feel pain medication is not the answer for chronic pain, but i have gone from being confined to a wheel chair to being able to keep up with my fellow nursing students because of a low dose of medication. i know pain can ruin lives and some people have lost their lives resulting from the use of medications, but each person is different. one reason i wanted to become a nurse was because of the encouragement of my pain clinic nurse to follow the treatment plan and never give up. if i loose my fight to become a nurse i can say the fact that i was spurred on to make something of my shattered life by this wonderful nurse i will still be a healthier and happier person because of the struggle. i know numerous pain patients who i have become friends with that have given up the fight to go on to be productive citizens because of the obstacles put up by some well meaning employers and educators. some of these people have lost their fight with pain and have to be continually dosed higher with pain medications just to be able to live. they also have to take numerous other medications because of the depression and the anxiety their condition causes.

thank you for listening,

rob

hello again, and again, and again,

where did all these people come from who think i am a dark and devilish character from the swamps?

i wish it were not true that someone could be singled out like i was for something like taking a legal prescription but it did happen.

there was nothing else to do with it ^ unless it was ^ now these facts are true. unless it was > i am a man who was at the time 45 years old. oldest guy in class. i do wear my hair a little long. i have worn a coat with usaf patches with pictures of airplanes blowing up things. i have been certified as having adhd and also dyslexia and my teachers are required to give me extra time on test. (i asked for answers to the test but they laughed at me). they also are required by ada to excuse me from class from time to time if i want to get up and go to the bathroom or if i just want to get up.

that is the facts sgt friday, and if i can think of any murders i may have commited or if i robbed any trains i will get back to you.

see you,

rob-in-birmingham

ps. please forgive me for all the nonsense but i am going a little nuts at this point, i dont get to go to school now to keep me out of trouble and these post i am reading get me going--but in a good way. i was totaly depressed at first but not now.

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Specializes in Oncology.

BamaBound...

Your father is dying of an illness that there is medication for. He can't afford the medication and there is no way to get money to buy it. You steal the medicine so he can live. Are you legally wrong? Yes. Are you ethically wrong? No.

Ethics and laws are completely different things. So are ethics and morals. There is a big difference between rules and what is ethically okay in a given situation.

Perhaps I shouldn't have provided my opinion (and should have remained nonjudgemental), but I think there are some major red flags with this story. To the OP... if the story is what you claim it to be, you have every right to be angry and demand that your rights be upheld. In fact, you have every right to do that anyway because the school needs to understand that they should never (regarless of the situation) go against the ADA. If the story is as you say it is I am on your side 100%. I don't think anyone here would support what you said happened.

However, the OP did state that they poted here because they want to know what the reaction would be from the public if this is taken to the media. I think my reaction and suspicion is one that would be seen.

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hello again, and again, and again,

where did all these people come from who think i am a dark and devilish character from the swamps?

i wish it were not true that someone could be singled out like i was for something like taking a legal prescription but it did happen.

there was nothing else to do with it ^ unless it was ^ now these facts are true. unless it was > i am a man who was at the time 45 years old. oldest guy in class. i do wear my hair a little long. i have worn a coat with usaf patches with pictures of airplanes blowing up things. i have been certified as having adhd and also dyslexia and my teachers are required to give me extra time on test. (i asked for answers to the test but they laughed at me). they also are required by ada to excuse me from class from time to time if i want to get up and go to the bathroom or if i just want to get up.

that is the facts sgt friday, and if i can think of any murders i may have commited or if i robbed any trains i will get back to you.

see you,

rob-in-birmingham

ps. please forgive me for all the nonsense but i am going a little nuts at this point, i dont get to go to school now to keep me out of trouble and these post i am reading get me going--but in a good way. i was totaly depressed at first but not now.

you can go to the following site: http://www.accessiblesociety.org/topic. it will give you the address and telephone number for the ada office covering your area. i researched the site and found that your problem would not most likely fall under the ada. however, call them and ask.

grannynurse:balloons:

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Hi folks,

News Good? Maybe! :cheers:

I have some people helping me on this one now. Just got off the phone.

I have to be careful in what I say and who I say it to. I think they are refering to talking to the school. I am currently working the grievence process right now. :smiley_ab There is hope coming from the group of people who is helping me. One hurdle then another is what I am faced with at this point. I think the process will be a long one but I am hopeful of the outcome.

If anyone from the school should read I am not going to give up. :banghead: No matter what. I have the time. And the instructors at your school has taught me a lot of useful skills. Like how to write a letter, :typing Thanks. Sometimes that is all it takes along with who to send it to.

I have recieved a lot of good ideas from some people here. Thanks:bowingpur

Rob

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Hello again, and again, and again,

There was nothing else to do with it ^ UNLESS it was ^ now these facts are true. UNLESS it was > I am a man who was at the time 45 years old. Oldest guy in class. I do wear my hair a little long. I have worn a coat with USAF patches with pictures of airplanes blowing up things.

At my nursing program we did have a dress code and if it was not followed to a "T" we would get a verbal warning, a couple of written and then dismissal from the program. We were allowed to have long hair, but we needed it to be back in a pony tail or bun, not touching our shoulders. Bangs away from face, and hair could not fall forward if we leaned forward.

In regards to your patches with stuff being blown up...we were only allowed to wear our uniforms and the only patch allowed was the school emblem. Nothing else was allowed.

I have been certified as having ADHD and also Dyslexia and my teachers are required to give me extra time on test.

Does the NCLEX give extra time? I honestly don't know this answer...anybody? I always wondered why, because of a disability, you would get extra time on a test. Here is why I wonder: When I am on the floor and there is a major situation going on...I don't get extra time to act fast. I am not trying to sound rude at all...Just wondering what the rationale for extra time is.

As for the other stuff you put in this post...are you one of those distracting students who go too far sometimes to get attention, but don't realize it yourself? We had a lady in my nursing program like that.

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Rob,

I truly know where you are at as I too have been through the prescribed nacrcotic mess and nursing school. My school tried to remove me, get me to take a year off, and then fail me. They could do none of the above as my GPA was too high, I was too stubborn and my doctors wrote letters stating that I needed the medication and the meds did not impair my ability to function. I did agree to sign a contract with the school that on clinical days I would not take narcotics due to the legal implications it may cause for the school, the facilities and the nurses I was precepting with.

It was very difficult as I also had 14 surgeries while in school and missed 1 clinical day and 3 class days. The school tried to take 10 points off my final clinical grade my junior second semester and I filed a grievance on the grounds that "pain is subjective and the nursing instructor had taken my pain and made it objective". I won 8 points back and still kept an A.

Fight for what is right. I did but I also was willing to to make concessions. I graduated with my BSN and have been working as an ER nurse for 2 1/2 years now. I am on major pain meds still but refuse to take them on the days I work, my patient's lives are too important for me to make a mistake with.

Best of luck to you!

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Yes to the poster asking about NCLEX extra time allowed.

(tweetiepieRN)

When you apply to the BON in your state, there is a section that you fill out that asks if you were approved extra time in nursing school.

And as far as I know just because you have more time in school with tests or the Nclex does NOT mean you react at a slower pace on the floor. At school it is learning time. If you have dyslexia or bipolar disorder it does not mean you will be on a different level. Capabilities and Abilities are different than the learning process. Once someone acheives in the learning process and learns concepts, they use that knowledge to apply to the job.

They are not incompetent or slow, please don't confuse the issue with characteristics and abilities. I don't see anything wrong with using your disability to fine tune your abilities by asking for more time on the tests. Don't knock your fellow nurses with disabilites, you might just learn something from them that you never knew before. And also on the floor you always help each other out, some things you know and some things you don't. Don't ever put yourself in a position where you think you know more than someone else. You will always be shown differently. People who think they know more than others will always be shown otherwise because there will always be somebody that can put you in your place. Better to have an attitude of I know some things, but not all things and I am always willing to know more and improve myself in the process. That way you remain humble,realistic and flexible. Get used to people with disabilities working with you - they aren't going away. Teaches tolerance and acceptance.

HB06

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Wow,

This is for all that have learning disabilities. Does anyone know any famous people who had dyslexia? http://www.dyslexia.com/qafame.htm Albert Einstine, Thomas Edison, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy, Woodrow Wilson, George Washington, Jay Leno just to name a few.

My daughter has dyslexia also, and so bad she has trouble talking some times, she has been told she is too slow to ever hold down a job. Her Mom has a Petting farm with over 450 animals and I have seen her look down in the pasture and see a horse or goat or sheep ect. and say there is something wrong and go get the animal and put her hands on the animal and look at its feet and ears and eyes tap on its belly look in its mouth (remind you of something) and know what to do and what kind of medication and I have seen her go and make up a shot and give it to the animal. She has no formal training. I saw her do this when she was only 15.

I learned to fly an airplane. I worked on planes in flight. Yet you say I could not work in a hospital during a life emergency.

I have seen so many students with learning disabilities feel like giving up and I will always get after them to prove everybody wrong. And usually they do. It never hurts to give anyone a chance to learn. Even if they seem slow. Some of the best students have some problem.

Rob

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i found your story fascinating. i read the whole thread. i'm a recovering drug addict who has been clean for 13 years. i am currently almost finished with my first semester of an rn program. i too had to take a drug test. i found pain management a low priority in clinical in the floor that i was at. it is supposed to be a 5th vital. i could go on with different stories about this. i find it fascinating that your nursing school knew about your pain med prescription and choose not to take a more positive path. they could have contacted your doctor and conferred with him. to tell him that you are a student nurse and is their a problem with that? in addition, to get information about this situation from the alabama board of nursing.

i am from california and i looked up this issue from the nurse practice act from my state. here it is.

2762. drug-related transgressions (return to table of contents)

in addition to other acts constituting unprofessional conduct within the meaning of this chapter it is unprofessional conduct for a person licensed under this chapter to do any of the following: (a) obtain or possess in violation of law, or prescribe, or except as directed by a licensed physician and surgeon, dentist, or podiatrist administer to himself or herself, or furnish or administer to another, any controlled substance as defined in division 10 (commencing with section 11000) of the health and safety code or any dangerous drug or dangerous device as defined in section 4022. (b) use any controlled substance as defined in division 10 (commencing with section 11000) of the health and safety code, or any dangerous drug or dangerous device as defined in section 4022, or alcoholic beverages, to an extent or in a manner dangerous or injurious to himself or herself, any other person, or the public or to the extent that such use impairs his or her ability to conduct with safety to the public the practice authorized by his or her license.

i got the above information from the california board of nursing website. check out alabama's, they probably have a copy of the nurse practice acts for your state.

you were given a prescription by a physician.

you were cleared by that same physician to perform duties as a nurse.

don't let "the man" take you down. i believe that you will be an awesome nurse.

peace

genhen

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
i found your story fascinating. i read the whole thread. i'm a recovering drug addict who has been clean for 13 years. i am currently almost finished with my first semester of an rn program. i too had to take a drug test. i found pain management a low priority in clinical in the floor that i was at. it is supposed to be a 5th vital. i could go on with different stories about this. i find it fascinating that your nursing school knew about your pain med prescription and choose not to take a more positive path. they could have contacted your doctor and conferred with him. to tell him that you are a student nurse and is their a problem with that? in addition, to get information about this situation from the alabama board of nursing.

i am from california and i looked up this issue from the nurse practice act from my state. here it is.

2762. drug-related transgressions (return to table of contents)

in addition to other acts constituting unprofessional conduct within the meaning of this chapter it is unprofessional conduct for a person licensed under this chapter to do any of the following: (a) obtain or possess in violation of law, or prescribe, or except as directed by a licensed physician and surgeon, dentist, or podiatrist administer to himself or herself, or furnish or administer to another, any controlled substance as defined in division 10 (commencing with section 11000) of the health and safety code or any dangerous drug or dangerous device as defined in section 4022. (b) use any controlled substance as defined in division 10 (commencing with section 11000) of the health and safety code, or any dangerous drug or dangerous device as defined in section 4022, or alcoholic beverages, to an extent or in a manner dangerous or injurious to himself or herself, any other person, or the public or to the extent that such use impairs his or her ability to conduct with safety to the public the practice authorized by his or her license.

i got the above information from the california board of nursing website. check out alabama's, they probably have a copy of the nurse practice acts for your state.

you were given a prescription by a physician.

you were cleared by that same physician to perform duties as a nurse.

don't let "the man" take you down. i believe that you will be an awesome nurse.

peace

genhen

does a nurse practice act include students who are entering a nursing program or only nurses who have already obtained a license?

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My original post: Does the NCLEX give extra time? I honestly don't know this answer...anybody? I always wondered why, because of a disability, you would get extra time on a test. Here is why I wonder: When I am on the floor and there is a major situation going on...I don't get extra time to act fast. I am not trying to sound rude at all...Just wondering what the rationale for extra time is.

They are not incompetent or slow, please don't confuse the issue with characteristics and abilities. I don't see anything wrong with using your disability to fine tune your abilities by asking for more time on the tests.
I'm sorry, but I don't recall saying that anyone is incompetent just because they need more time on the NCLEX. I was asking an honest question.

Don't knock your fellow nurses with disabilites, you might just learn something from them that you never knew before. And also on the floor you always help each other out, some things you know and some things you don't. Don't ever put yourself in a position where you think you know more than someone else. You will always be shown differently. People who think they know more than others will always be shown otherwise because there will always be somebody that can put you in your place. Better to have an attitude of I know some things, but not all things and I am always willing to know more and improve myself in the process. That way you remain humble,realistic and flexible. Get used to people with disabilities working with you - they aren't going away. Teaches tolerance and acceptance.

HB06

I hope you weren't directing this last part to me. I was asking an honest question. I never knocked a fellow nurse with a disability, I never put myself in a position of thinking I know more. How did you get that impression from a few sentences I wrote? I am not concerned with nurse's with disabilities going away. I also don't recall ever having said or implied that. Maybe I am jumping the gun by responding to this part of your post...maybe it was not directed at me.

Regarding tolerance and acceptance= I live in California, where diversity is celebrated and always, always around in your face if you are looking for it or not. It's what this state prides itself on and I don't have a problem with it in the least.

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does a nurse practice act include students who are entering a nursing program or only nurses who have already obtained a license?

Our nurse practice act has information on student nurses too. Check out your state's BON website and they should have something regarding this.

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