Nursing students on medication

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Feb 17, 2014

It's because they have told us that they are on it and they have voices to their fellow students that they are on it to stay awake. We have a new RN that we hired and she says that in school she was out on a board and that was a very big issue. Some of them saw it as cheating. I wouldn't make these accusation if I didn't know for sure it was going on

What the heck is "out on a board" and why is it an issue of any size?

Why is this your business? When they get to apply for work, they'll drug test them. Some nursing schools even do random drug tests. Positive result, no prescription = dismissal.

NurseDirtyBird · Feb 17, 2014

Yeah, you pretty much have no right to judge people's performance as a nurse based on what prescriptions they are taking. I know nurses with chronic pain issues who have been on pain medication for so long that it absolutely does not affect their job performance. Just because they are prescribed these medications does not mean they are getting high. Same with Adderal. Nurses with ADHD and other issues have to take these medications in order to perform well at work. I have to take anxiety medication regularly. Does it affect my performance? Not at all. In fact, without this completely legal prescription, when I am panicking, I cannot perform my job adequately. Keep your judgements to yourself. If you see someone putting someone in danger, that's what you address. It's not up to you to decide that their medications are causing the problem.

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Feb 17, 2014

We had a conversation at work today about nursing students that take medication to stay awake for school. I have seen students come from the university so drugged up on things like adderol. Do these students realize that they are putting patients lives at risk and do I have the right to say anything to my boss????? Why do these so called #1 nursing schools allow this????? Does the nursing boards not see what is happening????

Do you have the same low opinion of older, experienced nurses who take narcotics for chronic pain? How about anti-depressants? Methadone? Buprenorphine? Caffeine?

If a student is not practicing safely, talk ro their instructor. Otherwise, mind your own business.

USMCRN2015 · Feb 17, 2014

I have horrible anxiety/PTSD and my prescription of Celexia does wonders. My doc wrote a note when I began nursing school and my clinical sites have had no issues with it. I just wish it had side effects like keeping me awake, then I could stay awake! For now it's just Sugar Free Red Bull.

mama.RN · Feb 17, 2014

It seems odd that nursing students would casually admit to taking "things like Adderol (sp)" to stay awake to anyone, lest they be kicked out of their nursing program. That would imply that they were admitting to taking them for a reason other than for what they are intended or perhaps that they were obtained illicitly. We all know how strict programs can be, one can be kicked out for missing a couple of clinicals, nevermind "being drugged out". I know we had a couple of students that I happen to know had prescriptions for Adderall for ADHD (one since she was a child) and were also allowed extra time for exams. I know of two other students that were on xanax and ativan, due to the stress and anxiety of school but also some very difficult things going on in their personal lives. That was between them and their physicians/instructors. Also, the effects of Adderall would be that the person would be more alert, focused and less fatigued, not really a danger to patient safety. Were they to have shown up to clinical displaying signs of being under the influence of alcohol/drugs, or otherwise behaving in a way that would endanger patient safety, that would be another story.

kjnsweets · Feb 18, 2014

Ok I was not the only nurse on staff that noticed something wasn't right. The student stated casually that he takes adderol to get through school. You all are beating me up for taking patient safety first and foremost. I thought I could get another opinion of what needed to be done but I guess not. Thanks for the advice. You all assumed way too much about me.

kjnsweets · Feb 18, 2014

Actually his actual statement was "I went to my dr to get a prescription for adderol so I can stay awake for clinicals". If that's not direct enough I don't know what is. We were talking about how much energy he had. That was his comment.

dudette10, MSN, RN · Feb 18, 2014

Ok I was not the only nurse on staff that noticed something wasn't right. The student stated casually that he takes adderol to get through school. You all are beating me up for taking patient safety first and foremost. I thought I could get another opinion of what needed to be done but I guess not. Thanks for the advice. You all assumed way too much about me.

Whoa. We are not beating you up for thinking of patient safety first. We are questioning what makes the students (now just one student, it seems) "unsafe." We are all nurses here, and we assess first. It's our livelihood; it's in our blood. We are not going to tell you to report anything to anyone until we get a clear picture of the problem.

You still haven't said anything that demonstrates that the student is unsafe.

And it's "Adderall", not "adderol."

uRNmyway, ASN, RN · Feb 18, 2014

Ok I was not the only nurse on staff that noticed something wasn't right. The student stated casually that he takes adderol to get through school. You all are beating me up for taking patient safety first and foremost. I thought I could get another opinion of what needed to be done but I guess not. Thanks for the advice. You all assumed way too much about me.

No, we are 'beating you up' for making possibly unfair assumptions about another student.

First off, you should maybe review some pharmacology. What exactly does Adderal do? Does it alter your thinking? Does it make you drowsy? How in the world does someone being on Adderal affect patient safety pray tell?

Then, as you say, this person was going to a doctor to get a scrip. So what you are asking us is if you can report a student who is going about using medications legally prescribed to them by a medical professional? Please tell me this is a joke. Seriously. Please. If this student's doctor thinks they need this medication and gives them a prescription for it, then who in the world do you think you are to want to report them and screw up their future career?

Ugh, sorry mods. Just get...frustrated with this holier than thou attitude we see sometimes.

Mandychelle79, ASN, RN · Feb 18, 2014

Or it could be that the student in question is ADHD and the med is helping slow him down and focus but doesn't want people to know he's adhd

vanessaem, BSN, RN · Feb 18, 2014

If the student is alert, oriented and focused on his work and the care of the patients, I don't care what he's been prescribed. :-)

Or perhaps there's still a stigma about taking certain types of medication?

kjnsweets · Feb 18, 2014

The conversation started out as being just that one student that we had that had openly said he was on adderall(sorry about misspelling....autocorrect) and it was for that reason...to be able to stay awake for clinicals. It was said by one of the new nurses that is working with us that a lot of the people in her class were doing that. She said she had been put on a board while in school and one of their issues was chemically cheating. She also said that the students that were doing these drugs were very open about taking these drugs and for that reason. Yes I do feel like it was impairing him because he could not stand still long enough to assess a patient correctly. He honestly looked like he was on speed. I understand that there are medical reasons for taking these drugs. I take celexa myself for premenstrual mood swings. I just don't think that taking a drug to stay awake is a good medical reason. That's not the purpose of that drug. I don't have a low opinion of these students. I just feel like they need to be held to higher standards. I know it is stressful to go to school. I am doing it myself. Yes there are days that I am very tired but I take a step back and make sure to get the rest needed not only for myself but for the safety of my patients. It is not only my responsibility to take care of myself but also to make sure that I am physically able to take on the responsibility of taking care of a human life.

I know another nurse that I work with that has Raynaud's phenomenon. We all know that it is painful. She has seen many doctors and it is well documented. She was put on lortab for pain control. She says that it is the only pain medication that helps. She was audited by the board. The board took away her narcotic privileges for a while and she was put on a program. There was no documentation that she was abusing and had a prescription for it. She also had proof that she was not filling her prescriptions early and had plenty of professional documentation that she needed this. Also she does not take this before or during work and never has. She takes it after and to sleep at night. My point is I watch her at work and I can visibly see that she is in pain at the same time while thinking about this student that couldn't stand still long enough to comprehend anything and the board does nothing and neither do the nursing schools