Nursing students on medication

Nurses Safety

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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????

Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Interesting.

Adderall does carry an FDA indication for narcolepsy; so it is possible the student suffers that affliction and takes the medication for that.

More than likely he takes it for ADHD; you described the symptoms if ADHD in your post not the signs of Adderall abuse or overdose. If this individual was having a difficult time standing still and focusing then perhaps he does need the medication to function in a safe capacity. He may be boasting a bit by stating he is "taking it to stay awake" but provided his provider has a provided him a script (for ADHD or narcolepsy) and thinks him fit to care for patients, there is likely not much you can do about it (unless he acts unsafe, in which case report him).

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Alright, OP, no matter what we might say here, you have a reason or a quote that shows we are wrong. So what exactly do you want from us? A blessing from Allnurses to go rat on a nursing student you have not spoken to directly for taking a medication they have been prescribed? If this guy is so hopped up that you could see it from a half-unit away, believe me, his instructor already knows.

I fail to see how you can honestly sit there and say you know better than this student's doctor about his supposed need for Adderall.

At this point your posts sound less concerned with the vaunted patient safety you cloak yourself with and more about not liking someone's situation and wanting to "fix" them. However neccessary. So one of your coworkers says she believes Adderall is cheating. Alright, I think anti-anxieties and anti-depression medication are now cheating, because if I have to have sweaty palms and a tight chest while waiting to test on some obscure terrifying condition, you do too. Now what? Did we gain anything? Oh, are you going to say that anxiety or depression is a real condition? SO IS ADHD.

I will say this before I drink my (legal stimulant) coffee and prepare for the day - I cut my internet teeth on the old BBS back in the day. And your OP, followed by all of your "clarifications", smacks of filling in the blanks of a situation so everyone agrees with you. Each time someone raises a valid concern about your situation, you appear to add more info to make yourself look better.

Now I am going to do what I preach to my ADHD son who is on Ritalin and sometimes appears "hopped up" when he's waiting for it to kick in - walk away. And hope like hell he doesn't want to be a nurse, if this is the attitude he's walking in to.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Alright, OP, no matter what we might say here, you have a reason or a quote that shows we are wrong. So what exactly do you want from us? A blessing from Allnurses to go rat on a nursing student you have not spoken to directly for taking a medication they have been prescribed? If this guy is so hopped up that you could see it from a half-unit away, believe me, his instructor already knows.

I fail to see how you can honestly sit there and say you know better than this student's doctor about his supposed need for Adderall.

At this point your posts sound less concerned with the vaunted patient safety you cloak yourself with and more about not liking someone's situation and wanting to "fix" them. However neccessary. So one of your coworkers says she believes Adderall is cheating. Alright, I think anti-anxieties and anti-depression medication are now cheating, because if I have to have sweaty palms and a tight chest while waiting to test on some obscure terrifying condition, you do too. Now what? Did we gain anything? Oh, are you going to say that anxiety or depression is a real condition? SO IS ADHD.

I will say this before I drink my (legal stimulant) coffee and prepare for the day - I cut my internet teeth on the old BBS back in the day. And your OP, followed by all of your "clarifications", smacks of filling in the blanks of a situation so everyone agrees with you. Each time someone raises a valid concern about your situation, you appear to add more info to make yourself look better.

Now I am going to do what I preach to my ADHD son who is on Ritalin and sometimes appears "hopped up" when he's waiting for it to kick in - walk away. And hope like hell he doesn't want to be a nurse, if this is the attitude he's walking in to.

Bravo countrymomma! Hope your son is doing well!

Now I'm off to sit in fear that some self-righteous nursing student is going to report me to my BON because I can't function on my shift without a cup or two of coffee.

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Not being able to stand still isn't putting a patient at risk...you're a student, the assessments you guys do are for your own benefit, not the patient's. You're practicing.

If anything you said about the other student made it seem like a patient was at risk, I assure you that the responses would be different. But saying that someone looked like they were on speed is completely subjective, and if he took it to stay awake...well...Adderall is a stimulant. You don't take it if you don't want to stay awake.

If you are so bothered by it, let the other student know it makes you uncomfortable when he talks about it. Telling on him would make you look silly, unless you're leaving out something major from this story.

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Specializes in ER, Addictions, Geriatrics.

Can I add that although I do not take adderall or Ritalin, people have asked me before if I should be taking it as I have a tendency to bounce around and fidgit. I'm a hyper person at times but I'm a darn good nurse and being fidgety might look funny sometimes it doesn't impair my ability to look after my patients!

If you noticed the student doing something unsafe, talk to the clinical instructor as the students are their responsibility.

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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.

Yes, that's exactly why we're beating you up. We hate patients soooo much. How dare you put them first and foremost?

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I don't know enough about Adderall, but does it show up in random drug screens? Our program (and my job now) had drug screens and the possibility of a random one at any time. Whatever facility we were at for clinical could drug test us well. I have a prescription for a medication and it tests, so I just bring in letter from PCP if needed.

We also had pretty strict rules about work and clinical. I am terribly naive and believe people follow the rules. Nurses are supposed to have integrity, if one cannot follow the rules BECOMING a nurse, they need to git gone!

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Point made. Keep my mouth shut. I did not post this to start an arguement. I wanted advice and got what I needed

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Specializes in med, surg,trauma, triage, research.

Hi kjnsweets, I hear what you're saying about nursing students but what about nurses who are on drugs, pharmacists who are on drugs? Anyone working in NHS who are so stressed they need citalopram to get through the shift ? When stress happened to me I was offered citalopram to return to work on - I opted to go back to work when I was well enough - should I ever need drugs to get me through my day I will know I'm in the wrong job, think twice students, it just aint right....

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Hi kjnsweets, I hear what you're saying about nursing students but what about nurses who are on drugs, pharmacists who are on drugs? Anyone working in NHS who are so stressed they need citalopram to get through the shift ? When stress happened to me I was offered citalopram to return to work on - I opted to go back to work when I was well enough - should I ever need drugs to get me through my day I will know I'm in the wrong job, think twice students, it just aint right....

NO. There are nurses with real disabilities, not just "stress," who require these medications in order to lead productive lives. These nurses are fully capable of performing their duties while medicated, and would not be without those medications. Thanks for contributing to the social stigma of treatable psychiatric disorders.

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Specializes in med, surg,trauma, triage, research.

No nursedirtybird there was no intention to contribute to any stigma of any psychiatric disorder, I do not know of any nurses with a real psychiatric disorder in my line of work but I do know of nurses who are so stressed outside of their heads that they need a drug to be able to function at work...thy are given indefinate citalopram...my argument rather was that surely it is better to address what is causing the stress rather than internalising it and having to take meds ....

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Off topic but remember there is a big difference between stress and anxiety.

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