Pot Smoking and Nursing

[MrsNurseCA]

Im angry.

I work for a small clinic in Northern CA. There are three RN's on staff at all time. Recently our Office Manager decided to start drug testing of all staff including Doctors. Well, one of the Nurses I work with came back positive for marijuana use. My thought was "Well she should not be doing it anyways" I was actually glad to see her get in trouble.

After discusing it with the Doctors they came up with a new unwritten policy. They will overlook marijuana. Basiclly, you can smoke all the pot you want but just on the weekends not during "on call" days. I questioned one of the Doctors about it and his response was to "chill"

Does this seem wrong to anybody else? Do Nurses really smoke pot on there days off?

[jstinerich]

Just wait until you're a patient and your night nurse comes in late and "higher than a kite". While you were waiting for shift change, you tried to get up to a chair, you get stuck with a pillow under your middle back. On your left side you have a chest tube, a subclavian, a broken clavicle, a broken patalla and a long leg splint. This nurse wants to just take your vital signs - not position you until all assigned patients' vital signs are gotten. Well, about this time this patient got angry and had an adrenaline rush and pulled the pillow from under the middle of the back and throws it in the direction of the nurse. (The patient had the ability to hit the nurse, but was just angry.) Then this nurse rushes to the patient's left side to assist. Needless to say the patient said, "No, I'll do it myself." After setting yourself you tell the nurse where she placed her thermometer (on the window seal) and proceeded to call the night supervisor to report that you are tired of turning on the call light, nurses' peeking in, seeing you with your eyes closed (what else are you supposed to do at night when you hurt?), and saying "She asleep." It'll change the way you look at nurses even though you yourself are one.

Oh, one other thing two graduate nurses are assigned to care for the floor you're on and the evening supervisor for whole health facility is their in loco RN. When they position you, you give nursing advice because you are there, you know -- although you warned the GNs you were under the influence of narcotics. They both told you how happy they are for you when your discharged, but also said they'll miss your advice.

The next admission for a broken jaw not detected during the above visit, your nurse asks you why you didn't just go through outpatient surgery and what was she supposed to do to care for you. Gee, doesn't that make you feel secure!

He who knows and knows not that he knows, he is asleep - wake him.

He who knows not and know that he knows not, he is simple - teach him.

He who knows not and knows not that he knows not, he is a fool avoid him.

He who knows and knows that he know, he is wise - follow him.

[nersgirl]

Please... Pot smoking does not lead to crack use. I have friends who have smoked for years and NEVER have even had the urge to try other drugs. Besides, alcohol is just as bad as pot, and no one seems to raise such a stink about that. I totally believe what a nurse does on her own time is her own business... as long as she don't reek of it (alcohol or pot), and it doesn't affect her job performance.

[jstinerich]

Hey, it's a true story. I have heard that if you do crack even once you may be dependent. Ah, so you have some Peter Pan friends, don't want to grow up. Have you ever noticed that they don't continue any social maturation?

[Sisu]

Whoaaaa....

Just checking this thread out. I went for a pre-employment physical at a major Trauma Level One Teaching hospital on Monday and there was no drug screening. Do I need to be worried???

Naive in the Northeast,

Sisu

[thisnurse]

if you are saying that smoking pot is a hot button for me, then you are not reading my posts.

i have two main issues that i will once again restate.

THERE IS LITTLE DIFFERENCE OTHER THAN LEGALITY, BETWEEN SMOKING POT AND DRINKING. HOW ABOUT WE DO AWAY WITH BOTH OF THEM?

how can you sit here and say one is ok and one is not? to me that is so hypocritical. YOU SHOULD ALL HAVE THE SAME STRONG FEELINGS ABOUT ALCOHOL AS YOU DO ABOUT MARIJUANA...THEY ARE BOTH MIND ALTERING AND THEY BOTH HAVE AFTER AFFECTS.

i just dont get it ....to me this seems so black and white...

if it is wrong to alter your mind then it is WRONG...PERIOD REGARDLESS OF THE ROUTE.

how can you tell your kids HONESTLY that its ok to have a couple of drinks but its not ok to alter your mind with other substances?

WHY is ALCOHOL the ONLY ACCEPTABLE mind altering substance?

as for the nurse practice acts...

you have a percentage of nurses who smoke pot to excess and a percentage who drink to excess. they know its wrong and they also know the law BUT you are going to stick the nurse practice act in front of them and they will say...

oh well gee i didnt know it was against the NURSE PRACTICE ACT...i will NEVER DO THAT AGAIN...

come on

my second issue is monitoring our off hour behavior...i resent being put in that position. and i REALLY resent being put in that postition by FELLOW NURSES.

i live a good and honest life. you will NEVER see my name in your yearly state publication (oh and by the way...what other profession does that?)

i dont drink. i dont smoke pot. i do smoke cigarettes but am working on quitting. i spend my weekends with my family or trying to catch up on all the things i had to neglect during the week.

only way you will ever see my name in there is if i bore someone to death.

i have no desire to tell you what to do when you are off duty..why do so many want to tell me?

[thewhip]

There is a fellow student I go to nursing school with who smokes weed, has done all drugs and still does ecstasy, and readily admits it. She also likes to pick fist fights with people and cheat on tests... She proceeds to tell everyone about the orgies, etc... she is always involved in, and on top of that, she is not a very "hygenically clean" person if you look at her and observe her nails (dirty) Hair (dirty) teeth (dirty) !!!

Fine, maybe she will be a completely competent nurse (I doubt it) if she tries hard and quits the test cheating. But you know, she definitely is NOT setting a good example for the profession and if we are like couselors to people and can really make differences in people's lives or persuade people to clean up & quit substance abuse, how can anyone have a clean conscience and do these things while setting setting a good example? Sorry, I think not. I sure hope this fellow student doesn't decide to go into public health (esp. school nursing!) It's pathetic! I hope she gets BUSTED!!!!!!!

[mattsmom81]

Thewhip, I wonder if your schoolmate is very immature and bragtalking a lot, maybe pulling your leg?....I can't believe your instructors would allow her to continue in nursing school if what you say about her is obvious to them as well.

Are nursing schools this desperate to accept unclean, unhygeinic student nurses who brag about their illegal drug use? Or is their goal to fill up their student roster and make their buck, knowing this person won't make it in the real nursing world? She may be smart enough to pass boards but she will be unlikely to get hired at anywhere worth working....the Vencor/ Kindred chain of hospitals do not do drug screens on employees and are known to attract these types :shudder:

Your nurse instructors have a duty to patients and must act if they know this student nurse is impaired, or they risk potential liability themselves....maybe they're waiting, letting the school take her money for now, and she will be weeded out (no pun intended) soon enough.....

[ohbet]

thisnurse

You mean there are people who dont claim everything they should on their taxes?

And whats a Nurse Practice Act?[just joking]

[semstr]

Suzannesue,

OK, I'll try to learn it, will you?

I am talking real life and real, every day experiences.

Going into LTC a lot these days with my students and there are lots and lots of former Wehrmacht-soldiers still alive, very old, but ............ did you ever have to take care of one of those still, very sure of their courses and still, sorry they didn't make it, men?

Maybe you did, then you know what I am talking about, untill then I try to agree and learn all about it!

Take care, Renee

PS: this is the wrong thread for this, apoligize to everybody!!

[EXOTIC NURSE, RN]

I agree with the quotes ........WHAT YOU DO ON YOUR PERSONAL TIME OFF FROM WORK IS YOUR BUSINESS !!!!!!!! As long as when you go to work and you can do your job safely then as the Doc said ......"CHILL" whoppty do if you dont smoke bud or drink or whateva that is your decision......Mind your own business and mind your own bodies because you cant mind anyone else's.....Now shay and rustyhammer pass it this way ......LOL

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

Howdy yall

from deep in the heart of texas

Here we go again, how many decades now have I been hearing this debate. This is my 5th decade of hearing this. Nothing has changed, The different arguments are all the same. The laws are the same. The motives are the same. At least somebody come up with something new........

pardon the pun

Keep it in the short grass yall

teeituptom

[mattsmom81]

Well, Tom, that's what this thread started up about...California is definitely up to something different...as usual...LOL!