Random drug screens for Ohio monitoring program through BON

[Love my kids 3]

I have been in the monitoring program b/c years ago had became addicted to prescribed narcotics. I went into treatment and had been clean and sober when the board of nursing want to me to be seen by their own personal psychiatrist for seven years. I was going through a rough divorce and my ex-husband was doing anything he could to try to get full custody of our children I had worked in a nursing facility where his aunt was my director of nursing and she wrote in to the board stating all these errors I had made with narcotics which pretty much all were unfounded but because the program I had went into my rehab program had us using Suboxone(I know it's frowned upon but luckily I haven't used it in many years now) all of that in combination I guess even though the psychiatrist through the monitoring program said he believes I was doing a great job he still recommended for me to be monitored for three years. Here I am it's been six months only and I have to do random drug screens of course. Today I had a really weird message when I went online to check to see if today was the day to be chosen that I needed to contact First source. I had in fact been chosen today my test was going to be $142.50 and I needed to contact them to find out where I needed to go that particular day. I was very upset as I have been told that I need to find places to go because I would only ever have to do urine test and I had found two places that would work with my work schedule luckily I was off work today because the place I needed to go to is in fact in my hometown yet it closes at 4:00 PM and I don't get why off work until 6:30 PM. First source I had been chosen today my test was going to be $142.50 and I needed to contact them to find out where I needed to go that particular day. I was very upset as I have been told that I need to find places to go because I would only ever have to do urine tests and I had found two places that would work with my work schedule luckily I was off work today because the place I needed to go to is in fact in my hometown yet it closes at 4:00 PM and I don't get off work until 6:30 PM. I live in Ohio and I was wondering if anybody knows how many times a year is the average for a random drug screens? I have already spent almost $300 from January in urine test and now today with the $25 co-pay I had and the $142.50 fee it's going to be for the blood draw I had the I live in Ohio and I was wondering if anybody knows how many times a year is the average for random drug screens? I have already spent almost $300 from January in urine test and now today with the $25 co-pay I had the $142.50 fee it's going to be for the blood draw I had done today this is really racking up! To me they could care less if nurses are sober and following the program I have turned a nurse personally in who we have physically caught not passing pills and now it is up to 18 alert and oriented residents who have stated that this same nurse did not give them their meds and we have actually found medication in sharps containers even! I reported this to not only my supervisors and management team I have personally reported it to my monitor through the board of nursing who acted like I really needed to mind my own business well my patients are my business! Maybe I'm just bitter right now but I'm frustrated with the fact that it just feels like it's one big money scheme because in six months they have received so much money just from me already! Thank you to everybody for listening and I apologize as I did not mean to come off hateful or rude!

[Nurse8204]

I completely understand the frustration. In my state, we didnt have an alternative to discipline when I started over 7 years ago...but they did tell us that if you self report they will be more lenient. So I self reported in 2011 for being addicted to pain meds. I never took any that weren't prescribed to me. But i recognized i had a problem so i turned myself in and went to rehab. Got 3 years, couldn't comply r/t complicated pregnancy so had to start the 3 years over again...(no credit for the 2 years i already did) but then i see nurses that actually harmed patients and they get a letter of reprimand. Or someone that diverts and has no scripts get 1 year. Or the positive meth nurse that gets 1 year. A nurse can give a patient 80 units of insulin to the wrong pt and try to cover it up and deny it until cameras prove they did it and they get a letter of reprimand. I understand we all make errors but this resulted in injury to this pt and the nurse tried to deny it. A slap on the wrist. Another nurse was told her pt was having respiratory distress....she did nothing, sat at the desk. The aides finally told another nurse and the pt was sent to the er and intubated. All on camera......letter of reprimand. A nurse mad at her coworkers and employer so she decides to permanently delete pt files from computer and shred paper charts.....all on camera.....letter of reprimand. Non of it makes sense but they have received more than 9000 dollars from me just in testing alone not including the 3000 civil penalty.

[Love my kids 3]

Exactly what I'm saying too! I mean I was given 3 years ok why so many years? I went to see the psychiatrist I was ordered to see and was completely honest! I too had numerous surgeries and became addicted to pain meds all mine never anybody else's and as I stated previously I went to rehab I knew nothing about and they were a suboxone prescribing facility. I'm not in anyway knocking suboxone but it was still pretty new when I was in the program and I even told them I didn't wanna take it but they said I had to comply with the program! The facility I went to had contracts with different physicians so one of the boards concerns were I had scripts over the years from the different doctors so I guess they took it as I was doctor shopping! I provided all paperwork to prove otherwise and some things happened with my now ex husband they acted like jerks about! My ex lied and had me falsely arrested which was immediately dropped by the judge who wrote the board a letter even on my behalf citing there was no evidence but I'm the lovely state of Ohio an allegation gets the other party arrested with or without evidence! I knew having to meet with the board at all I was getting some time but when they said 3 years I almost went through the roof! Granted their eyes lit up when they heard I had a job so I knew I was gonna be paying some serious money! I was also told I could have urine, blood, saliva or hair but would only have urine tests given to me but the costs range from $41-$91 per test. I had to go today and saw I had to pay $142.50 for my test today and an extra $25 to the lab because it's not labcorp oh and it was a blood test and I was told if the labels aren't places correctly the sample is no good as if I know how the labels are suppose to be placed?? That is NOT my job at all! Idk it's all about money and that's it in my eyes and I'm terrified they're gonna try to screw me over to make me stay on this long as they can! It scares me to death is who knows how they will treat me after I complete it even! It all makes me crazy!!

[Nurse8204]

It all makes me crazy too!! Now I'm done with my 3 final years...supposed to be anyway. I had to send in a request to have my probation status removed from my license. A week later I emailed them and asked if they received my letter and what the status was at that time. They said they didnt receive my May employer report and I need to send it ASAP. (I did send it, along with the post office receipt where I mailed it may 17th and the confirmation that it was received. And haven't heard anything since. They wont tell you anything if you call. I'm so ready to be done with this bs. And i had to test twice last week....so that's 178 additional dollars that could have been saved had i got my letter to remove probation status. But here I am still waiting. The 3 years went by faster than I thought. The worst part has been these last few weeks. Fly under the radar and do everything they tell u to do, nothing more nothing less. This monitoring thing is like going in the negative at the bank....once u do it you get sucked in and one mess up it gets worse. Dont let that happen!!! Do it right the first time! And save any bit of money u can, you will need it bc they will suck it out of u!!

[OhioRN1234]

I am in Ohio as well. I cannot find a job. I have been paying for drug screens for seven months.. for nothing.

They want us to fail. To give up. To disappear and be forgotten. We are the trouble makers.

With Good Sam closing in Dayton. The market is flooded with nurses and no one wants the leper.

Can you tell Im bitter. I hate all of this and wish I would have walked away.

[Eris Discordia BSN, RN]

My drug of choice was unusual and I have the same situation as you. Periodically, I will get a message on the website telling me to contact them because I've been selected for a special test. It's a blood test for my specific DOC and it's pricey. I also have to go to a specific location for it. When I get called for it on days I work, I told them that they are going to have to find a different place than the usual place that they send me to, because I work VERY far away from home. So, luckily, they have accommodated that and on the rare day I'm working when that blood test is ordered, I tell them to arrange a different site, and it takes them a few hours, but they do it. I do have to use my lunch break to go get it drawn, but so far I've only been called for it once on a day that I work.

One time they called for it during a snow storm and I told them I wasn't going to drive in the bad snow to go get it. They ended up realizing that the labs across town were closing early (they called a bunch of them), so they arranged for me to drop a regular urine at the hospital I work at, instead of the blood test. I wasn't penalized.

I'm in a five year program, and for the first year and a half, the cost of the testing was insane. I was tested at a minimum of once a week. Thankfully, in the past 2 months, my testing has dropped off dramatically and therefore the expense is dropping down too. And they are calling me much less for that blood test. Hang in there, if you are doing well, the frequency will eventually dip down. It's frustrating as hell, but the cost does get better over time.