Random drug tests in nursing school?!

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Just out of pure curiosity how many of you have underwent a random drug test during your program? Do these happen a lot? Or only when a student is being suspicious? I'm aware of the annual drug screening but not the random ones. Any insight please!!

Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
This is a good point. My job's policy is that ANY injury where workman's comp paperwork is filed requires a drug test, even if there's no possible way it's related.

Also, another local facility apparently drug tested all employees after a serious missing narc issue.

So it isn't safe to assume that you'll only be drug tested if you're showing signs of impairment. Just don't do it.

Same policy here: if you do not take the drug test by the deadline, they treat it as a positive test result and act accordingly.

IMO, you should be prepared to be drug tested at any time. In fact, most facilities will tell you about random drug testing up front or include it in their P&P

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Specializes in None yet.
I don't completely disagree-- but at the same time I think that there should be strict guidelines about what data they can collect, and it should be completely transparent. How do you know what they are testing for? Maybe I'm a little paranoid, but what if they start testing for regular medications that would indicate another health issue that the employer would rather not have to deal with- such as diabetic or HIV drugs? Antidepressants or other chronic diseases? THAT is the slope I'm concerned about.

I agree with this completely. I also remember during nursing school we had an OB patient test false positive for meth and the staffs attitude toward patient TOTALLY shifted (which is sooo wrong) and then they retested the SAME sample and it was negative....supposedly her Tagament was causing the false positive? I didn't research it, but I just remember thinking, this is totally messed up. I even heard Ibuprofen can cause false positive THC results. I always think twice if I have a headache...lol. Soooo, I don't know how I feel about drug testing. I mean I do not want someone high taking care of me or someone I care about but I also do not want someone who smokes marijuana at their birthday party to get canned because random drug testing just happened to be the day after it....just saying.

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I fully support random drug testing! They should do things like this for many other things in life too lol..... welfare, financial aide, etc

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I have taken one for a job at a local hospital. I think there should be random testing for everyone. If you are going into the medical field, I'd want to know if the people taking care of me and making very important decisions are in the right mind and free of drugs.

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Personally I don't do drugs, but I don't believe that occasional marijuana or hallucinogen use would make one a worse healthcare provider. Actually, it seems arbitrary to me. I think those who test positive for lighter drugs should be made to undergo additional evaluations to ensure they aren't addicted. However, then you're getting into dangerous territory since mental illness shouldn't be grounds for termination/expulsion... Hmm. Tough issue. I guess you just gotta draw the line somewhere.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
I also remember during nursing school we had an OB patient test false positive for meth and the staffs attitude toward patient TOTALLY shifted (which is sooo wrong) and then they retested the SAME sample and it was negative....supposedly her Tagament was causing the false positive? I didn't research it, but I just remember thinking, this is totally messed up. I even heard Ibuprofen can cause false positive THC results.

In the case of a false positive, they can do qualitative testing to determine what the exact substance is that's causing the result.

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I fully support random drug testing! They should do things like this for many other things in life too lol..... welfare, financial aide, etc

I agree completely!

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We didn't have drug testing while in nursing school, but when I was an aide, someone in the hospital I worked in stated they "saw me smoking marijuana in the parking lot during my lunch". (I do remember walking out to lunch that day and I was walking behind a visitor who wreeeeeked like pot! But it didn't even cross my mind until I was home the next day.) I told the nursing supervisor I smoke cigarettes and besides, if I smoked a joint to my head, I certainly would NOT have been able to return to work after! ;) Got the rest of the day off and the next day, paid, too! With an apology, of course because it came back negative. I was ripped ****** and looked at everyone crooked after that for I assumed someone was trying to get my fired, assuming I did drugs. Not to mention, it was wicked embarrassing when the nursing supervisor and HR lady where insisting they would get me a cab or I could call someone for a ride home because they wouldn't want me to drive impaired!! Never found out who, wasn't able to be told, either, as their policy was "if anyone is suspicious of someone at work impaired, they may anonymously report them". I got over it after awhile!

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I have to go do a drug screen within the next few weeks before I start my preceptorship (yay!) Its the hospital that requires the screen, not the school. Otherwise, I haven't had to do one. Though if there was suspicious behaviour I think they screen only the student in question. Each campus (and job) is a little different.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
Though if there was suspicious behaviour I think they screen only the student in question. Each campus (and job) is a little different.

My better half got hit with 3 drug screens in the same month. Two were truly random screens; the third was because they suspected someone in the unit of using so they tested the whole unit.

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We have to take one before school. I'm not sure about during. If they did I'd be totally ok with that!

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Just out of pure curiosity how many of you have underwent a random drug test during your program? Do these happen a lot? Or only when a student is being suspicious? I'm aware of the annual drug screening but not the random ones. Any insight please!!

What difference does it make why or how.

If you are not using, you have nothing to worry about. Consider it preparation for your future career.

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