Asked by Supervisor to Take a Drug Screen

Nurses Career Support

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Specializes in Medical Legal Consultant.

I was called into my supervisor's office and asked to take a drug screen. This happens almost every month and frankly I am tired of it. What can I do?

You cannot refuse to take a drug screen. If you do refuse, it is possible you could be reported to the Board of Nursing and terminated. Usually somewhere in the employee handbook it says that your employer has the right to drug test you when they deem it necessary. Unfortunately, this is just one of those things that goes along with being a nurse.

If you do take controlled substances, many employers will deem a positive urine negative if you can produce a current prescription for the same medication. However, many Nursing Boards are not so lenient. They do not want nurses taking controlled substances.

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I am curious, are you the only one being tested every month? It's "random" but we just only test certain people every month?

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Specializes in Medical Legal Consultant.

I don't know what facilities do but I have heard this before.

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It's not in the OP's question. Like you said if it's policy you have to do the UDS. I just wonder if part of their frustration is it's not really random. You would hope HR would have something to back up that it is random or that they are not targeting based on appearance or worse a protected class.

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Specializes in Medical Legal Consultant.

Have you talked to HR?

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I'm not the person who asked the question. I wanted to make that follow up statement if they choose to elaborate if possibly there is profiling. Due to expense I can't see the company paying to test everyone, every month.

I'm hoping the person who asked the question responds to the frequency for other employees and if there is any racial or other profiling going on.

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If I were drug tested almost every month I would produce the next clean urine and then resign after finding a position where nurses aren't treated so overtly like garbage.

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Specializes in Diabetes, Transplant, CCU, Neurology.

That does seem odd. I've been a nurse for 30 years, and my wife for 34 years, and neither of us has ever been tested. It wouldn't really bother me, but every month would get old.

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Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.
If I were drug tested almost every month I would produce the next clean urine and then resign after finding a position where nurses aren't treated so overtly like garbage.

I can understand this if someone has had a positive UDS in the past. If not, I would consider hiring a lawyer.

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