So I am getting ready for bsn nursing school to start in the summer. One of the things that was required was a drug test. I took it without any hesitation, since I do not take any drugs. However, I did messed up before the drug test. Because of all the stress of moving, getting ready for nursing school, and personal life things my mother suggested I take one her lorazepam pill to help me calm down. I took it without hesitation because it a pretty universally used drug.
The part that I messed up at is that I took it before the drug test and it showed up. I obviously have no documentation saying that I have a prescription. So now I am kicking myself in the head and I don't know what to do.
What are the consequences for this? Will I be prevented to start? Are there any legal problems I should worry about? Can I retake it to show I am not an addict or have a problem with drugs? I am thinking of e-mailing my programs director to explain my situation and tell him "I am an idiot, I am not an addict, and I am very sorry. Please don't kick me out". Thoughts?
an 18 or 19 year old should know better than to take a drug that is NOT prescribed to them.
When I was 18/19 years old, if my mother told me to jump I would ask how high. This was this kids MOTHER, not a dealer off the street, a stranger, a random friend...
XNavyCorpsman is correct and OP needs to own his/her mistake and demonstrate accountability. There is no room in nursing for people who can't read the directions, follow rules, and manage their impulses.
OP,
Make an appointment with your doctor first thing and disclose everything. Respect yourself and others enough to TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF before taking care of others.
Disclose what?? That on one occasion, s/he was anxious about school and her/his concerned, well-meaning mother offered one of her Ativan tablets? And s/he followed Mom's advice, and now realizes that was a mistake? That's hardly plummeting into the abyss ...
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
Wowza. People share meds all the time. Right or wrong. Until I became a licensed nurse i would not have thought twice about it.
Just withdraw and apply elsewhere OP. Lesson learned from the school of hard knocks. I do not think it has any reflection on your future potential as a nurse. I hope it works out well for you in the long run.
Apparently we have many people here who have never made a mistake in their whole lives and from the day they were born had pristine judgement. They are AMAZING LOL.
XNavyCorpsman is correct and OP needs to own his/her mistake and demonstrate accountability. There is no room in nursing for people who can't read the directions, follow rules, and manage their impulses.
OP,
Make an appointment with your doctor first thing and disclose everything. Respect yourself and others enough to TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF before taking care of others.
Oh, for heavens sake.
A red flag?
First off, she admitted she was wrong in a later post.
Second, "there is no room in nursing for people who can't read the directions, follow the rules, and manage their impulses..." well, damn. There wouldn't be anyone in nursing then if you're referring to this and the "horrific circumstances" of the OP's case. She took one (*one*) Ativan (that was her mother's, a trusted individual ... who offered it to her, not stole it from her yadda yadda yadda).
I have two prescriptions for controlled medications through CVS and went through the directions; nothing labeled on the bottles except for the drowsiness/don't use heavy machinery. Finally found it on the separate page insert that's stapled onto the bag.... toward the end of the page. Most people only read the dosage/indications and s/e. I didn't even notice this little tidbit of info until I went looking for it.
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
This was a mistake. Learn from it. Move on. Now you know. Try honesty with school admin that you were so anxious you listened to your mom's suggestion not aware of potential consequences (don't say widely used or any other excuse). What is done is done. They can tell if the level is a low dose metabolite.
Your honestly may still result in program ineligibility. They may let you withdraw rather than outright rejection. They may let you reapply. It's likely better to come forward before the medical review officer contacts the school with the result.
. If you feel your anxiety needs treatment seek professional assistance.
Now you know better. Move on. Learn. Don't make the same mistake again. Become stronger by experience.
I have no idea what's the best course of action. I've skimmed the responses and didn't see any from someone associated with a school program.
OP is moving for a BSN program, I interpreted that at as already qualified for the 4 year program. So at least 20 yrs old?
The flag here for me is having anxiety to the point of taking a benzo just for moving and some additional life stresses. We all know the mental toll a nursing program will take. Not to mention the first job. Addressing OP's coping seems to be a priority. This whole ordeal could be a blessing/wake up call to strengthen coping before making the huge financial and time commitment as well as risking shattering her confidence.
People snort all kinds of things, esp. opioids. Most don't have the nerve to do it in front of a healthcare provider; that's pretty gutsy.
I made sure to document it carefully as the last thing I needed was some weird reaction or complaint that he hadn't gotten his meds or something. After he did it in front of me he said his doctor knows he does this all the time so I made sure to document that too! Never did find out if the doctor had anything to say about that but nothing came back to me and life went on!
This, 100%! Also, not everyone knows that Ativan is a benzo, or that everything ending in -epam or -olam is for that matter. Most people think only of narcotics as controlled substances, so to tell someone that they're not nursing material just because of one mistake like this is quite a huge assumption.
Yes. I would also like to point out that some people do not even know what a "benzo" is. In some cultures, the sharing of medication, even prescription meds, is the norm. My husband's entire extended family all live in a very small, rural community in the South. My mother-in-law is prescribed Xanax for anxiety, but she does not even know the trade name of the drug, in fact, she refers to it as "my nerve medicine." In an effort to be helpful, at times she will offer a "nerve pill" to a family member who is stressed out. I don't think she has any idea that it is a controlled substance, and I doubt she knows that some medications are "controlled." It's a cultural thing.
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jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B
9 Articles; 4,800 Posts
When I was 18/19 years old, if my mother told me to jump I would ask how high. This was this kids MOTHER, not a dealer off the street, a stranger, a random friend...