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?
Hopefully your meeting goes well. And as others have mentioned, seek out professional help (if you haven't already). There are different options that can help manage your stress.
Since most nursing programs get many qualified applicants and can only accept a small percentage of these, I would expect a positive drug test to be an automatic reversal of your admission. I know that my acceptance package laid out the final requirements before starting the program, including a drug test. I had to call and schedule an appointment and pay out of pocket.
I feel sorry for the OP, however I don't think she will be allowed into the program with a failed drug test. That's just reality. I hope that she will be able to get into another program and continue with her nursing education. This is a hard, hard lesson from the school of hard knocks. Best of luck to you dear. Hope it all works out for you in the end
I truly feel bad for you because I don't think you will be going forward in your intended career choice. On the upside, and I know it's hard to hear this, nursing is only meant for perfect people.. Men and women who do not make mistakes, who are of perfect character, which essentially means nurses know exactly how to cover their trail/tail with professional efficiency. You were too honest and thereby you do not belong. You were anxious and resolved your anxiety through the use of your mother's prescribed Ativan. And while this is an illegal move, especially amongst nurses, I understand why you did it. I feel for you and hope that you will forgive yourself because it is highly unlikely that the school will...
HONESTY. anything else is going to bite you in the short hairs.
also, we can't do as good a job if our patients don't give us all the info, so I think we should try for a really hi standard of honesty in our own lives.. GOOD LUCK :)
Check. It's probably like 3 font print. It's really tiny and printed on the main label on any script. Some use colored stickers, others it's in tiny print on the label and others it's on the printed drug guide. It's not always obvious but the information is always there. Some pharmacies also indicate in the RX# (CVS used to) such as Phenergan DM would be Rx#12345 but Phenergan with codeine would be Rx#:C12376
Checked every bottle from 3 different pharmacies none of them - even a narcotic pain med from post surgery - no where on the label did it say it was illegal to transfer to another person. Just the typical drowsiness, alcohol, and this drug looks like alerts.
Checked every bottle from 3 different pharmacies none of them - even a narcotic pain med from post surgery - no where on the label did it say it was illegal to transfer to another person. Just the typical drowsiness, alcohol, and this drug looks like alerts.
Get out a magnifying glass and look at the label. I said the same thing as you about a narcotic pain med for post surgery. Then I noticed what looked like a straight line on the label. I looked at that line with the magnifying glass. Yep. It did say it was illegal to transfer to another person. A lot of good it does to have it printed on the label in type so small no one can read it...
Checked every bottle from 3 different pharmacies none of them - even a narcotic pain med from post surgery - no where on the label did it say it was illegal to transfer to another person. Just the typical drowsiness, alcohol, and this drug looks like alerts.
This may sound a little harsh, but you are NOT nursing material. You took a controlled substance without a prescription. And to top this off, your mother gave it to you.
OP, if you let this stop you from being successful I will find you myself and shake you.
You are way too young to think you can't overcome this error in judgement. This board is full of people who screwed up the first round, or two, and achieved their goals.
It may not be as smooth had you not failed your first drug test (as a lay person) but many many many have overcome much bigger obstacles and lived to enjoy it.
Specializes in Med Surg/ICU/Psych/Emergency/CEN/retired.
OP, if you let this stop you from being successful I will find you myself and shake you.
You are way too young to think you can't overcome this error in judgement. This board is full of people who screwed up the first round, or two, and achieved their goals.
It may not be as smooth had you not failed your first drug test (as a lay person) but many many many have overcome much bigger obstacles and lived to enjoy it.
As promised here is the long awaited update on the situation and my future. As I previously said, I sent an e-mail to the director and the program coordinator explaining what happened. I got a response back and was asked to meet with the coordinator briefly. During the meeting I explained what happened and I took responsibility for my actions. And then I got good news! She understands that life is dumb and that mistakes can happen. She also took into account my previous negative drug tests results (for work and other purposes) and that I was a recipient for something else (I won't say what, because then you can find out who I am). Therefore the school decided that I'll be given a second chance and stay in the program! I am going to have to retake the drug test now and I will have random drug tests in the future at my own expense, but this is a very small price to pay. If I fail any of these or refuse to take it, then I will be dismiss from the program, but that won't be a problem. So yay!
I am thrill that I can stay in the program, but I know what I did was a dumb mistake and I will not make the same mistake ever again. I've read everyone's response here and I am thankful for the support. I know many of you will disagree with the school's decision to give me a second chance. Therefore I am going to stop using this account, since I don't want anyone to figure out what school I am in and hold a negative bias against anyone associated with the program.
To clear some things up, my mom made a simple mistake that a non-medical person would make. There was no malice or ill intentions. I am not addicted to the drug, I am not going to abuse it, and I prefer to exercise to calm my mind. I am not going to be a junkie and steal patient's drug. Some of you might say I am not "nursing material", but instead I am going to listen to my mentors, professors, and myself who all say that I will be an excellent nurse and future Nurse Practitioner.
So yeah that's it. I learned a big lesson, I hope no one else makes the same mistake as me. I'm off to prepare to do cool stuff and work on my English grammar.
petunias
10 Posts
Hopefully your meeting goes well. And as others have mentioned, seek out professional help (if you haven't already). There are different options that can help manage your stress.