Testing Frequency Towards the End of Contract

Nurses Recovery

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I'm nearing the end of my contract and was wondering what other's experience have been when it comes to how many tests/how often they have been tested. Here is the background: Last September I was granted a reduction in UDS. I was told I would be tested "not less than 14 UDS and 1 hair test" in the final year of my contract. As of today, I have submitted 13 UDS, so I technically have only 1 UDS and 1 hair test left...however, my contract isn't up until a few days into September. When I look back and count how many tests (both UDS and hair) I was required to do during my contract in the beginning and after each reduction, I was never required to submit more tests than required. Example: my first year was "not less than 49 UDS" per my contract, so I submitted exactly 49 UDS. The next year I was ordered to submit " no less than 36 UDS and 1 hair test", and I submitted exactly that amount.....you get my drift. So here I sit, less than 100 days to go from completing my contract and I have submitted all but 1 UDS and 1 hair screen shy of my "requirement". I've ALWAYS had to submit a UDS monthly....maybe 6 weeks is the longest I've gone. I doubt I'd be allowed to go 2 months without needing to submit a UDS, but who knows?? I wanted to know what other's have experienced towards the end if their contract? Did the frequency increase--just cause it could--or did the frequency remain in allignment of what the contract stated? Btw, ALL of my tests have been negative, and I'm not asking this to find out if I can drink/use & "get away with it". I'm asking because IF my testing is increased, I'm tempted to ask my lliasion about it because I don't want to pay ANY MORE than I HAVE to in this program. However, if I do have to submit extra tests and I DO say something, I don't want to "draw any attention to myself" and jeopardize my contract ending when it's supposed too. I've done well just doing what has been asked of me and just laying low so far... I don't want to screw anything up with being so close to end, but don't want to be a doormat either. I'm kind of tired of playing that role in this program.

Thanks everyone.

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I'm TPAPN, 44 days left. Final year, I have been tested mostly once a month. Two times I was tested 10 to 13 days apart. Cap here in stepdown is 18 and I'm at 16. The pattern is pretty predictable. I went 41 days without testing. Tested late May and was expecting to test yesterday which I did. If the pattern holds, I will test late June again and then probably quickly another in the first or second week of June as I'm done the third week.

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Specializes in OR.

For 5 years I’ve been twice a month P, averaging every other week, give or take a few days. Nothing too shocking. There was a period where I got hit 4 times in a 9 calendar day period, with one being some stupid ‘special’ test du jour (also more $$, of course) for what I don’t know or care.

Last year we were told “we may notice and increase in testing...blah, blah, blah....” Like yeah, notice? Can I help but not? There was no legitimate explanation for this other than maybe profits were down for the quarter. Basically they added extra expensive blood testing. Rather invasive in my opinion.

I’m so close to the end, I can see that bottle of soy sauce and the everything bagel. I recently got slammed WEEKLY for 6 weeks running. I don’t care what garbage statistics they want to spout about relapse rates (irrelevant for me, since I am mental health anyway) who in the hell, after making it this far, would do ANYTHING that would keep them in this sewer a minute longer.

I try real hard not to analyze it because I know there’s no sense to this or anything else they do, but I do know damn well that there’s nothing random about it. Just keep counting those days.....

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Catsmeow, love the soy sauce comment because I am right there with you. Chinese food drenched in soy sauce. Today, I'm going fishing, mosquitoes are bad this spring. I'm using a lovely fragrance of Basil all over me. Can't wait to be able to spray myself with insect spray.

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Specializes in OR.

????I could really stand for this to be over. I had mild kidney issues going into this crap and 5 years worth of doing pee pee dances and remaining chronically dehydrated, today, earned me a very stern lecture from my doc. Why now? Well, doing that is giving my kidneys a pounding and according to my lab values, frankly hurting my health. Does anyone think this stupid program cares? Nope. I don’t think so either.

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Cats, me too with the kidney issues. I wonder how many of us are afflicted by this collateral damage.

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The whole testing "pattern" is a mystery to me. I've been as long as 6 weeks (I think) without being pee-tested but that was followed by a PETH test. Recently, I was tested twice in 4 days. Why who knows. I constantly worry about the false positive as there is no way I'd consider indulging in anything until I have paper in hand saying I'm done with this charade but I guess that's outta my hand. I don't doubt that some vested interests out there want to amp up the pee-testing to line their own pockets but that seems to go with the program here.

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On 6/4/2019 at 4:00 AM, Kel65 said:

I'm TPAPN, 44 days left. Final year, I have been tested mostly once a month. Two times I was tested 10 to 13 days apart. Cap here in stepdown is 18 and I'm at 16. The pattern is pretty predictable. I went 41 days without testing. Tested late May and was expecting to test yesterday which I did. If the pattern holds, I will test late June again and then probably quickly another in the first or second week of June as I'm done the third week.

When did they tell you how many tests you’d be getting? I’ve never gotten that info.

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Specializes in OR.

Mine is/was supposedly (I don’t believe a ***** thing regarding this, at least mine anyway) “24-27 times per year. This was in the little ‘book ‘o rules’ that we have to follow yet the program can loosely interpret at their pleasure. Anyhow, I digress. This was pretty much the routine, until last year when we were all told that ‘we may notice (notice??!!, Hah!) an increase in toxicology testing as it was a valuable (to who, I wonder?) tool to our recovery, apparently even for those who had nothing to recover from. SMDH. Yah, whatever. I’m currently at 15 for the year and it’s only the end of June. I guess they are trying to get them all in before the end or something.

58 days to go.....are we there yet, are we there yet........

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West Texas nurse. It states in the quarterly board reports. It states in the program fine print. Graduates have confirmed it. And if you're on good terms with your caseworker she will tell you when you're eligible for step down.

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