Urine test

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I am going for my physical this week to be an employee at a hospital. They are giving us a urine test and I was just wondering would smoking cigarettes cost me my chance for the job? I know its not marijuana or nearly as bad, but i was just wondering would they cut me once they find nicotine in my system? Just curious =/ because this is my dream job

Specializes in future OB/L&D nurse(I hope) or hospice.

I must agree with mjmoon....what they going to do next, say you must be within your ideal weight range to be considered for employment??? After all, obesity is also a health risk and drive up insurance rates. Where is the line drawn. I do not personally smoke and never have, but I do not think it is right for someone to not be considered because they smoke....

If it is illegal-no go

If is not illegal-should be considered.. IMO

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

Ummmmmmm...you may or may not get the job..maybe you can tell them that you're in the process of quitting or something..and maybe should think about quitting as well because after a while NO hospital will hire a smoker just because they have a no smoking policy. My hospital is actually going smoke free as of Jan 1st 2011... Thank goodness because a L&D patient was in labor smoking a cig in her room...with OXYGEN in the room.........DEAR LORD!

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I must agree with mjmoon....what they going to do next, say you must be within your ideal weight range to be considered for employment??? After all, obesity is also a health risk and drive up insurance rates. Where is the line drawn. I do not personally smoke and never have, but I do not think it is right for someone to not be considered because they smoke....

If it is illegal-no go

If is not illegal-should be considered.. IMO

I'm not sure where you two have been the last few years, but insurance rates are skyrocketing. Many people may not realize exactly how much their insurance actually costs because your employer may cover some or most of the premium. When I was let go from my previous job, the cost for COBRA was $1200 a month.

You are right, soon insurance companies will be looking at other things to charge people for- extra weight, lifestyle factors, everything.

But yes, smoking is a huge insurance cost that raises rates for everyone. And the employer might have signed a deal with the insurance company to keep prices down by not hiring smokers. It's not against the law. And thanks to living in a capitalist society, that's how things work.

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i smoke, and wish i had never started, but its how it is.

my hospital is also a smoke free campus (meaning, we are supposed to be off the property to smoke if we so choose).

this poses a problem with some who choose to abuse their breaks, but in general its not really an issue where i work, on night shift anyway...

not ever getting to take a lunch, i average 5 minutes twice a night for a cigarette, equally ten minutes.

i pay on average 20 dollars more per pay for being a smoker.

i have not been to the doctor in years though...

it was recently revealed that a large health care company who owns half of the hospitals where i live will no longer be employing smokers.

this is fine and all, and i understand the reasoning behind this, but if this is the case, tobacco being legal and all, i think they should not hire overweight people either, seeming as how 75 percent of the people i take care of are obese or morbidly obese and their health issues mostly stem from that.

not hiring obese people and smokers would open up the job market a bit for all these new grads who cant seem to find jobs.

half of the people i work with are overweight, and the other half smoke.

if i ever do have to go to the doctor it will probably be due to my trying to reposition one of the 600 pound pts i frequently take care of, not from repositioning the 80 pound 3 pack a day copd'er.

at any rate, i do not think its fair to not hire anyone based on their personal choices if it does not effect their ability to do their job.

i pay for all this insurance that i never use, and i do not abuse my break(s)

insurance companies dont have to cover smokers. but it shouldnt matter if someone smokes as to whether they get hired or not

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Ummmmmmm...you may or may not get the job..maybe you can tell them that you're in the process of quitting or something..and maybe should think about quitting as well because after a while NO hospital will hire a smoker just because they have a no smoking policy. My hospital is actually going smoke free as of Jan 1st 2011... Thank goodness because a L&D patient was in labor smoking a cig in her room...with OXYGEN in the room.........DEAR LORD!

I do want to quit though. I just think this was a bad time for a physical because now all of these things are making me realize that losing this job opportunity is not worth the cigarettes. I just think I got screwed in this and I would like to tell them I am in the process of quitting but how many times have they heard that line before? They will still see the cotinine in my system so how does it make it seem like ive "tried quitting"

well i guess we will find out in the next couple of days how I did and if anything comes up. I just hope all of this isnt really what it seems

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Specializes in Oncology.

Good to know.

I personally agree with the thinking that testing for random legal substances is a bit much, and we're definitely heading down a slippery slope. I don't smoke or particularly like to be around it with friends, but if it doesn't affect your job, I don't see the problem.

I wonder if third hand smoke is the justification for it? Because even if you are going outside to smoke, it will inevitably be in your hair, on your scrubs, etc.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Just an FYI you can test for nearly anything, drugs or otherwise in the right lab... Our hospital has begun testing for nicotine also, due to the fact that employees sign statements saying they are non-smokers for the lower insurance premiums.

More and more facilities are taking this route. You can't assume that just because it's not a controlled substance they won't test for it or that it will not affect your chances of being hired. I used to be shocked that a credit check was done on prospective employees as well, but this is the world we live in now, unfortunately. Next there'll be a metabolite of Little Debbie Snack Cakes they will test for.

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Specializes in School Nursing.
I'm not sure where you two have been the last few years, but insurance rates are skyrocketing. Many people may not realize exactly how much their insurance actually costs because your employer may cover some or most of the premium. When I was let go from my previous job, the cost for COBRA was $1200 a month.

You are right, soon insurance companies will be looking at other things to charge people for- extra weight, lifestyle factors, everything.

But yes, smoking is a huge insurance cost that raises rates for everyone. And the employer might have signed a deal with the insurance company to keep prices down by not hiring smokers. It's not against the law. And thanks to living in a capitalist society, that's how things work.

I don't see the TESTING as an issue of capitalism, I see it an issue of privacy. Being capitalist does not and should not mean that the corporations control every aspect of our lives in order to give their shareholders huge checks.

Our privacy is NOT part of the capitalist plan.

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Specializes in School Nursing.
I do want to quit though. I just think this was a bad time for a physical because now all of these things are making me realize that losing this job opportunity is not worth the cigarettes. I just think I got screwed in this and I would like to tell them I am in the process of quitting but how many times have they heard that line before? They will still see the cotinine in my system so how does it make it seem like ive "tried quitting"

well i guess we will find out in the next couple of days how I did and if anything comes up. I just hope all of this isnt really what it seems

There really is no 'process' of quitting. The only way to do it is to just do it. I quit 9 years ago and have never looked back. It is NOT hard to quit once you decide just to do it. All I did was get some orange nicotine gum and used it during those 'times' when I would normally smoke. After the nicotine gum was gone I got some big red and chewed that instead. After that was gone I was done. The 'process' only happens after you quit smoking. :)

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I don't see the TESTING as an issue of capitalism, I see it an issue of privacy. Being capitalist does not and should not mean that the corporations control every aspect of our lives in order to give their shareholders huge checks.

Our privacy is NOT part of the capitalist plan.

They don't. You are free to not work there. Unfortunately, if you want to play their game, you have to follow their rules. If you don't, then apply elsewhere.

It has nothing at all to do with your ability to do your job. Your employer pays a huge amount for your health insurance. Really. Since your employer wants to stay in business, so they have to reduce costs, and a big, big cost for them is health insurance. How to cut that down? Cut a deal with the insurance company that their group (as in group health insurance).

I know fat people are unhealthy too. And believe me, that day is coming where fat people will pay more. But right now, smokers and their health problems are the issue. Smokers are probably the unhealthiest people on the planet.

Oh- are you telling me a 10 minute smoke break every hour doesn't affect your ability to work? Non smokers don't take that time- so non-smokers work more.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I'm not saying the company can't say- 'No smoking' or even refuse to hire smokers. What I am saying is they shouldn't be able to test for substances other than illegal ones. When we start letting them just test for whatever they want- they can test for all kinds of things that they may determine makes the employee a risk to their 'pocketbook'. What if they discover someone is on anti-depressants and eliminate the opportunity for that person because they have a history of depression? Or they discover a medication for high blood pressure?

It's the giving them the blanket right to test our bodies that I am opposed to..

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Specializes in ER/Ortho.

I am a fairly new nurse, but I have been employed for a year, and did clinicals for two years prior to that. In all that time I have seen two people with lung cancer. Every shift if I have 6 patients at least 4 or more will be diabetic. At least one or sometimes up to 3 three will be obese. Not overweight I mean (get the lift equipment) obese.

If we are going to not hire smokers then we need to just get down to business. No hiring anyone more than 10 lbs over their ideal weight or anyone with high cholesterol. In addition, they should test for caffeine, and that will get rid of those pesky energy drinks, coffee, and soda's.

If they refuse to hire the above that should open up the job market quite a bit.

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