Posted by Larry Hoover on May 16, 2005, at 22:29:40
In reply to drug testing, posted by CareBear04 on May 16, 2005, at 20:25:39
> Sorry, I don't know if this is the right board, but since it concerns my meds, I figured it was best.
>
> I know others have posted on drug tests, but I wasn't able to pull up the old posts. Please humor me in answering again if you know.
>
> I'm starting a new position at a hospital next month, and someone asked me whether they do drug tests, which I hadn't thought about. About half my duties are patient care, and half are research. I could understand if they did require a test. Problem is, I will test positive for a lot of things-- amphetamines, benzos, and opiates are some. I have valid prescriptions for them all, but I don't want my direct supervisor knowing about my health and meds. Also, I will be moving a long way for this job, so I won't have my current prescribing doctor nearby to write out a note of explanation, should I need it.
>
> Do you think it's probable that I'll be asked to submit to a drug test, and what is the best way to handle it?
>
> Thanks.I've had numerous drug/alcohol tests under DOT regulations governing truckers. I've also had numerous positives for opiates. In all cases, my positives were reviewed by a Medical Review Officer (employed by the lab), a medical doctor whose training and experience are to sort out valid reasons for positive findings. Only those cases where no valid reasons are found for positive findings are reported to the employer.
I have simply shown a prescription bottle as a verifier of my source of opiates, and my doctor was called on one occasion, but they said that was a mix-up. They should have accepted my evidence of a prescription. Some pharmacies give certified copies of prescriptions issued, if you have trouble getting information from your doctor. At most, they make a phone call, in my experience.
I can't say that's the only way it works, but I can say that my experience is consistent with this website description:
http://www.workcare.com/testing.htm#testing4Your confidentiality should not be breached, if you can provide valid reasons for a positive sample.
I suppose individual states might have different regs, but I fall under federal guidelines.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:498695
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050516/msgs/498754.html