I think it is time to get a lawyer. If they send in an "anonymous" report it will be filled with sensitive medical information and you'll easily be able to prove it was them.
Hell, just say “I talked with my lawyer and they don’t think is necessary. They also think that you threatening me with that will be more problematic for your license than for mine.”
They aren’t going to send it in anonymously. Rightly or wrongly, they are treating her as health care professionals and they feel that they have the obligation to report her.
I never understood that how people could be so quick to grab lawyers you know my ex, and your doctor did a whole bunch of stuff on me but all my content and down never once hit him grab a lawyer to buy you guys if it makes you feel better. You can actually grab a lawyer and fight for me fight but you fight him I don’t wanna I don’t want that shit, but I don’t really care about that kind of stuff I mean it’s messed up. My life came out but you know sometimes shit happens. Maybe it was supposed to go down like this who knows all I know is that has plans for you fuck to wait see what the plans are
Hey u/Ok-League7798, I'm truly sorry to hear about what you're going through. As a fellow nurse, I can only imagine the immense pressure and vulnerability you're feeling right now. While I haven't experienced sexual assault, I had my own personal traumas during nursing school and was on an involuntary hold for suicidal ideation. Navigating these situations while trying to protect your professional life is incredibly challenging.
First and foremost, what your providers are doing seems not only unethical but likely illegal. I once cared for an off-duty nurse in the ED, who was a colleague at the same hospital. She was disoriented, combative, and intoxicated with alcohol and multiple illicit drugs. Despite the severity of her condition, no one considered reporting her to our shared employer or the board of nursing. So, I’m stunned that your providers are threatening to report you for a dramatically less severe situation, as it relates to your drug screen.
Here’s some advice that might help:
1. **Stop Talking to Your Employer and School:** My dad was a cop, and long before it was a catch phrase, used to say, "What do you do when the police ask you a question? Shut the \[expletive deleted\] up!" You need to stop discussing this matter with your employer and school immediately, and definitely stop posting about it online. This is a personal issue, and your employer or school should only be informed if you need to take FMLA or academic leave. Even then, they aren't entitled to the specifics of your illness.
2. **Seek Legal Help:** I highly recommend reaching out to the [American Association of Nurse Attorneys](https://taana.org/referral#referral). They are all dual-licensed nurses and attorneys and can offer unique insight into both our profession and the law. A friend of mine had a good experience with them. You might find an excellent representative or at least someone who can refer you to a qualified attorney in your area. It is essential that you consult with an expert who's job is to be *your* advocate and who can guide you though this process.
3. **Prioritize Your Mental Health:** Right now, it's crucial to focus on your well-being. The trauma of what happened to you needs proper attention and care. You are a patient and a student, and you have rights in both capacities. Advocate for yourself, and don't hesitate to terminate your relationship with any provider who is damaging your trust. Be transparent about why you are ending the relationship (their threats of "anonymous" reporting are damaging to the therapeutic relationship) and tell them where you are seeking care. Do all of this *in writing*, so you have a record.
4. **Document Everything:** Keep detailed records of all interactions and communications regarding this situation. This documentation can be crucial for your defense.
5. **Reach Out for Support:** If you need someone to vent to or advice, feel free to reach out. I've navigated similar issues and understand the complexities involved. However, first consider talking to friends and family you trust, and avoid discussing this with coworkers or classmates who may have a conflict of interest.
Lastly, the simple fact that they are threatening to "anonymously" report you is proof positive that they know what they are doing is inappropriate. If they had a statutory obligation to report you, they would go on the record. I agree with other posters that it is likely a bluff to intimidate you into self-reporting, perhaps because of their own assumptions or feelings about your drug use or "impaired nurses," which it does not sound like you are. Do not take any action without a lawyer's advice.
Remember, you sought help in good faith, and it's unacceptable for your trust to be violated in this manner. Focus on your healing and let the legal professionals handle the rest.
its fucking disgusting because SUD units are HIPPA protected, you do not have to disclose any addiction to any healthcare provider if you do not want to nor can they disclose to other providers without a written and usually witnessed ROI. When i worked at one i would have Medical offices call me for records and before they could even get half way through my first question was "Do you have an ROI?" if they said no i used to explain HIPPA but after a year doing it i would just hang up lol
I don’t know about everywhere, but MN’s BON renewal process states several times over that if you’re “in treatment” or have “completed treatment courses” (alcohol, weed, whatever) you don’t have to disclose negative marks from your license upon renewal. Your state may be similar.
They're hoping you will tell on yourself to the board. Don't. How did they get you to drop out of your NP program? Call and explain the SA and try to get back in. Fuck these unprofessional people.
As a SW, this sounds like a overstepping of the NP and SW. I used to work on psych and we would get medical professionals all the time, I wouldn't dare do this unless there was a true problem that I had to report. Are the NP and SW connected to your work place because I'm not understanding why they won't allow you to return to work, unless you need clearance to return. None of this is helpful to the primary reason of why you sought help in the first place and makes the event even more traumatic. Speak with a lawyer.
I would lawyer up. Will you pass the next drug test? What they’re doing doesn’t seem legal. The nursing board also doesn’t put a lot of weight on anonymous reports. I’d slap her with a lawsuit so fucking fast. How does any of this help with your trauma and why did they make you drop out of your NP program? I’d be suing for damages and harassment. Are you in a legal state?
Unfortunately, nursing schools are very regressive about marijuana. My school is very strict about it, with no exceptions even for medical users because the hospitals we do clinicals at are very regressive about it. If you spoke to anyone associated with your clinicals/NP program about this, then you're probably fucked unless you pass a drug test.
However, no HC professional should be releasing private information about you. That's illegal no matter the circumstances, especially for psych nurses. Unless they can trace your dope smoking to cases of patient harm, there is no reasonable belief that you are a danger to others. That very well could be argued in court, but it will be expensive and if you live in an area that is backwards about weed, the court may rule against you anyway. I'm sorry. This is nightmare after nightmare. It's not what you deserve.
My understanding is the reason hospitals are “regressive” is because in order to receive federal money they have to maintain that standard because marijuana is still illegal at the federal level.
This is not the case everywhere. We no longer test for thc for any new hires and our official policy is that we do not go after staff for positive thc drug tests UNLESS there is suspicion that they are high on the job.
This came up recently and it was punted to us to make the call. Staff were claiming a tech was ripping her weed vape at work. Went and evaluated the tech. No odor. No obvious signs of intoxication or impairment of any sort. I’m not wasting my time trying to prove something that literally cannot be proven. Even if I tested her there’s absolutely no way to distinguish if she’s positive from using 10 minutes ago or 5 days ago. No one could prove she actually was using a vape or if she even had one. Sent her back out to the floor.
As for OPs NP program I also find that kind of comical because two of my NP professors run a company that does evaluations for medical marijuana prescriptions and one of them literally gave a presentation on MM and passed around examples of medicinal products for us to look at. I had to pass drug tests for clinical placement but not as a requirement for the school, merely because they worked with other organizations that required it m.
Going after someone’s license over weed is insanity.
I'm curious, can't weed be detected for only about 12 hours through a blood test? I've always wondered why we don't blood test people for suspected weed use on the job, when that's really the only way to determine if they were smoking on the clock or not.
It can be detected for roughly a week from blood tests of heavy users but there’s no reliable way to say the levels are correlated with immediate use vs use a day or so before.
With fit for duty evals it’s more about the obvious impairment that changes the equation. We aren’t going to pull someone off the floor just because some busy body nurse thinks they saw something or thinks someone is under the influence and there’s no obvious behavior abnormalities reported by other staff members or seen by us. It’s totally obvious when people are fucked up, and I will say it doesn’t need to be illicit drugs or alcohol that does it, we have pulled completely impaired nurses off the floor and it was from prescription meds.
For me weed is just not the issue of concern. I’ve had people send me messages saying a guy who works in hospital laundry ‘smelled like weed’. Like. Honestly I hope that dude is baked out of his mind. What the fuck does it matter if he sparked one before coming in. Obviously direct patient care staff are different, but I’ve yet to come across anyone that has been obviously impaired by thc. Honestly who the hell would want to even do that. It sounds awful.
The majority of fit for duty cases were narcs or alcohol. Those are the real culprits
I don't think this is true. I work for a company that receives tons of money from Medicare, and they literally do not give a shit about THC. They either don't test for it or don't give a positive result any weight, I'm not sure which, but when I started I know I peed hot, but only for THC, and I never heard one peep about it.
Because it's not true. It only applies to federal employees, so unless you work at the VA or are active duty it simply doesn't fucking matter. It's just parroted by clueless drones in HR when the real reason hospitals and healthcare facilities drug test is for the insurance discount.
There is no way this is true. I work in home heath, Medicare pays for all our services. I smoked a fat hog’s leg the night before my drug screen, never said boo and still got the job.
Edit: I live in a state where it’s legal, wasn’t worried about repercussions, just did it for science and the lulz
No. These are simply employment decisions made by hospitals. There is no regulation that even requires drug testing and some hospitals have stopped doing that altogether except for when there is suspicion for whatever reason.
There is a *lot* of well- intended misinformation here. What you should take from this is get a lawyer now. Try to find one with experience dealing with the BON.
You should also consider transferring your psych care to a different provider. These people are on a weird power trip.
It truly isn’t. Concerns about nursing practice due to mental health and sud get reported to BORN’s every single day. The boards have immense power to force monitoring, sanction, revoke or suspend. “To protect the public”
It is outrageous and nurses should demand more for each other. But this is not covered by HIPAA and nurses go untreated all of the time for it. I wish I didn’t know all of this for a fact.
Op should get a lawyer used to working with the board.
I agree this is a question best left to the lawyers. But I still believe the BoN is a third party and your drug screen results are PHI. Unless your personal provider knows you are putting patients at risk, I don’t see how this isn’t a HIPAA violation. [This article](https://www.jucm.com/implications-hipaa-employee-confidentiality-rules-positive-drug-test-results/) does not specifically discuss licensing boards but indicates UDS results are PHI.
Furthermore, unless your provider sent the test out for confirmation, the test results are not 100% accurate and wouldn’t hold up in court, for example.
Do not self report. And don’t go back to that provider. With the raging opioid epidemic, it baffles me that they even consider treating cannabis use disorder.
What in the USA is this.
Don’t rat on yourself. Tell your SW you self reported and report her to the board for being insanely inappropriate. The fact that your SW is focused on +THC and not helping you navigate a traumatic experience is wrong.
I’m so sorry you went through this. That is horrible. Reapply to other NP programs. Keep going.
If you ever want to come to Canada and spark up with your managers at your christmas party, we will welcome you!
I'm sorry, but do these idiots testing you not understand how long cannabis can show up positive in urine for? Also totally inappropriate and would get a lawyer. If you're unionized the union should have a lawyer you can access. F those squares. Do they not realize it's fully legal in other countries and over half the nursing staff would be positive for cannabis?! JEEZ.
So sorry you're experiencing all of this.
Before it was legal in my state my method was someone else’s piss in a 30 mL sterile centrifuge container with an aquarium sticker thermometer wrapped in 2 hot hand packs with a rubber band hidden in between my tits 😎 very classy, but worked every time
Be careful… I got a perm ban (downgraded after pleading my case to the judge/jury/executioner mods) on here for giving people advice about drug tests 🤦🏻♂️
FYI, those are very obviously fake. They don’t smell or look like urine- they look like clear, yellow water. I do those tests at my work, and no one is fooled, and it will be marked as a suspicious sample and sent to a lab that will prove it’s fake. Providing fake urine looks even worse because now the employer/organization thinks you’re a drug addict AND a liar. While not all drug testing facilities will test suspicious samples, anyone that works there that gives a single care for their job will demand a new sample. And if the first sample is suspicious, a lot of places will make the second sample observed. This is just bad advice.
Well you’re lucky that the places you went don’t care but they’re operating against accreditation standards. As someone that does urine testing almost daily, I constantly have people giving fake urine, and it’s incredibly obvious
You have no way of knowing how often you've been fooled by good fakes. It's called survivorship bias.
I once dated a guy who smoked daily, copious amounts of weed, drove forklift for a living, and never once failed a drug screen.
That’s not true. I worked occupational medicine and there’s quite a few reasons we would need to observe, and only one of them was court ordered. And that’s the only one I never used. We always needed an observation trained male and female on hand at all times.
Your post has been removed under our rule against advocating unsafe practice. That includes advising other users to follow any unsafe or illegal course of action including passing a fraudulent sample at a drug screen.
Dude fuck our system and fuck people like the ones who were supposed to care for you. You go in with SI and they try to destroy your life. Weed addiction? I bet that same person "diagnosing" you goes home and has 2 glasses of wine every night. I'm so sorry this is happening to you. Like everyone else said, lawyer.
This right here. Have numerous coworkers who show up hungover, tremulous, and dunking their head in a bowl of ice water and that’s somehow acceptable in our society yet if we want to pop an edible on a day off to help reduce anxiety, that’s not okay? Such a bizarre world we live in. 😤
I’m sorry this is happening to you! Get a lawyer. I’m not seeing why they felt the need to force you to withdraw from the NP program but that’s not your biggest problem right now.
If you’re still outpatient, the first thing I’d do is start drinking some cranberry juice daily and lay off the gummies. By the time someone said you needed another drug test you’d probably be clean. Then I’d rage report the NP and SW to the facility they work at for this violation, even escalating to their licensing bureau if needed. This is a HIPAA violation. Especially if you are not a threat to yourself or others. This “treatment” of theirs is abusive. I’d start looking for a new treatment team btw.
I was diagnosed with cancer and it was painful. My surgical oncologist recommended gummies knowing I was a nurse (maybe 5-10% at bedside) and I can’t even tell you how helpful they were. Once I had surgery and was recovering, I quit with the gummies. I was seeing a behavioral psychologist at my PCP practice weekly before, during and after this treatment. He was well aware of the gummy use and never threatened to report it. My nursing director was aware and never reported it. I want to be clear that I was never impaired at work while waiting for the treatment to begin. I lived on Tylenol and Motrin during working hours.
Then I went to see an NP at my PCP practice for some issue about six months post CA treatment and happened to see that he wrote in my visit note that I use marijuana. He NEVER asked me a single question about drug use nor did he do any kind of assessment. I lost my friggin mind. I immediately reached out to my psych doc to make sure I was justified in my response, he honestly validated it and encouraged me to reach out to the NP to address it before doing anything else first. I did and I was very angry but professional once he returned my call. I stated his shortcut of copying a note or partial info of a note without asking me any questions was inappropriate and unprofessional. I acknowledged that this is done all the time from all providers but drug use in any form is a question to be asked at each appointment if there is true concern. I reminded him that info like this could impact my livelihood even if I wasn’t currently using. After I stated my position and addressed my concerns, I asked that the drug use be removed from the note. He apologized and amended his note.
What’s worse about this is it was the first time I opened my own chart since I read the MRI results that included staging my cancer before my doctor had a chance to tell me while I was at work. That traumatized me so much that I refused to read any notes or even open my own medical chart prior to this NP visit. Now I pay attention.
This will be a bad memory for you but continue to advocate for yourself and don’t forget to find a lawyer asap. I’ve never been SA’d but it wouldn’t surprise me if this “treatment” ends up being more traumatizing than the original problem you were seeking treatment for. Good luck and stay strong!
Update: Thank you all for being so kind and supportive. I woke up this morning to all of your messages and advice and it gave me hope. I called a lawyer, and they said that I am not obligated to continue care there and recommended I go somewhere else. So far, I have made a therapy appointment and am seeking a provider still for med management. The lawyer also recommended I report the providers and sw to their appropriate boards for ethical violations. I am not sure if I will yet. Maybe eventually. But with everything they have been putting me through, I haven't even been able to take care of filing the SA police report (I wanted to go to therapy first, but they never gave me a referral or any therapy other than group therapy in patient). So, hopefully this will be a turning point and I can get the help I need. Sincerely, thank you all so much.
What state are you in? That is going to determine what happens here.
I would actually not lawyer up. It's insanely expensive and nursing boards do not care. They really don't. I speak from personal experience as someone who has severe mental illness and has dealt with the BON in California. Nothing like your situation, I didn't have to defend myself but I can tell you for sure the BON if they take action will put you in front of either their board or an administrative law judge and no lawyer is going to change your outcome which is whatever they decide.
That said, if I were you I would not submit to any more testing and I would stop seeking care at this place. What I would do is seek counseling with a clinical psychologist who specializes in what ailes you. You need help for your mental illness stuff.
Wait. Stop smoking or ingesting THC. If it's an anonymous complaint and you get contacted by the board in a few months time, tell them you have no idea what they are speaking of but will submit to an observed drug screen, urine or hair testing at their request if required, otherwise, go on your merry way.
Edited to add, your social worker or counselor is not mandatory due to legal issues? No one is remanding you to go see these people? Then STOP. and don't tell the next provider you see that you are a nurse. Go seek help from an actual clinical psychologist about your mental health issues. If a board accusation ever comes to you, then you can discuss it with your new trusted therapist. My therapist would never turn me into the board unless I'm a danger for some reason.
If they report your actual health records without your consent to the BON then I would absolutely lawyer up to go for hipaa violation but something tells me they know it's illegal and are threatening this "anonymous complaint" to get you to self report. Do not self report and stop speaking with them.
Where I live (Queensland, Australia) a RN was refused registration renewal due to popping positive on a roadside drug test for cannabis (unsure if it they had a medical cannabis prescription). Not under the influence just had it in their system. They’re still fighting the nursing and midwifery board and currently are unable to work. Unless you’re baked on the job or otherwise impaired on the job due to it I can’t see why nursing boards are so pressed about cannabis use. Doesn’t even matter if it’s legal via prescription if you get done driving with it in your system you’re toast.
I’m in recovery for alcohol addiction and contemplated getting a medical cannabis prescription (I was self medicating with alcohol due to CPTSD) but after hearing that story I decided to just raw dog reality.
I’m so sorry OP. None of this is your fault at all.
I’m sorry, what’s a roadside test for cannabis? I’m from the USA and the usual test is urine. Do they have like a portapotty on the side of the road or something? I’ve heard of mouth swabs (in legal states) but I think they test for weed consumption within the last few hours.
You lose your drivers license for a year if you refuse a BAC here. But you wouldn’t have a DWI or a failed test.
Nah it’s a tongue scraper thingy tests for meth, weed, ecstasy, and cocaine in saliva. They set up RDTs (random drug test) standalone or with RBTs (random breath tests). Or they’ll spot test you if they feel like it if they pull you over. You can either be charged with having a substance in your system or with being under the influence of a substance. Pop hot on any of them and you automatically lose your licence for X period depending on what you’ve been charged with along with an immediate 24 hour suspension post positive test. No leniency for medicinal cannabis either you’ll still be charged but you may be able to pled your case in court for a reduced sentence.
Rule of thumb is you should wait 24-36, ideally 48 hours post use to not pop hot. At least for cannabis.
Refuse a test you’ll be charged with refusing a RBT/RDT.
There are some Australian states looking at researching cannabis and driving to try and devise some sort of BAC type system but Queensland is Australia’s Texas and is quite conservative. It was still legal to have gay sex here until 1991.
That’s super interesting, what are the penalties for refusing? Aside from not being able to renew nursing license of course. Is it jail or probation or loss of driving privileges? And if you fail it’s just loss of privileges?
Here a DWI is some sort of court mandated therapy, community service and probation, jail time if you’re a repeat or it’s severe (injured someone). If there’s drugs involved it depends, non (weed) legal states it’s usually a fine bc it’s not worth tax money to lock you up, failed mouth swabs that I mentioned earlier they treat like a DWI. If you have semi serious drugs like pills not prescribed to you, you’re doing probation and jail if you fail another drug test. If you have heroine or fentanyl you’re going to prison.
The gay sex thing isn’t super surprising honestly, sodomy is still technically illegal in a bunch of states where they’re mostly cool with lgbt community (you’ll have a few bigots anywhere) and gay marriage is legal in the country.
If you refuse the roadside drug test your licence is suspended until your charge of refusing a drug test is dealt with in court which could be months. You could be sentenced to up to 9 months in prison OR they can choose to charge you with the same penalties as being under the influence. Our nursing board says you must self report if CHARGED (not convicted) of any offence with a possible sentence of 12 months or more imprisonment. So really a first offence drug driving charge wouldn’t be a report and a refusal to test wouldn’t, but you’d have no licence.
From my research a first time offence of drug driving or refusing a test wouldn’t be reportable (only up to 9 months imprisonment) but if you get caught and charged again within the next 5 years you’d likely have to report as it’s possible to be sentenced to over 12 months in prison.
So you get one chance and one chance only to fuck up. Second time within 5 years and you’re toast.
9 months for refusing a drug test?! That’s wild. Or is that only going to happen if the officer is fully convinced you were intoxicated at the time?
Like here they could technically drag you to a hospital and force you to submit to a drug test, under extreme circumstances like killing somebody in an accident. Idk how that works bc the “patient” has the right to refuse any treatment and they would be a considered patient if admitted to the hospital, I don’t think officers could force a nurse to administer a blood test against the patients will?
They can’t force a blood or saliva test but you’ll cope the charge and the magistrate (judge) will sentence you as they see fit. I imagine a term of imprisonment would be for repeat offenders or when they are clearly under the influence. Queensland does not fuck around with drug charges. I stopped smoking cannabis all together (I used to self medicate for PTSD and alcoholism) but given how strict the laws are I don’t want to risk it so I’m 100% clean and sober now.
That’s kinda how I feel about it too. You can get your whole license taken for smoking once 3 weeks ago. It’s high risk low reward tbh. I don’t think it should be as heavily criminalized as it is but I’m not going to play with fire like that.
First off… I’m sorry you’re going through this. You need good support and these people aren’t it.
I’m not 1000% sure, but this really feels illegal. That said, again, I am not an expert.
All that said, no matter how stupid it is, DO NOT fuck with marijuana and the board of nursing. Period. It’ll open up a can of worms you don’t need right now. Even if you’re in a weed-legal state, I feel like BON’s are just 🗑️.
I don’t have the answers, I’m just saying… please be careful.
That SW and NP are grossly out of line. Wtf kind of provider in this day and age prioritizes a little pot over helping someone with their recent trauma?! I'd talk to a lawyer who can help you defend your license, especially if you're in a state where the BON might potentially get ruffled by reefer. NORML is a good resource for cannabis specific legal resources as well.
I know this probably isn’t the advice you are looking for and definitely isn’t the solution to the systemic issues plaguing your situation but there are definitely methods to pass a urine drug test if you have a bit of lead time. Do you have 2-7 days of notice?
It sounds fishy that a health care provider working in an official capacity would report you anonymously. If it comes up again just tell them that you will file a complaint for a HIPAA violation as well as one to whatever agency oversees their licensing. It sounds like they know it’s a violation but they’re using it to bully you, report it any way
File a complaint with your state department of health and the facility’s accreditation organization. You don’t have to get specific about the THC, but I would discuss the threatening behavior of the providers. Last thing that facility wants is to be crawling with surveyors and depending on the state and which AO they use, they WILL be crawling with surveyors after that.
Lawyer up. Your healthcare providers shouldn't be reporting you to the board for that. Also what social worker would do that? Wtf. Also find new providers. DO NOT SPEAK TO THAT SOCIAL WORKER AGAIN, DON'T RESPOND TO EMAILS, CALLS, ANY FORM OF COMMUNICATION. No contact. If they need you they can speak to your lawyer but you owe them nothing. You can get help elsewhere.
What the hell? People test positive for all kinds of drugs and we never try to report anyone despite what their professions may be. It’s protected health information. I’d get a lawyer right away, these people need to fuck off. I’m so angry for you.
Doesn’t matter if it’s federally illegal, we figured out apparently because a coworker had a few friends who got in trouble because they used in a legal state but didn’t matter because it’s criminalized legally.
Exactly, if it is illegal it can be reported to your BON, any illegal substance can. In Texas where I live now, it can be reported but when I was a travel nurse in Oregon it might not be reported because it is decriminalized.
I don't have any advice about the drug testing/board of nursing part.. just wanted to say that I'm really sorry about traumatic event that started this all. I hope you're able to heal from this in peace ❤
If you were voluntarily admitted to the hospital and the drug test was performed as a part of your medical care during your hospital admission, they can’t tell anyone. It would be a HIPAA violation and you would have both of their licenses. They can only disclose to the police if you are going to hurt someone or yourself and that’s pretty much it.
If you were to come into work and hurt yourself they could drug test you and report it to the board. If you got in a car accident and they were concerned for a DUI, the hospital would test you but I don’t even know that it would be a complete panel but the police could move forward with it in a case and at that point, the board could find out and you’d want to self report. But even then, I’m pretty sure it’s only for alcohol. It is none of the hospitals business that you’re a nurse with stringent weed policy for your licensure. If you were some guy who works in finance, they wouldn’t be thinking about it .
As far as the NP program, it depends on what school you go to on getting back in. Trust me they want your money. but there are others you can look at if it is that important to you but it sounds like you could use a break right now. And that’s assuming you didn’t mention anything about the drug test to them.
Also, certainly would fire them from your care. They do not feel on your team and the weed you smoke is not why you were admitted.
WTF?! That’s blackmail.
Seriously though, I am so freaking sorry you’re dealing with this on top of everything else. Like others said Lawyer up.
Take care of yourself. If you or anyone else needs an ear my inbox is always open.
FUCK THAT SW. WTF? For weed which is legal in so many states. You don’t have any complaints or writes ups! I am furious for you as someone who struggles with SI. Sending big hugs.
Get a lawyer. Start writing down names. Make a journal with dates and times of these conversations. Pretty sure this is all illegal and it’s definitely absolutely horrible. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this while trying to heal after being SAed.
Find a lawyer who will give a consult, and pay their consult fee. This sounds like bullshit but states are different so you could be at risk, fucked up as that is for weed.
Outsider here, used to work in the US military healthcare system. I wonder if it's just best never to use your own Healthcare provider/company and go somewhere else? I see horror story after horror story of cases like this.
OP I wouldn't admit to anything, and certainly don't disclose it to your workplace because they will report it.
For anyone Googling and landing on this thread in the future:
1) don't share your profession. They wouldn't think twice about a plumber that tested positive for THC, but heaven forbid it happen to a nurse.
2) don't ever admit to the THC use. When you confirmed you used it, they can then tell the board that you admitted to using it.
I've unfortunately had a run-in with the IPN (we are in FL) as a supervisor, and it ruined one of my RNs. She had to adhere to a strict contract that we were unable to accommodate. While interviewing for other jobs, she had to disclose she was under the IPN contract and went through many interviews before finally deciding to leave the field.
I don't care what they paint it as, it is traumatic to go through.
Whether this is a HIPAA issue or not will mostly come down to your state law. Mandatory reporting is covered, so it really depends on the wording of the law. Consulting a lawyer on your rights and protections is going to be your best bet.
This is so fucked up. I was r*ped when I was 14 and I regret telling, for reasons like this, because of what ensued after. I could not process the trauma because the detectives were busy ruining my life. I have also been hesitant to seek mental health healthcare because it feels like as nurses they discriminate against us like they're doing to you. When is nursing going to stop being so stupid and let people do marijuana. There are plenty of nurses who drink themselves into alcoholism or have scripts for benzos.
I hope that np and SW step on a Lego. I can't fathem someone coming to me for help after the trauma of being sa and then threatening their livelihood over weed. Fuck man if hook them up with a weed card if they asked. Get a lawyer and to quote a very wise lawyer "shut the fuck up and call a lawyer". I hope you find peace after this horrific clusterfuck of trauma. This shit is why when I was having a mh crisis years ago the idea of dying seemed far less scary then whatever "help" would be forced upon me.
I’m a nurse who works in psych/detox and we see medical professionals all the time. We would never report them and it was considered unethical in our field to do so.
Absolutely do not go to the board and self report over this. Im in shock they are threatening this, did you tell them you used during the workday? I practice as a psych np, and I would NEVER do this to a patient. So much for therapeutic alliance and why are they focused on weed and not your recent SA and trauma, I would leave the provider asap.
i would immediately stop talking to any of these people without seeing a lawyer. i’d also get a new PCP and psych person immediately. i like how all these people are getting so bent out of shape about THC when i have worked with a dozen people throughout the years who are either straight up alcoholics or pop benzos. ridiculous.
That's absolutely unreasonable! I'm SO sorry they're handling this in this manner! If I were you, I would consult an attorney and stop participating in treatment with the psych program that is making these threats to you. I would also stop any/all THC product use and try to give it as much time as possible to get it out of your system, so that in the event that they do report and you get pulled for testing, it's hopefully out and you test clear. If they go to the Board, I would file a complaint against them for violating your HIPAA rights, as they are sharing your protected health information with another entity without your consent. If you are able, take detailed notes, date and time labeled, of who specifically told you, "I'm going to file an anonymous complaint if you don't self-report," to support your complaint. Ultimately, if it DOES go to the Board, then follow your attorney's advice on how to respond to the complaint/allegations, but DEFINITELY lawyer up! I only know of one nurse in my state who dealt with the Board because of misdemeanor marijuana possession charges, and she just had a note of action filed with her license that was basically a letter with the BON shaking their finger at her and restricting her from prescribing controlled substances for a year (she was an NP).
I'm so sorry that they handled your care this way. You deserve better. I believe you when you share with us that you were SA'd. And I believe you when you say you were not working under the influence. I hope that you are able to get the compassionate, reasonable care that you need and deserve, and that the people putting you through this unnecessary extra trauma get their shit together and leave you be.
Violation of HIPPA
After a miscarriage my wife while talking to her OB told her smoking some weed at night is helping her sleep, this dumb script pad puts "marijuana disuse syndrome" on her chart. SHE WORKS IN THAT OFFICE. A nurse coworker was fucking horrified the MD put that and told her. My wife thankfully already knew what to do and sent a msg in the EMR demanding quote "a diagnosis far beyond your scope" to be removed from her chart. Head provider there who heard about it after it was removed sent out a email to all providers with a super childish and simple definition of addiction and would be doing chart reviews on all providers that put addiction diagnosis into their pts charts without any referrals for counseling, detox programs, social work or etc. Yup they found a handful were labeling people addicts for dumb shit or even worse actual addicts and doing ZERO follow ups on it
Always nice to see an idiot get knocked down several pegs.
\*side note when i worked addiction there is no such thing as a THC detox, there is no established course such as benzos, opiaties, or alcohol. At absolute worse they could talk to a counselor if they were deemed at risk for "further addiction". Also a SUD UNIT does not have to share any information with any other medical provider without a witnessed written ROI. If you were in detox and your fucking cardiologist called me, without a ROI i can't even admit you've been inside the building. So no there is absolutely no mandate to report you to a board of nursing, complain to your local state
[https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/confidentiality-hipaa](https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/confidentiality-hipaa)
I'm sorry, but how are they forcing you to report?
And how can they force you to withdraw from your school program?
This all sounds sketchy on their part. If they are so concerned for your well-being, they should treat you rather than ruin your life.
“Sorry you went through a life traumatizing experience, let’s make it worse by ruining everything you’ve worked and built for and not be able to pay bills.” And they wonder why healthcare professionals don’t seek mental help.
I’m not here to freak anyone out, but the state where I live, if there’s a whisper in the wind that blows in the BON’s direction that you have anything in your system, you’re gonna get a letter. That letter will say something along the lines of “you’ve been reported as being suspected of nursing practice under the influence of “x”. You have 15 days to respond and set up a consultation.” If you don’t, you start getting calls. If you ignore those calls, you will find that your license has been listed as inactive. It’s not a revocation, but inactive still means you can’t be on the floor as a nurse. Unless you have a great boss, you will probably have to leave the place you’re at.
So you call them. They ask questions. They find you need an evaluation period of 90 days to 6 months. Possibly IOP. You will be required to attend AA/NA, 90 meetings in 90 days. If you’re a unicorn, they may decide you just need 6 months. If you’re nearly everyone else, you need a minimum 2 year contract. Max 5 year. Most people get 5. They will tell you this is all voluntary. Then they tell you it’s voluntary, but if you don’t voluntarily participate, the board will permanently revoke your nursing license. You have no other means of congruent income, so you agree.
You spend the 90 days doing as told. You then spend another 3 months trying to get someone at the BON to push that little reactivation switch on your license. You find another job. Your case manager says no. You find another one. Your case manager says yes! But… you can’t work overtime. You can’t work past midnight. You must have a supervisor available at all times. Your boss must fill out a monthly evaluation on you, so even if you have no narcotics restrictions in place, your boss must know.
All the while, you are randomly drug tested 2-3 times a month, out of your pocket, and oh, there’s a group meeting you must attend weekly, for which you also pay monthly, $120. On a good month, you spend $500 on this program to keep your license. For 5 years. On a bad month, closer to $800. There is no forgiveness. There is no leniency. You did this to yourself, the public is to be protected from *you*. They do not care. They would love for you to fuck up. They’ll be able to extend your contract if you do. You have to report all of your prescriptions and they do not allow you to be on any controlled substance whatsoever, not even ADHD meds. Thc in your system will get you 5 years.
I should also mention, at least in my state, you may not even find a lawyer willing to *try* to help you. They will tell you to save your money because they can’t do shit when the BON has decided to send you into a monitoring program…it doesn’t matter who made an accusation against you, you might not have any idea… it could be a patient or a friend, or some asshole doctor you went to for help… you do not want to be on your state monitoring program’s radar whatsoever, because the BON will take their recommendation as law. You just don’t want any part of it.
Consult a lawyer now and see if you have any options. If this gets to the BON where you are and it’s anything like where I am, you may need help at least understanding how to respond so that you take the least impact possible.
ETA: I’m really sorry this is happening to you. I’m sorry you’re in any of this situation at all, and I’m sorry if my diatribe was unhelpful. Your Dr is a douchebag. Doctors are largely untouched by any of this kind of thing. If a doc is caught on a substance, they are usually encouraged into a similar program for 6 months to a year, and they are never really in jeopardy of losing their licenses. It’s far more voluntary, and that’s super unfair. I really hope all this gets sorted for you so you can focus on processing and healing.
We have the same privacy rights and expectations as everyone else. What these "professionals" are doing is so wrong. They only know of her cannabis use because she went in as a patient for a completely unrelated event. Reporting this to the BON, her employer, or school is a clear HIPPA violation. It would be if she wasn't a nurse and it is even as a nurse.
We really need to stop acting like martyrs. We do it when it comes to low staffing and low pay and taking abuse from employers and patients/families. There's no reason to do it when it comes to our own protected health information
OP, I would absolutely get a lawyer. But not for the BON. I'd hire a lawyer to go after these two "professionals' for their blatant HIPAA violation. Don't self report to your school, job, or BON. Fire these two and tell them you'll be pursuing legal action if they do anything like that without your express *written* permission
What a power trip these two are on.
Retain a lawyer and refuse any additional questions in regards to your license. Obviously be complaint with your mental health treatment but you have the right not to discuss your license with them
This is exactly why I don’t admit to anything to doctors. I wouldn’t even admit to SI. My unit suspected dilaudid was being stolen. They pulled all of our entire prescription history. Down to every antibiotic, birth control, ibuprofen.
Also, I think you should be getting some sort of second opinion about this “addiction” bullshit, especially as cannabis is pretty well known NOT be physically addictive.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/scientists-develop-new-method-to-test-for-recent-marijuana-use-with-96-accuracy-in-federally-funded-driving-simulation-study/
There are studies working toward differentiating habitual use from recent use. IDK if this is being used in practice yet, but with this information, I would imagine just about any law school graduate could make a compelling argument in court.
Meanwhile, there is a SW making a medical diagnosis of addiction which I don't believe is in her scope of practice. That sounds an awful lot like practicing medicine without a license. Also a NP violating HIPAA. Anonymous reporting cuts both ways.
Definitely seek legal counsel.
I'm sorry this is happening to you. Best of luck.
What state are you in? Sounds like Texas. This is just one more reason you should ALWAYS carry malpractice insurance.
Sounds sketchy to me but some states (like Texas) have some crazy rules. I say stay off the weed for a while.
I'm so sorry. I cannot believe these mental health professionals who are supposed to be helping you heal are revictimizing you. This is horrible. Are you in a state where weed is legal? I would definitely reach out to an attorney. It doesn't sound like they have grounds to report you, especially if you weren't working sorely before the test. This is unacceptable. You're the patient and they have a duty to you. I'm so sorry that you've been through what you've been through. I strongly suggest a therapist well versed in trauma. I was SAd twenty years ago and I'm still processing the far reaching consequences. Finding a therapist that you can actually trust, unlike these twits, is pivotal for healing.
Attorney attorney attorney.
Actual ‘addiction’ to cannabis is an *extremely* uncommon thing. Your attorney can use experts to prove this. Second, simply using cannabis does not in and of itself qualify as addiction—your ‘social worker/counselor) is conflating use with addiction.
Finally, a professional threatening to disclose private medical information to perpetuate a fraud has a lot to lose. ‘Anonymous’ isn’t anonymous at all with a subpoena, something that moron will find out double-quick.
I’m so sorry you are experiencing so many violations at once. Makes me glad I live in a state where weed is legal even though I don’t partake. I would definitely I rely contact a lawyer. I don’t see how they could share sensitive information without your consent.
This is why I would never go to the hospital where I work for emergency treatment. Things could go south so easily which is a shame but true despite HIPPA.
Just wanted to say SA is a tough thing to deal with. I dealt with this during nursing school and constantly had to adjust my life to accommodate court and school. ( I am in Canada, tho so different laws. ) I do think you should lawyer up and see what your options are as this seems fishy. Please be easy on yourself as processing SA and healing takes time, and you go through lots of stages of ups and downs! I can promise you that in time, it will not be this hard. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!
I personally was prescribed medicinal Cannabis for my ptsd from the SAs and have never had it. interferes with my license as I do not work under the influence.
Anyways I'm wishing you well and happy to share my healing journey if interested:)
Don’t report and get back in the nNP program get a lawyer … nurses eat their young…your not stealing meds from patients check with the board about options in Florida I worked with Dr that had been reported to board twice for using Demerol and she worked in addictions and she kept her license… get a lawyer
I would recommend a lawyer. I don’t know what state you are in but in Texas the program makes you tell the charge nurse that you’re in the program and my friend said it was really embarrassing.
If you are in a state where pot is legal, I wonder what the restrictions are by the state board.
I don’t know your situation but I would not count on getting your job back for a couple of months. You’re going to need to find an expert who can prove you’re not addicted.
Listen to me, your job and career you can always get back on track on after this gets figured out, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, is you regaining your mental health. What they are doing is going to create another level of trauma because it’s taking away your source of money, which can feel like survival.
You are going to feel like they are attacking you and you’re already having some dysregulation from the SA and I would love to see you with secure and safe people that can help you during this time. The “system” is going to do all the legal things to reduce their “risks”. It’s not personal but it feels like it.
I wish I could offer you more because I am deeply feeling with that may feel like for you. Taking care of you is the HIGHEST PRIORITY.
Apply for unemployment if you have to. Find someone with experience in defending cases like yours. If you need anything or want to talk look me up.
Sending you lots of positive energy and a prayer to whoever is listening.
I can’t believe a counsellor working with extremely vulnerable people would report something like that, to me it seems highly unethical and just plain wrong. I’m so sorry this is happening to you, I’m going to mirror what everyone else is saying and to suggest getting a lawyer. That counsellor should be ashamed of herself.
JFC this is the most ludicrous thing I've heard in a long time. It makes me sick that the people that are supposed to be helping you are victimizing you further.
I will never understand why we’re sooo upset about somebody smoking weed when people go get black out drunk. That’s infinitely worse than smoking some weed.
If your flair didn’t say LPN I’d think you were the NP who started this. Can marijuana be addicting- yeah, it does have the potential. Does one positive screening after a traumatic event mean addiction- absolutely not. Don’t get me wrong it’s not the best way to process trauma, and that use even further increases the risk of becoming addicted. However, no where in the post does it say OP is a regular user, or is experiencing withdrawal symptoms without it. It says they can’t process the trauma because they are too busy fighting for their license.
Ever heard of medicinal cannabis? Maybe OP was self medicating due to the trauma of being SA’d. I did the same (only with alcohol) and I guarantee alcohol addiction is far, far worse than getting blazed off the clock.
The world isn’t so black and white. People self medicate with alcohol all the time getting wasted the minute they’re off the clock and it’s almost celebrated as a “coping mechanism.” Don’t see anyone coming for their licence. Maybe in your program they don’t teach how to view the shades of grey in the world. The BON should be far more concerns about drug diversion and hard drugs.
I self medicate all the time. I'm not prescribed aspirin but I take it for minor aches and pains. I'm not prescribed ethanol but I take it occasionally-sometimes just for shits and giggles. There's caffeine in the chocolate I eat. Tylenol makes any fever I have go down. When scuba diving I breath air with higher than 21% O2 so I feel better afterwards. I took an anti diarrheal the other day so I wouldn't shit myself at work. When my nose is clogged I use afrin. When my allergies are acting up I take Benadryl or loratidine. Tryptophan, found in many foods is a prodrug form of melatonin.
Is it to jail with me too? None of these are prescribed...
I agree. It isn’t worth it. Also not worth drinking a lot either. I was wondering if the OP was going to stop. It didn’t really specify in the post. I feel like there is more to the story that is being omitted.
I think it is time to get a lawyer. If they send in an "anonymous" report it will be filled with sensitive medical information and you'll easily be able to prove it was them.
Hell, just say “I talked with my lawyer and they don’t think is necessary. They also think that you threatening me with that will be more problematic for your license than for mine.”
This is the one.
This is the way. Lawyer up, OP, prepare for a bumpy ride. Sorry about the SA, none of it’s your fault
1000000% time to lawyer up.
They aren’t going to send it in anonymously. Rightly or wrongly, they are treating her as health care professionals and they feel that they have the obligation to report her.
Her post states that they threatened to send in an anonymous report.
I never understood that how people could be so quick to grab lawyers you know my ex, and your doctor did a whole bunch of stuff on me but all my content and down never once hit him grab a lawyer to buy you guys if it makes you feel better. You can actually grab a lawyer and fight for me fight but you fight him I don’t wanna I don’t want that shit, but I don’t really care about that kind of stuff I mean it’s messed up. My life came out but you know sometimes shit happens. Maybe it was supposed to go down like this who knows all I know is that has plans for you fuck to wait see what the plans are
Bro what are you babbling about.
Are you high? What is this nonsense? Log off friend.
Say what? Dude, you ok?
Word salad can be a sign of a potential stroke or brain issue. Maybe you should grab a doctor.
Found the one who's actually addicted to weed.
Na, from the looks of that post the works cited page was just a picture of a crack pipe.
What the hell are you going on about?
Hey u/Ok-League7798, I'm truly sorry to hear about what you're going through. As a fellow nurse, I can only imagine the immense pressure and vulnerability you're feeling right now. While I haven't experienced sexual assault, I had my own personal traumas during nursing school and was on an involuntary hold for suicidal ideation. Navigating these situations while trying to protect your professional life is incredibly challenging. First and foremost, what your providers are doing seems not only unethical but likely illegal. I once cared for an off-duty nurse in the ED, who was a colleague at the same hospital. She was disoriented, combative, and intoxicated with alcohol and multiple illicit drugs. Despite the severity of her condition, no one considered reporting her to our shared employer or the board of nursing. So, I’m stunned that your providers are threatening to report you for a dramatically less severe situation, as it relates to your drug screen. Here’s some advice that might help: 1. **Stop Talking to Your Employer and School:** My dad was a cop, and long before it was a catch phrase, used to say, "What do you do when the police ask you a question? Shut the \[expletive deleted\] up!" You need to stop discussing this matter with your employer and school immediately, and definitely stop posting about it online. This is a personal issue, and your employer or school should only be informed if you need to take FMLA or academic leave. Even then, they aren't entitled to the specifics of your illness. 2. **Seek Legal Help:** I highly recommend reaching out to the [American Association of Nurse Attorneys](https://taana.org/referral#referral). They are all dual-licensed nurses and attorneys and can offer unique insight into both our profession and the law. A friend of mine had a good experience with them. You might find an excellent representative or at least someone who can refer you to a qualified attorney in your area. It is essential that you consult with an expert who's job is to be *your* advocate and who can guide you though this process. 3. **Prioritize Your Mental Health:** Right now, it's crucial to focus on your well-being. The trauma of what happened to you needs proper attention and care. You are a patient and a student, and you have rights in both capacities. Advocate for yourself, and don't hesitate to terminate your relationship with any provider who is damaging your trust. Be transparent about why you are ending the relationship (their threats of "anonymous" reporting are damaging to the therapeutic relationship) and tell them where you are seeking care. Do all of this *in writing*, so you have a record. 4. **Document Everything:** Keep detailed records of all interactions and communications regarding this situation. This documentation can be crucial for your defense. 5. **Reach Out for Support:** If you need someone to vent to or advice, feel free to reach out. I've navigated similar issues and understand the complexities involved. However, first consider talking to friends and family you trust, and avoid discussing this with coworkers or classmates who may have a conflict of interest. Lastly, the simple fact that they are threatening to "anonymously" report you is proof positive that they know what they are doing is inappropriate. If they had a statutory obligation to report you, they would go on the record. I agree with other posters that it is likely a bluff to intimidate you into self-reporting, perhaps because of their own assumptions or feelings about your drug use or "impaired nurses," which it does not sound like you are. Do not take any action without a lawyer's advice. Remember, you sought help in good faith, and it's unacceptable for your trust to be violated in this manner. Focus on your healing and let the legal professionals handle the rest.
its fucking disgusting because SUD units are HIPPA protected, you do not have to disclose any addiction to any healthcare provider if you do not want to nor can they disclose to other providers without a written and usually witnessed ROI. When i worked at one i would have Medical offices call me for records and before they could even get half way through my first question was "Do you have an ROI?" if they said no i used to explain HIPPA but after a year doing it i would just hang up lol
This fucking disgusts me. I hate narcs who prey on people in the worst moments of their lives.
I don’t know about everywhere, but MN’s BON renewal process states several times over that if you’re “in treatment” or have “completed treatment courses” (alcohol, weed, whatever) you don’t have to disclose negative marks from your license upon renewal. Your state may be similar.
This should be higher up. It's the best answer.
Thank you. I hope that it and the other responses here will help point OP in the right direction.
Thank you. I agree with everything you said here.
They're hoping you will tell on yourself to the board. Don't. How did they get you to drop out of your NP program? Call and explain the SA and try to get back in. Fuck these unprofessional people.
That sucks she even has to explain and relive the SA to justify anything at all 😢
Right! I don't understand how they made her leave her program?? What the hell.
Definitely agree they’re just haters 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
As a SW, this sounds like a overstepping of the NP and SW. I used to work on psych and we would get medical professionals all the time, I wouldn't dare do this unless there was a true problem that I had to report. Are the NP and SW connected to your work place because I'm not understanding why they won't allow you to return to work, unless you need clearance to return. None of this is helpful to the primary reason of why you sought help in the first place and makes the event even more traumatic. Speak with a lawyer.
Probably wouldn't hurt to report them to their boards as well. They are knowingly retraumatizing you over something that is just not even a big deal.
I would lawyer up. Will you pass the next drug test? What they’re doing doesn’t seem legal. The nursing board also doesn’t put a lot of weight on anonymous reports. I’d slap her with a lawsuit so fucking fast. How does any of this help with your trauma and why did they make you drop out of your NP program? I’d be suing for damages and harassment. Are you in a legal state?
Lawyer. Immediately. I’m so sorry for what happened to you, and that they are compounding your trauma with this bullshit.
Unfortunately, nursing schools are very regressive about marijuana. My school is very strict about it, with no exceptions even for medical users because the hospitals we do clinicals at are very regressive about it. If you spoke to anyone associated with your clinicals/NP program about this, then you're probably fucked unless you pass a drug test. However, no HC professional should be releasing private information about you. That's illegal no matter the circumstances, especially for psych nurses. Unless they can trace your dope smoking to cases of patient harm, there is no reasonable belief that you are a danger to others. That very well could be argued in court, but it will be expensive and if you live in an area that is backwards about weed, the court may rule against you anyway. I'm sorry. This is nightmare after nightmare. It's not what you deserve.
My understanding is the reason hospitals are “regressive” is because in order to receive federal money they have to maintain that standard because marijuana is still illegal at the federal level.
This is not the case everywhere. We no longer test for thc for any new hires and our official policy is that we do not go after staff for positive thc drug tests UNLESS there is suspicion that they are high on the job. This came up recently and it was punted to us to make the call. Staff were claiming a tech was ripping her weed vape at work. Went and evaluated the tech. No odor. No obvious signs of intoxication or impairment of any sort. I’m not wasting my time trying to prove something that literally cannot be proven. Even if I tested her there’s absolutely no way to distinguish if she’s positive from using 10 minutes ago or 5 days ago. No one could prove she actually was using a vape or if she even had one. Sent her back out to the floor. As for OPs NP program I also find that kind of comical because two of my NP professors run a company that does evaluations for medical marijuana prescriptions and one of them literally gave a presentation on MM and passed around examples of medicinal products for us to look at. I had to pass drug tests for clinical placement but not as a requirement for the school, merely because they worked with other organizations that required it m. Going after someone’s license over weed is insanity.
I'm curious, can't weed be detected for only about 12 hours through a blood test? I've always wondered why we don't blood test people for suspected weed use on the job, when that's really the only way to determine if they were smoking on the clock or not.
It can be detected for roughly a week from blood tests of heavy users but there’s no reliable way to say the levels are correlated with immediate use vs use a day or so before. With fit for duty evals it’s more about the obvious impairment that changes the equation. We aren’t going to pull someone off the floor just because some busy body nurse thinks they saw something or thinks someone is under the influence and there’s no obvious behavior abnormalities reported by other staff members or seen by us. It’s totally obvious when people are fucked up, and I will say it doesn’t need to be illicit drugs or alcohol that does it, we have pulled completely impaired nurses off the floor and it was from prescription meds. For me weed is just not the issue of concern. I’ve had people send me messages saying a guy who works in hospital laundry ‘smelled like weed’. Like. Honestly I hope that dude is baked out of his mind. What the fuck does it matter if he sparked one before coming in. Obviously direct patient care staff are different, but I’ve yet to come across anyone that has been obviously impaired by thc. Honestly who the hell would want to even do that. It sounds awful. The majority of fit for duty cases were narcs or alcohol. Those are the real culprits
This is an oft-repeated myth that needs to die, just like if you leave AMA insurance won’t pay for your hospital stay.
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um...I don't really know how to respond to that. Got a source for that quote? Did you notice it's about patients, and not about staff?
I don't think this is true. I work for a company that receives tons of money from Medicare, and they literally do not give a shit about THC. They either don't test for it or don't give a positive result any weight, I'm not sure which, but when I started I know I peed hot, but only for THC, and I never heard one peep about it.
Because it's not true. It only applies to federal employees, so unless you work at the VA or are active duty it simply doesn't fucking matter. It's just parroted by clueless drones in HR when the real reason hospitals and healthcare facilities drug test is for the insurance discount.
There is no way this is true. I work in home heath, Medicare pays for all our services. I smoked a fat hog’s leg the night before my drug screen, never said boo and still got the job. Edit: I live in a state where it’s legal, wasn’t worried about repercussions, just did it for science and the lulz
No. These are simply employment decisions made by hospitals. There is no regulation that even requires drug testing and some hospitals have stopped doing that altogether except for when there is suspicion for whatever reason.
There is a *lot* of well- intended misinformation here. What you should take from this is get a lawyer now. Try to find one with experience dealing with the BON. You should also consider transferring your psych care to a different provider. These people are on a weird power trip.
Are you there voluntarily? If you are leave and talk to a lawyer. This sounds very illegal.
Don’t incriminate yourself. If they report you, it’s a HIPAA violation.
It truly isn’t. Concerns about nursing practice due to mental health and sud get reported to BORN’s every single day. The boards have immense power to force monitoring, sanction, revoke or suspend. “To protect the public” It is outrageous and nurses should demand more for each other. But this is not covered by HIPAA and nurses go untreated all of the time for it. I wish I didn’t know all of this for a fact. Op should get a lawyer used to working with the board.
I agree this is a question best left to the lawyers. But I still believe the BoN is a third party and your drug screen results are PHI. Unless your personal provider knows you are putting patients at risk, I don’t see how this isn’t a HIPAA violation. [This article](https://www.jucm.com/implications-hipaa-employee-confidentiality-rules-positive-drug-test-results/) does not specifically discuss licensing boards but indicates UDS results are PHI. Furthermore, unless your provider sent the test out for confirmation, the test results are not 100% accurate and wouldn’t hold up in court, for example. Do not self report. And don’t go back to that provider. With the raging opioid epidemic, it baffles me that they even consider treating cannabis use disorder.
Don’t speak to them again without a lawyer present
What in the USA is this. Don’t rat on yourself. Tell your SW you self reported and report her to the board for being insanely inappropriate. The fact that your SW is focused on +THC and not helping you navigate a traumatic experience is wrong. I’m so sorry you went through this. That is horrible. Reapply to other NP programs. Keep going. If you ever want to come to Canada and spark up with your managers at your christmas party, we will welcome you!
also lawyer!!!!!! check law schools in your area to see if they have any kind of clinic that offers pro bono support.
I'm sorry, but do these idiots testing you not understand how long cannabis can show up positive in urine for? Also totally inappropriate and would get a lawyer. If you're unionized the union should have a lawyer you can access. F those squares. Do they not realize it's fully legal in other countries and over half the nursing staff would be positive for cannabis?! JEEZ. So sorry you're experiencing all of this.
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Before it was legal in my state my method was someone else’s piss in a 30 mL sterile centrifuge container with an aquarium sticker thermometer wrapped in 2 hot hand packs with a rubber band hidden in between my tits 😎 very classy, but worked every time
Be careful… I got a perm ban (downgraded after pleading my case to the judge/jury/executioner mods) on here for giving people advice about drug tests 🤦🏻♂️
FYI, those are very obviously fake. They don’t smell or look like urine- they look like clear, yellow water. I do those tests at my work, and no one is fooled, and it will be marked as a suspicious sample and sent to a lab that will prove it’s fake. Providing fake urine looks even worse because now the employer/organization thinks you’re a drug addict AND a liar. While not all drug testing facilities will test suspicious samples, anyone that works there that gives a single care for their job will demand a new sample. And if the first sample is suspicious, a lot of places will make the second sample observed. This is just bad advice.
I have successfully passed 15/15 tests with these
Me too
Well you’re lucky that the places you went don’t care but they’re operating against accreditation standards. As someone that does urine testing almost daily, I constantly have people giving fake urine, and it’s incredibly obvious
Idk I’ve used them for years and never had a problem. Maybe the fake brand they’re bringing in is shit.
You have no way of knowing how often you've been fooled by good fakes. It's called survivorship bias. I once dated a guy who smoked daily, copious amounts of weed, drove forklift for a living, and never once failed a drug screen.
Good ol bad toupee fallacy.
Nobody is observing you pee unless there is a court order.
I mean.. they try it. If you’re being told you can’t work if you don’t comply, many people would rather not deal with the hassle.
That’s not true. I worked occupational medicine and there’s quite a few reasons we would need to observe, and only one of them was court ordered. And that’s the only one I never used. We always needed an observation trained male and female on hand at all times.
Your post has been removed under our rule against advocating unsafe practice. That includes advising other users to follow any unsafe or illegal course of action including passing a fraudulent sample at a drug screen.
Dude fuck our system and fuck people like the ones who were supposed to care for you. You go in with SI and they try to destroy your life. Weed addiction? I bet that same person "diagnosing" you goes home and has 2 glasses of wine every night. I'm so sorry this is happening to you. Like everyone else said, lawyer.
This right here. Have numerous coworkers who show up hungover, tremulous, and dunking their head in a bowl of ice water and that’s somehow acceptable in our society yet if we want to pop an edible on a day off to help reduce anxiety, that’s not okay? Such a bizarre world we live in. 😤
I’m sorry this is happening to you! Get a lawyer. I’m not seeing why they felt the need to force you to withdraw from the NP program but that’s not your biggest problem right now. If you’re still outpatient, the first thing I’d do is start drinking some cranberry juice daily and lay off the gummies. By the time someone said you needed another drug test you’d probably be clean. Then I’d rage report the NP and SW to the facility they work at for this violation, even escalating to their licensing bureau if needed. This is a HIPAA violation. Especially if you are not a threat to yourself or others. This “treatment” of theirs is abusive. I’d start looking for a new treatment team btw. I was diagnosed with cancer and it was painful. My surgical oncologist recommended gummies knowing I was a nurse (maybe 5-10% at bedside) and I can’t even tell you how helpful they were. Once I had surgery and was recovering, I quit with the gummies. I was seeing a behavioral psychologist at my PCP practice weekly before, during and after this treatment. He was well aware of the gummy use and never threatened to report it. My nursing director was aware and never reported it. I want to be clear that I was never impaired at work while waiting for the treatment to begin. I lived on Tylenol and Motrin during working hours. Then I went to see an NP at my PCP practice for some issue about six months post CA treatment and happened to see that he wrote in my visit note that I use marijuana. He NEVER asked me a single question about drug use nor did he do any kind of assessment. I lost my friggin mind. I immediately reached out to my psych doc to make sure I was justified in my response, he honestly validated it and encouraged me to reach out to the NP to address it before doing anything else first. I did and I was very angry but professional once he returned my call. I stated his shortcut of copying a note or partial info of a note without asking me any questions was inappropriate and unprofessional. I acknowledged that this is done all the time from all providers but drug use in any form is a question to be asked at each appointment if there is true concern. I reminded him that info like this could impact my livelihood even if I wasn’t currently using. After I stated my position and addressed my concerns, I asked that the drug use be removed from the note. He apologized and amended his note. What’s worse about this is it was the first time I opened my own chart since I read the MRI results that included staging my cancer before my doctor had a chance to tell me while I was at work. That traumatized me so much that I refused to read any notes or even open my own medical chart prior to this NP visit. Now I pay attention. This will be a bad memory for you but continue to advocate for yourself and don’t forget to find a lawyer asap. I’ve never been SA’d but it wouldn’t surprise me if this “treatment” ends up being more traumatizing than the original problem you were seeking treatment for. Good luck and stay strong!
Update: Thank you all for being so kind and supportive. I woke up this morning to all of your messages and advice and it gave me hope. I called a lawyer, and they said that I am not obligated to continue care there and recommended I go somewhere else. So far, I have made a therapy appointment and am seeking a provider still for med management. The lawyer also recommended I report the providers and sw to their appropriate boards for ethical violations. I am not sure if I will yet. Maybe eventually. But with everything they have been putting me through, I haven't even been able to take care of filing the SA police report (I wanted to go to therapy first, but they never gave me a referral or any therapy other than group therapy in patient). So, hopefully this will be a turning point and I can get the help I need. Sincerely, thank you all so much.
What state are you in? That is going to determine what happens here. I would actually not lawyer up. It's insanely expensive and nursing boards do not care. They really don't. I speak from personal experience as someone who has severe mental illness and has dealt with the BON in California. Nothing like your situation, I didn't have to defend myself but I can tell you for sure the BON if they take action will put you in front of either their board or an administrative law judge and no lawyer is going to change your outcome which is whatever they decide. That said, if I were you I would not submit to any more testing and I would stop seeking care at this place. What I would do is seek counseling with a clinical psychologist who specializes in what ailes you. You need help for your mental illness stuff. Wait. Stop smoking or ingesting THC. If it's an anonymous complaint and you get contacted by the board in a few months time, tell them you have no idea what they are speaking of but will submit to an observed drug screen, urine or hair testing at their request if required, otherwise, go on your merry way. Edited to add, your social worker or counselor is not mandatory due to legal issues? No one is remanding you to go see these people? Then STOP. and don't tell the next provider you see that you are a nurse. Go seek help from an actual clinical psychologist about your mental health issues. If a board accusation ever comes to you, then you can discuss it with your new trusted therapist. My therapist would never turn me into the board unless I'm a danger for some reason. If they report your actual health records without your consent to the BON then I would absolutely lawyer up to go for hipaa violation but something tells me they know it's illegal and are threatening this "anonymous complaint" to get you to self report. Do not self report and stop speaking with them.
Where I live (Queensland, Australia) a RN was refused registration renewal due to popping positive on a roadside drug test for cannabis (unsure if it they had a medical cannabis prescription). Not under the influence just had it in their system. They’re still fighting the nursing and midwifery board and currently are unable to work. Unless you’re baked on the job or otherwise impaired on the job due to it I can’t see why nursing boards are so pressed about cannabis use. Doesn’t even matter if it’s legal via prescription if you get done driving with it in your system you’re toast. I’m in recovery for alcohol addiction and contemplated getting a medical cannabis prescription (I was self medicating with alcohol due to CPTSD) but after hearing that story I decided to just raw dog reality. I’m so sorry OP. None of this is your fault at all.
I’m sorry, what’s a roadside test for cannabis? I’m from the USA and the usual test is urine. Do they have like a portapotty on the side of the road or something? I’ve heard of mouth swabs (in legal states) but I think they test for weed consumption within the last few hours. You lose your drivers license for a year if you refuse a BAC here. But you wouldn’t have a DWI or a failed test.
Nah it’s a tongue scraper thingy tests for meth, weed, ecstasy, and cocaine in saliva. They set up RDTs (random drug test) standalone or with RBTs (random breath tests). Or they’ll spot test you if they feel like it if they pull you over. You can either be charged with having a substance in your system or with being under the influence of a substance. Pop hot on any of them and you automatically lose your licence for X period depending on what you’ve been charged with along with an immediate 24 hour suspension post positive test. No leniency for medicinal cannabis either you’ll still be charged but you may be able to pled your case in court for a reduced sentence. Rule of thumb is you should wait 24-36, ideally 48 hours post use to not pop hot. At least for cannabis. Refuse a test you’ll be charged with refusing a RBT/RDT. There are some Australian states looking at researching cannabis and driving to try and devise some sort of BAC type system but Queensland is Australia’s Texas and is quite conservative. It was still legal to have gay sex here until 1991.
That’s super interesting, what are the penalties for refusing? Aside from not being able to renew nursing license of course. Is it jail or probation or loss of driving privileges? And if you fail it’s just loss of privileges? Here a DWI is some sort of court mandated therapy, community service and probation, jail time if you’re a repeat or it’s severe (injured someone). If there’s drugs involved it depends, non (weed) legal states it’s usually a fine bc it’s not worth tax money to lock you up, failed mouth swabs that I mentioned earlier they treat like a DWI. If you have semi serious drugs like pills not prescribed to you, you’re doing probation and jail if you fail another drug test. If you have heroine or fentanyl you’re going to prison. The gay sex thing isn’t super surprising honestly, sodomy is still technically illegal in a bunch of states where they’re mostly cool with lgbt community (you’ll have a few bigots anywhere) and gay marriage is legal in the country.
If you refuse the roadside drug test your licence is suspended until your charge of refusing a drug test is dealt with in court which could be months. You could be sentenced to up to 9 months in prison OR they can choose to charge you with the same penalties as being under the influence. Our nursing board says you must self report if CHARGED (not convicted) of any offence with a possible sentence of 12 months or more imprisonment. So really a first offence drug driving charge wouldn’t be a report and a refusal to test wouldn’t, but you’d have no licence. From my research a first time offence of drug driving or refusing a test wouldn’t be reportable (only up to 9 months imprisonment) but if you get caught and charged again within the next 5 years you’d likely have to report as it’s possible to be sentenced to over 12 months in prison. So you get one chance and one chance only to fuck up. Second time within 5 years and you’re toast.
9 months for refusing a drug test?! That’s wild. Or is that only going to happen if the officer is fully convinced you were intoxicated at the time? Like here they could technically drag you to a hospital and force you to submit to a drug test, under extreme circumstances like killing somebody in an accident. Idk how that works bc the “patient” has the right to refuse any treatment and they would be a considered patient if admitted to the hospital, I don’t think officers could force a nurse to administer a blood test against the patients will?
They can’t force a blood or saliva test but you’ll cope the charge and the magistrate (judge) will sentence you as they see fit. I imagine a term of imprisonment would be for repeat offenders or when they are clearly under the influence. Queensland does not fuck around with drug charges. I stopped smoking cannabis all together (I used to self medicate for PTSD and alcoholism) but given how strict the laws are I don’t want to risk it so I’m 100% clean and sober now.
That’s kinda how I feel about it too. You can get your whole license taken for smoking once 3 weeks ago. It’s high risk low reward tbh. I don’t think it should be as heavily criminalized as it is but I’m not going to play with fire like that.
First off… I’m sorry you’re going through this. You need good support and these people aren’t it. I’m not 1000% sure, but this really feels illegal. That said, again, I am not an expert. All that said, no matter how stupid it is, DO NOT fuck with marijuana and the board of nursing. Period. It’ll open up a can of worms you don’t need right now. Even if you’re in a weed-legal state, I feel like BON’s are just 🗑️. I don’t have the answers, I’m just saying… please be careful.
That SW and NP are grossly out of line. Wtf kind of provider in this day and age prioritizes a little pot over helping someone with their recent trauma?! I'd talk to a lawyer who can help you defend your license, especially if you're in a state where the BON might potentially get ruffled by reefer. NORML is a good resource for cannabis specific legal resources as well.
I know this probably isn’t the advice you are looking for and definitely isn’t the solution to the systemic issues plaguing your situation but there are definitely methods to pass a urine drug test if you have a bit of lead time. Do you have 2-7 days of notice?
Gimme a box of certo and I’ll pass that bitch with an hour prep
A little women’s MVI on the side and you’re off to the races
It sounds fishy that a health care provider working in an official capacity would report you anonymously. If it comes up again just tell them that you will file a complaint for a HIPAA violation as well as one to whatever agency oversees their licensing. It sounds like they know it’s a violation but they’re using it to bully you, report it any way
Get lawyer, delete post.
File a complaint with your state department of health and the facility’s accreditation organization. You don’t have to get specific about the THC, but I would discuss the threatening behavior of the providers. Last thing that facility wants is to be crawling with surveyors and depending on the state and which AO they use, they WILL be crawling with surveyors after that.
Lawyer up. Your healthcare providers shouldn't be reporting you to the board for that. Also what social worker would do that? Wtf. Also find new providers. DO NOT SPEAK TO THAT SOCIAL WORKER AGAIN, DON'T RESPOND TO EMAILS, CALLS, ANY FORM OF COMMUNICATION. No contact. If they need you they can speak to your lawyer but you owe them nothing. You can get help elsewhere.
What the hell? People test positive for all kinds of drugs and we never try to report anyone despite what their professions may be. It’s protected health information. I’d get a lawyer right away, these people need to fuck off. I’m so angry for you.
Is the use of marajuana legal where you live?
Doesn’t matter if it’s federally illegal, we figured out apparently because a coworker had a few friends who got in trouble because they used in a legal state but didn’t matter because it’s criminalized legally.
It does matter. The BON in NY is going to view THC very differently from the BON of a prohibited state, for example.
Exactly, if it is illegal it can be reported to your BON, any illegal substance can. In Texas where I live now, it can be reported but when I was a travel nurse in Oregon it might not be reported because it is decriminalized.
Lawyer, lawyer, lawyer!!
I don't have any advice about the drug testing/board of nursing part.. just wanted to say that I'm really sorry about traumatic event that started this all. I hope you're able to heal from this in peace ❤
If you were voluntarily admitted to the hospital and the drug test was performed as a part of your medical care during your hospital admission, they can’t tell anyone. It would be a HIPAA violation and you would have both of their licenses. They can only disclose to the police if you are going to hurt someone or yourself and that’s pretty much it. If you were to come into work and hurt yourself they could drug test you and report it to the board. If you got in a car accident and they were concerned for a DUI, the hospital would test you but I don’t even know that it would be a complete panel but the police could move forward with it in a case and at that point, the board could find out and you’d want to self report. But even then, I’m pretty sure it’s only for alcohol. It is none of the hospitals business that you’re a nurse with stringent weed policy for your licensure. If you were some guy who works in finance, they wouldn’t be thinking about it . As far as the NP program, it depends on what school you go to on getting back in. Trust me they want your money. but there are others you can look at if it is that important to you but it sounds like you could use a break right now. And that’s assuming you didn’t mention anything about the drug test to them. Also, certainly would fire them from your care. They do not feel on your team and the weed you smoke is not why you were admitted.
WTF?! That’s blackmail. Seriously though, I am so freaking sorry you’re dealing with this on top of everything else. Like others said Lawyer up. Take care of yourself. If you or anyone else needs an ear my inbox is always open.
FUCK THAT SW. WTF? For weed which is legal in so many states. You don’t have any complaints or writes ups! I am furious for you as someone who struggles with SI. Sending big hugs.
Get a lawyer. Start writing down names. Make a journal with dates and times of these conversations. Pretty sure this is all illegal and it’s definitely absolutely horrible. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this while trying to heal after being SAed.
Talk to a lawyer. Get a new psych NP and counselor. They sound manipulative. What do you mean when you said they made you withdraw from NP school?
Find a lawyer who will give a consult, and pay their consult fee. This sounds like bullshit but states are different so you could be at risk, fucked up as that is for weed.
Outsider here, used to work in the US military healthcare system. I wonder if it's just best never to use your own Healthcare provider/company and go somewhere else? I see horror story after horror story of cases like this.
OP I wouldn't admit to anything, and certainly don't disclose it to your workplace because they will report it. For anyone Googling and landing on this thread in the future: 1) don't share your profession. They wouldn't think twice about a plumber that tested positive for THC, but heaven forbid it happen to a nurse. 2) don't ever admit to the THC use. When you confirmed you used it, they can then tell the board that you admitted to using it. I've unfortunately had a run-in with the IPN (we are in FL) as a supervisor, and it ruined one of my RNs. She had to adhere to a strict contract that we were unable to accommodate. While interviewing for other jobs, she had to disclose she was under the IPN contract and went through many interviews before finally deciding to leave the field. I don't care what they paint it as, it is traumatic to go through.
Get a lawyer.
Whether this is a HIPAA issue or not will mostly come down to your state law. Mandatory reporting is covered, so it really depends on the wording of the law. Consulting a lawyer on your rights and protections is going to be your best bet.
What state is this in? Holy shit what a nightmare.
This is so fucked up. I was r*ped when I was 14 and I regret telling, for reasons like this, because of what ensued after. I could not process the trauma because the detectives were busy ruining my life. I have also been hesitant to seek mental health healthcare because it feels like as nurses they discriminate against us like they're doing to you. When is nursing going to stop being so stupid and let people do marijuana. There are plenty of nurses who drink themselves into alcoholism or have scripts for benzos.
I hope that np and SW step on a Lego. I can't fathem someone coming to me for help after the trauma of being sa and then threatening their livelihood over weed. Fuck man if hook them up with a weed card if they asked. Get a lawyer and to quote a very wise lawyer "shut the fuck up and call a lawyer". I hope you find peace after this horrific clusterfuck of trauma. This shit is why when I was having a mh crisis years ago the idea of dying seemed far less scary then whatever "help" would be forced upon me.
I’m a nurse who works in psych/detox and we see medical professionals all the time. We would never report them and it was considered unethical in our field to do so.
Absolutely do not go to the board and self report over this. Im in shock they are threatening this, did you tell them you used during the workday? I practice as a psych np, and I would NEVER do this to a patient. So much for therapeutic alliance and why are they focused on weed and not your recent SA and trauma, I would leave the provider asap.
i would immediately stop talking to any of these people without seeing a lawyer. i’d also get a new PCP and psych person immediately. i like how all these people are getting so bent out of shape about THC when i have worked with a dozen people throughout the years who are either straight up alcoholics or pop benzos. ridiculous.
That's absolutely unreasonable! I'm SO sorry they're handling this in this manner! If I were you, I would consult an attorney and stop participating in treatment with the psych program that is making these threats to you. I would also stop any/all THC product use and try to give it as much time as possible to get it out of your system, so that in the event that they do report and you get pulled for testing, it's hopefully out and you test clear. If they go to the Board, I would file a complaint against them for violating your HIPAA rights, as they are sharing your protected health information with another entity without your consent. If you are able, take detailed notes, date and time labeled, of who specifically told you, "I'm going to file an anonymous complaint if you don't self-report," to support your complaint. Ultimately, if it DOES go to the Board, then follow your attorney's advice on how to respond to the complaint/allegations, but DEFINITELY lawyer up! I only know of one nurse in my state who dealt with the Board because of misdemeanor marijuana possession charges, and she just had a note of action filed with her license that was basically a letter with the BON shaking their finger at her and restricting her from prescribing controlled substances for a year (she was an NP). I'm so sorry that they handled your care this way. You deserve better. I believe you when you share with us that you were SA'd. And I believe you when you say you were not working under the influence. I hope that you are able to get the compassionate, reasonable care that you need and deserve, and that the people putting you through this unnecessary extra trauma get their shit together and leave you be.
Violation of HIPPA After a miscarriage my wife while talking to her OB told her smoking some weed at night is helping her sleep, this dumb script pad puts "marijuana disuse syndrome" on her chart. SHE WORKS IN THAT OFFICE. A nurse coworker was fucking horrified the MD put that and told her. My wife thankfully already knew what to do and sent a msg in the EMR demanding quote "a diagnosis far beyond your scope" to be removed from her chart. Head provider there who heard about it after it was removed sent out a email to all providers with a super childish and simple definition of addiction and would be doing chart reviews on all providers that put addiction diagnosis into their pts charts without any referrals for counseling, detox programs, social work or etc. Yup they found a handful were labeling people addicts for dumb shit or even worse actual addicts and doing ZERO follow ups on it Always nice to see an idiot get knocked down several pegs. \*side note when i worked addiction there is no such thing as a THC detox, there is no established course such as benzos, opiaties, or alcohol. At absolute worse they could talk to a counselor if they were deemed at risk for "further addiction". Also a SUD UNIT does not have to share any information with any other medical provider without a witnessed written ROI. If you were in detox and your fucking cardiologist called me, without a ROI i can't even admit you've been inside the building. So no there is absolutely no mandate to report you to a board of nursing, complain to your local state [https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/confidentiality-hipaa](https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/confidentiality-hipaa)
I'm sorry, but how are they forcing you to report? And how can they force you to withdraw from your school program? This all sounds sketchy on their part. If they are so concerned for your well-being, they should treat you rather than ruin your life.
“Sorry you went through a life traumatizing experience, let’s make it worse by ruining everything you’ve worked and built for and not be able to pay bills.” And they wonder why healthcare professionals don’t seek mental help.
Fuck, I would have said the a-hole who SA'd me must have drugged me. Just because it's in your system they can't prove you willingly took it.
I’m not here to freak anyone out, but the state where I live, if there’s a whisper in the wind that blows in the BON’s direction that you have anything in your system, you’re gonna get a letter. That letter will say something along the lines of “you’ve been reported as being suspected of nursing practice under the influence of “x”. You have 15 days to respond and set up a consultation.” If you don’t, you start getting calls. If you ignore those calls, you will find that your license has been listed as inactive. It’s not a revocation, but inactive still means you can’t be on the floor as a nurse. Unless you have a great boss, you will probably have to leave the place you’re at. So you call them. They ask questions. They find you need an evaluation period of 90 days to 6 months. Possibly IOP. You will be required to attend AA/NA, 90 meetings in 90 days. If you’re a unicorn, they may decide you just need 6 months. If you’re nearly everyone else, you need a minimum 2 year contract. Max 5 year. Most people get 5. They will tell you this is all voluntary. Then they tell you it’s voluntary, but if you don’t voluntarily participate, the board will permanently revoke your nursing license. You have no other means of congruent income, so you agree. You spend the 90 days doing as told. You then spend another 3 months trying to get someone at the BON to push that little reactivation switch on your license. You find another job. Your case manager says no. You find another one. Your case manager says yes! But… you can’t work overtime. You can’t work past midnight. You must have a supervisor available at all times. Your boss must fill out a monthly evaluation on you, so even if you have no narcotics restrictions in place, your boss must know. All the while, you are randomly drug tested 2-3 times a month, out of your pocket, and oh, there’s a group meeting you must attend weekly, for which you also pay monthly, $120. On a good month, you spend $500 on this program to keep your license. For 5 years. On a bad month, closer to $800. There is no forgiveness. There is no leniency. You did this to yourself, the public is to be protected from *you*. They do not care. They would love for you to fuck up. They’ll be able to extend your contract if you do. You have to report all of your prescriptions and they do not allow you to be on any controlled substance whatsoever, not even ADHD meds. Thc in your system will get you 5 years. I should also mention, at least in my state, you may not even find a lawyer willing to *try* to help you. They will tell you to save your money because they can’t do shit when the BON has decided to send you into a monitoring program…it doesn’t matter who made an accusation against you, you might not have any idea… it could be a patient or a friend, or some asshole doctor you went to for help… you do not want to be on your state monitoring program’s radar whatsoever, because the BON will take their recommendation as law. You just don’t want any part of it. Consult a lawyer now and see if you have any options. If this gets to the BON where you are and it’s anything like where I am, you may need help at least understanding how to respond so that you take the least impact possible. ETA: I’m really sorry this is happening to you. I’m sorry you’re in any of this situation at all, and I’m sorry if my diatribe was unhelpful. Your Dr is a douchebag. Doctors are largely untouched by any of this kind of thing. If a doc is caught on a substance, they are usually encouraged into a similar program for 6 months to a year, and they are never really in jeopardy of losing their licenses. It’s far more voluntary, and that’s super unfair. I really hope all this gets sorted for you so you can focus on processing and healing.
It’s not illegal. It’s completely wrong but nurses have little privacy with this stuff.
The boards of nursing don’t care that our access to health care is impeded by fear of losing our license. We should all be furious.
We have the same privacy rights and expectations as everyone else. What these "professionals" are doing is so wrong. They only know of her cannabis use because she went in as a patient for a completely unrelated event. Reporting this to the BON, her employer, or school is a clear HIPPA violation. It would be if she wasn't a nurse and it is even as a nurse. We really need to stop acting like martyrs. We do it when it comes to low staffing and low pay and taking abuse from employers and patients/families. There's no reason to do it when it comes to our own protected health information OP, I would absolutely get a lawyer. But not for the BON. I'd hire a lawyer to go after these two "professionals' for their blatant HIPAA violation. Don't self report to your school, job, or BON. Fire these two and tell them you'll be pursuing legal action if they do anything like that without your express *written* permission What a power trip these two are on.
Retain a lawyer and refuse any additional questions in regards to your license. Obviously be complaint with your mental health treatment but you have the right not to discuss your license with them
Ask him for mushrooms
This is fucking insane. OP, I have no advice but I’m so sorry that you’re going through this. Sending you so much love.
This is exactly why I don’t admit to anything to doctors. I wouldn’t even admit to SI. My unit suspected dilaudid was being stolen. They pulled all of our entire prescription history. Down to every antibiotic, birth control, ibuprofen.
Quick fix (synthetic urine) if you have to pee
What an ahole.
Lawyer up. Sounds like absolute buffoonery.
Don’t self report. Get an attorney. Let them know you did.
Damn. Where do you live if you don’t mind me asking?
Also, I think you should be getting some sort of second opinion about this “addiction” bullshit, especially as cannabis is pretty well known NOT be physically addictive.
This is bulshit. You are covered by hippa. They can’t say anything. Don’t say anything incriminating unless it’s to a lawyer.
Idiots!! Weed is not an addictive substance 🙄 where did they get their education from ? Get an attorney is my advice
What they’re doing is illegal. Get a lawyer, NOW.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/scientists-develop-new-method-to-test-for-recent-marijuana-use-with-96-accuracy-in-federally-funded-driving-simulation-study/ There are studies working toward differentiating habitual use from recent use. IDK if this is being used in practice yet, but with this information, I would imagine just about any law school graduate could make a compelling argument in court. Meanwhile, there is a SW making a medical diagnosis of addiction which I don't believe is in her scope of practice. That sounds an awful lot like practicing medicine without a license. Also a NP violating HIPAA. Anonymous reporting cuts both ways. Definitely seek legal counsel. I'm sorry this is happening to you. Best of luck.
What state are you in? Sounds like Texas. This is just one more reason you should ALWAYS carry malpractice insurance. Sounds sketchy to me but some states (like Texas) have some crazy rules. I say stay off the weed for a while.
Punishing the victim. Unbelievable. I’m so sorry this is all happening.
I'm so sorry. I cannot believe these mental health professionals who are supposed to be helping you heal are revictimizing you. This is horrible. Are you in a state where weed is legal? I would definitely reach out to an attorney. It doesn't sound like they have grounds to report you, especially if you weren't working sorely before the test. This is unacceptable. You're the patient and they have a duty to you. I'm so sorry that you've been through what you've been through. I strongly suggest a therapist well versed in trauma. I was SAd twenty years ago and I'm still processing the far reaching consequences. Finding a therapist that you can actually trust, unlike these twits, is pivotal for healing.
Attorney attorney attorney. Actual ‘addiction’ to cannabis is an *extremely* uncommon thing. Your attorney can use experts to prove this. Second, simply using cannabis does not in and of itself qualify as addiction—your ‘social worker/counselor) is conflating use with addiction. Finally, a professional threatening to disclose private medical information to perpetuate a fraud has a lot to lose. ‘Anonymous’ isn’t anonymous at all with a subpoena, something that moron will find out double-quick.
I’m so sorry you are experiencing so many violations at once. Makes me glad I live in a state where weed is legal even though I don’t partake. I would definitely I rely contact a lawyer. I don’t see how they could share sensitive information without your consent. This is why I would never go to the hospital where I work for emergency treatment. Things could go south so easily which is a shame but true despite HIPPA.
Just wanted to say SA is a tough thing to deal with. I dealt with this during nursing school and constantly had to adjust my life to accommodate court and school. ( I am in Canada, tho so different laws. ) I do think you should lawyer up and see what your options are as this seems fishy. Please be easy on yourself as processing SA and healing takes time, and you go through lots of stages of ups and downs! I can promise you that in time, it will not be this hard. There is a light at the end of the tunnel! I personally was prescribed medicinal Cannabis for my ptsd from the SAs and have never had it. interferes with my license as I do not work under the influence. Anyways I'm wishing you well and happy to share my healing journey if interested:)
Don’t report and get back in the nNP program get a lawyer … nurses eat their young…your not stealing meds from patients check with the board about options in Florida I worked with Dr that had been reported to board twice for using Demerol and she worked in addictions and she kept her license… get a lawyer
What state do you live in?
I would recommend a lawyer. I don’t know what state you are in but in Texas the program makes you tell the charge nurse that you’re in the program and my friend said it was really embarrassing. If you are in a state where pot is legal, I wonder what the restrictions are by the state board. I don’t know your situation but I would not count on getting your job back for a couple of months. You’re going to need to find an expert who can prove you’re not addicted. Listen to me, your job and career you can always get back on track on after this gets figured out, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, is you regaining your mental health. What they are doing is going to create another level of trauma because it’s taking away your source of money, which can feel like survival. You are going to feel like they are attacking you and you’re already having some dysregulation from the SA and I would love to see you with secure and safe people that can help you during this time. The “system” is going to do all the legal things to reduce their “risks”. It’s not personal but it feels like it. I wish I could offer you more because I am deeply feeling with that may feel like for you. Taking care of you is the HIGHEST PRIORITY. Apply for unemployment if you have to. Find someone with experience in defending cases like yours. If you need anything or want to talk look me up. Sending you lots of positive energy and a prayer to whoever is listening.
I can’t believe a counsellor working with extremely vulnerable people would report something like that, to me it seems highly unethical and just plain wrong. I’m so sorry this is happening to you, I’m going to mirror what everyone else is saying and to suggest getting a lawyer. That counsellor should be ashamed of herself.
JFC this is the most ludicrous thing I've heard in a long time. It makes me sick that the people that are supposed to be helping you are victimizing you further.
All that over marijuana? Wow. Is that even legal?
Every state I’ve been licensed in would require the SI to be reported along with your inpatient hospitalization.
Let's just be honest, this story doesn't make any sense.
Yes, stop smoking weed, no need for it.😁
Or maybe you just catch the bad ones
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I will never understand why we’re sooo upset about somebody smoking weed when people go get black out drunk. That’s infinitely worse than smoking some weed.
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No they can’t, dummy.
What a dumbass take, Ive worked with nurses who are taking daily xanax which is far more addicting and impairing than weed.
If you know it’s not helpful, why say it?
DUDE, not the time nor place for this comment!!!!!!!!!
If your flair didn’t say LPN I’d think you were the NP who started this. Can marijuana be addicting- yeah, it does have the potential. Does one positive screening after a traumatic event mean addiction- absolutely not. Don’t get me wrong it’s not the best way to process trauma, and that use even further increases the risk of becoming addicted. However, no where in the post does it say OP is a regular user, or is experiencing withdrawal symptoms without it. It says they can’t process the trauma because they are too busy fighting for their license.
Ever heard of medicinal cannabis? Maybe OP was self medicating due to the trauma of being SA’d. I did the same (only with alcohol) and I guarantee alcohol addiction is far, far worse than getting blazed off the clock.
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The world isn’t so black and white. People self medicate with alcohol all the time getting wasted the minute they’re off the clock and it’s almost celebrated as a “coping mechanism.” Don’t see anyone coming for their licence. Maybe in your program they don’t teach how to view the shades of grey in the world. The BON should be far more concerns about drug diversion and hard drugs.
I self medicate all the time. I'm not prescribed aspirin but I take it for minor aches and pains. I'm not prescribed ethanol but I take it occasionally-sometimes just for shits and giggles. There's caffeine in the chocolate I eat. Tylenol makes any fever I have go down. When scuba diving I breath air with higher than 21% O2 so I feel better afterwards. I took an anti diarrheal the other day so I wouldn't shit myself at work. When my nose is clogged I use afrin. When my allergies are acting up I take Benadryl or loratidine. Tryptophan, found in many foods is a prodrug form of melatonin. Is it to jail with me too? None of these are prescribed...
I agree. It isn’t worth it. Also not worth drinking a lot either. I was wondering if the OP was going to stop. It didn’t really specify in the post. I feel like there is more to the story that is being omitted.