I have heard that many medical schools drug test the incoming students prior to matriculation. I took a drug test for Mt. Sinai and unfortunately smoked at a party the day after 🙁 Does Baylor drug test their students? If so is it a urine test or a hair test? I would greatly appreciate details on the subject!!
Drug Screening for Medical School
- Thread starter Carpacho
- Start date
- Status
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2008
- Messages
- 203
- Reaction score
- 109
If a school does test I believe they let you know when you are accepted. I know WashU tests, but idk about Baylor.
I wouldn't stress too much bc urine testing is the most common type of drug test and THC metabolite levels are typically below test cutoffs for infrequent users after a week or two.
I wouldn't stress too much bc urine testing is the most common type of drug test and THC metabolite levels are typically below test cutoffs for infrequent users after a week or two.
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2007
- Messages
- 3,924
- Reaction score
- 13
Seriously...? You're going into medicine, so one would assume you're a fairly intelligent person. You got in, so that hopefully confirms this is the case. Yet you can't stay away from drugs long enough to ensure you pass a pee test? Dude, lay off the drugs. You're entering a profession. You are about to become a professional -- one with prescriptive authority, no less. Unless you have a medical need for THC, WTF are you doing using it in the first place?!
- Joined
- May 15, 2008
- Messages
- 1,376
- Reaction score
- 734
Ya if your physically fit (low body fat) and an infrequent smoker and male (because less % body fat) then THC can be metabolized and excreted within a couple days. Best advice is to anonymously call and ask, worst that could happen is they don't tell you and you hang up, although, in my experience this was usually not the case and they often responded truthfully. I indulged often in undergrad (lets just say more than once a day) and maybe I'm just a freak of nature but I passed after only 9 days. Another piece of advice is to buy a home drug test kit and test it for yourself.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 9,746
- Reaction score
- 1,667
a drug test ferreal? marijuana is not even criminal in some states
- Joined
- May 15, 2008
- Messages
- 1,376
- Reaction score
- 734
dude get off your high horse...about 1/3 of my class indulges occasionally and it is not something that is looked down upon. Obviously once we get into the clinical years I expect the amount of people to go down but seriously its no big deal.
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2005
- Messages
- 3,818
- Reaction score
- 1,542
Is this true for non-medical purposes? Which states?
- Joined
- May 15, 2008
- Messages
- 1,376
- Reaction score
- 734
While I know you were saying that tongue and cheek it is quite ironic to me(yes I understand the physiologic basis to this) that drugs like cocaine which are out of the system relatively quickly are so much more detrimental and serious than a drug like marijuana which for some people might take a month to fully clear from their system.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 9,746
- Reaction score
- 1,667
MA, for one
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2009
- Messages
- 5,039
- Reaction score
- 7
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2005
- Messages
- 3,818
- Reaction score
- 1,542
I don't think advising someone to avoid illegal activities is being on their "high horse," nor do I think the fraction of classmates doing it justifies its use.
- Joined
- May 15, 2008
- Messages
- 1,376
- Reaction score
- 734
I do (the high horse part) and the high proportion of classmates using doesn't justify it but backs up my assertion that many successful, intelligent goal oriented students continue to smoke weed occasionally in medical school, that is all.
- Joined
- May 15, 2008
- Messages
- 1,376
- Reaction score
- 734
Hair tests are EXTREMELY expensive and the only institution that uses hair tests that I know of are the FBI and military.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2007
- Messages
- 12,733
- Reaction score
- 2,435
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 9,746
- Reaction score
- 1,667
why? it's just pot
Yeah... it's just illegal. Why should I worry about people who will be prescribing prescription drugs using substances deemed illegal?! (sarcasm) Should I not question whether one's propensity to do illegal activities now affect their legal or ethical behavior later while practicing?
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 9,746
- Reaction score
- 1,667
you shouldn't, it's none of your business. definitely not your place either. illegal =! immoral. i speed all the time, i'm sure that means i'll make a terrible doctor.
Right, because speeding is the same as using illegal substances. Take a look at drug-related crimes and the quality of life of drug users. And your money going to drug dealers who are often involved in other illegal activities has no moral implications.
And it becomes my business when you post your drug use on an internet forum that I frequent. If you don't want it to be anyone's business, don't post it on the internet.
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2007
- Messages
- 200
- Reaction score
- 80
I dont think its getting on a high horse to tell someone to lay off weed for just a few months. I have many friends that do it and I used to partake. (now im stepping on high horse)That being said, if the original poster really wants to go to med school then they have to understand there are gonna be a lot of sacrifices along the way. I dont think the person was saying you had to quit permanently. You need to be able to stop for just a little bit to pass the test then get in. After that go crazy. You should be able to give up something for a few months for what is supposed to be your dream job. 1st and second year are just like undergrad, except with a lot more studying. You can still smoke, party, whatever floats your boat, I know I did. But then comes the "fun" clinical years. I didnt do anything fun the 6 weeks I was on surgery averaging over 100 hours a week at hospital, and having to study. I saw my girlfriend maybe twice for more than a few minutes.
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2010
- Messages
- 1,090
- Reaction score
- 0
Seriously...? You're going into medicine, so one would assume you're a fairly intelligent person. You got in, so that hopefully confirms this is the case. Yet you can't stay away from drugs long enough to ensure you pass a pee test? Dude, lay off the drugs. You're entering a profession. You are about to become a professional -- one with prescriptive authority, no less. Unless you have a medical need for THC, WTF are you doing using it in the first place?!
no u.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 9,746
- Reaction score
- 1,667
legally, it is in some states. what now? enough with the DARE propaganda, as someone already mentioned, it's possible to maintain a perfectly high functioning goal oriented life. no one posted his own drug use on the forum, and no, even if he did, it's still not your business to 'worry' about it.
- Joined
- May 15, 2008
- Messages
- 1,376
- Reaction score
- 734
Speeding kills more daily than marijuana will kill in one year...fact
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 9,746
- Reaction score
- 1,667
i agree. it's IMPROBABLE that the occasionally weed-smoking college kid is going to end up in some sort of crazy drug lifestyle you seem to envision. do YOU have a study on how recreational marijuana use more often than not spirals into a drug-fueled decay that you are so certain will happen?
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2010
- Messages
- 1,090
- Reaction score
- 0
heh to trust humans or to not trust humans.....that is of the question.
Nope, only anecdotal evidence from a family member who did. Enough to shape my opinion, but not convince you. So, I think I will give up on this thread now
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 9,746
- Reaction score
- 1,667
it's not a trust thing, it's a common sense thing. massive amounts of college kids smoke pot. it's just a truth. most of them end up as perfectly functional members of society
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 9,746
- Reaction score
- 1,667
so now we're NOT scientists. next time you get huffy about 'reading studies' perhaps you should do some research first.
- Joined
- May 15, 2008
- Messages
- 1,376
- Reaction score
- 734
Studies=population...by already getting into medical school we are by definition a very small minority who function very highly and are usually goal oriented etc regardless of prior or current use of marijuana.
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2009
- Messages
- 2,933
- Reaction score
- 34
I highly doubt that.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 9,746
- Reaction score
- 1,667
did you miss the last election's list of passed propositions? up to an ounce is a civil infraction ticket.
From the NIDA website "Research clearly demonstrates that merijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make one persons existing problems worse. In one study, marijuana abusers reported that the drug impaired several important measures of life achievement including physical and mental health, cognitive abilities, social life, and career status. Several studies associate workers' marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers' compensation claims and job turnover."
Check out the website yourself
Studies:
Gruber, AJ, Pope HG...Attributes of long-term heavy cannibis users: A case control study. Psychological Med 33(8):1415-1422, 2003.
And I'm done
Check out the website yourself
Studies:
Gruber, AJ, Pope HG...Attributes of long-term heavy cannibis users: A case control study. Psychological Med 33(8):1415-1422, 2003.
And I'm done
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2009
- Messages
- 614
- Reaction score
- 4
I read about half this thread before saying screw it. People who have never smoked weed before will act like its cocaine and everyone who uses it will rob their patients, their grandmothers, their patients grandmothers, and steal from the pharm counter at their hospital. Those who have used it, and aren't crackheads on the side of the road, know this is a stupid stereotype perpetrated by the government and other bodies as propaganda for the war against drugs, the most expensive and biggest failure of a war the US has ever been apart of.
Continue.
Continue.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 9,746
- Reaction score
- 1,667
bolded for irrelevance to my points.
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2009
- Messages
- 62
- Reaction score
- 0
I don't see why people make pot such a big deal considering alcohol,tobbacco, prescription drugs, and even caffeine kill more people. It's amazing the things people believe from government.
"Dr. Heath conducts his infamous government-funded Rhesus monkey study at Tulane University, touted for years as "evidence" that marijuana it causes brain damage. Dr. Heath would put an airtight gas mask on the monkey, strap it into a chair and force-toke the equivalent of 63 Columbian-strength joints over the course of five minutes. The monkeys suffered brain damage, all right -- from suffocation and carbon monoxide poisoning."
That's how it was figured out marijuana causes brain damage, yea that's good science 🙄. Dude worry about people that say why would you smoke pot, just be smart with it around drug tests. You know you can buy stuff to clear out your system. My friends brother had to do it for the army, it's like a liquid drink you could probably get at a head shop or herbal store not sure what it's called though.
Edit: I agree with above, obviously everyday use can affect you in all areas of life if your inhaling smoke and getting high all day everday day, I don't think a study is needed for that.
"Dr. Heath conducts his infamous government-funded Rhesus monkey study at Tulane University, touted for years as "evidence" that marijuana it causes brain damage. Dr. Heath would put an airtight gas mask on the monkey, strap it into a chair and force-toke the equivalent of 63 Columbian-strength joints over the course of five minutes. The monkeys suffered brain damage, all right -- from suffocation and carbon monoxide poisoning."
That's how it was figured out marijuana causes brain damage, yea that's good science 🙄. Dude worry about people that say why would you smoke pot, just be smart with it around drug tests. You know you can buy stuff to clear out your system. My friends brother had to do it for the army, it's like a liquid drink you could probably get at a head shop or herbal store not sure what it's called though.
Edit: I agree with above, obviously everyday use can affect you in all areas of life if your inhaling smoke and getting high all day everday day, I don't think a study is needed for that.
Last edited:
You're right. Smoking weed is an excellent idea. It is good for your health and will help you succeed in life. It rarely, if ever, hinders anyone from meeting their goals. I would reccommend it to all of my future patients.
NO.
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2006
- Messages
- 1,028
- Reaction score
- 3
Re: the bolded stuff. That may be true for some people, but if it really impacts their career and motivation so much, I find it unlikely that they would have made it to the med-student level. I don't think we're talking about people that smoke daily or more here, but rather people that may light up on the weekends from time to time. I personally see that as a relaxation strategy, and if it helps them cope with the stress, then good on them. I personally know a few people with a scary ability to function at a high level when lit up; some of those people include professors at some of the highest ranked universities in the country.
The only validity I see to the argument about the illegality of weed is in relation to licensing. Outside of that, I absolutely hate the argument that legality is equivalent to morality. As was pointed out, if you want to use illegality as a proxy for acceptable behavior, then you should be shunning every med student that speeds or illegally parks as well.
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2009
- Messages
- 614
- Reaction score
- 4
Call it what you'd like.
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2008
- Messages
- 6,224
- Reaction score
- 11
so do you discriminate against everyone that participates in a "not so healthy" behavior?
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 9,746
- Reaction score
- 1,667
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2006
- Messages
- 1,028
- Reaction score
- 3
1. Weed is less harmful than a huge number of activities that we take part in daily. It's less harmful than poor diet or lack of exercise. Do a pub-med search for THC/marijuana overdose sometime and see what you find.
2. I know a huge number of people that smoke semi-regularly and are extremely successful. I would even go so far as to say that the majority of successful people I know smoke at least occasionally. Many of these people light up as a stress relief--work hard, play hard I guess.
3. I've never seen weed interfere with someone's goals more than drinking, chasing tail, or many other common activities.
You mentioned earlier that you had anecdotal evidence of the dangers of weed from your personal life. Have you ever considered that perhaps the person you're referring to had an addictive / compulsive personality type and that weed was just a stepping stone for them? I've known people with drug problems that "started" with weed and then moved to harder stuff. However, without exception, every one of those people would have developed a similar problem even in the absence of weed.
Well he is kind of cute! I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree. I really do wonder what percentage of Medical Students smoke pot. I just assumed we'd all be health-oriented. I guess I was wrong.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 9,746
- Reaction score
- 1,667
we all have our foibles and excesses, right?
- Status
