drug testing

[southernhospitality12]

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So from what I gather the majority of anesthesia programs don't approach testing any differently than other specialties. If you look at my originally post, I inquired if testing on anesthesia is any different based on our frequent contact with narcotics

 

[jwk]

So from what I gather the majority of anesthesia programs don't approach testing any differently than other specialties. If you look at my originally post, I inquired if testing on anesthesia is any different based on our frequent contact with narcotics

If anything, I would guess it might be worse in anesthesia than other specialties. Some programs/practices will be tighter than others - I would assume some of that will be due to whatever history they have with abusers. I know a significant number of folks that were in academic practices that has issues - less so in private practice, but that's just anecdotal at best. There are some practices that have you tape the empty narcotic ampules to a form and turn it back into pharmacy to show that it was actually drawn up (not that that really stops anything). Others are very tight with witnessing returns/waste with Pyxis/Accudose, etc. Still others randomly check labeled syringes to see if the contents match what is supposed to be there. I doubt too many other specialties do that.

 

[Twiggidy]

Actually the most abused drug that gives (physiologic) dependence is sugar. People who cannot abstain even from it will have a very hard time with anything else.

don't i know it.....

 

[BLADEMDA]

Recent graduate was supposed to start with a large AMC this summer. He/She failed the drug screening..probably THC so the AMC won't allow that person to work for them.

Is one "joint" worth your future job? Employers are screening more these days so stay clean for at least 60 days (longer if you are a frequent user) before your drug test.

http://www.leafscience.com/2014/04/22/how-long-thc-stay-system/

 

[vector2]

given that THC can be detected for months after use, I am wondering if this would be or has been an issue for anyone who has used it while off duty?

99.9% of the time pre-employment screening is going to be with a UDS, and afaik, THC will hang around for about a month or so in your pee unless you're morbidly obese + smoking like 10 blunts a day. If your back pain is really so bad that you can't go a month without smoking, I would seriously consider something other than anesthesia. Sure, there's a lot of stool sitting, but during residency there's also a ton of running and/or standing at codes, intubations, stat surgeries and csections, epidurals, blocks, lines, ICU rounding etc. I would also say that for your first 4-6 months of CA-1 year you should rarely be sitting anyways, but rather paying attention to the monitoring of your patient or paying attention to the surgery (since at that point you're not really familiar with the steps of the procedures or know which are the critical moments where sht goes wrong). This is also your opportunity to make yourself familiar to the surgeons and the rest of the OR staff instead of sitting and hiding behind the drape. When they know you and are friendly with you, your life just becomes that much easier when you need something.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

Lots of sitting doesn't exactly do your back any favors in the long-term either.

 

[southernhospitality12]

thanks for the responses. my issue is not that I can't go a month or however long without it; its that it would be a pain (pun intended lol) if I committed myself to rigorous testing beyond that of any other physician especially if I chose to use it in the future. If programs don't test for it any differently than any other field, ok great...but if anesthesia programs or practices test residents beyond that which is seen in other fields and I may have to go in for random testing, than maybe I need to start looking at individual programs or find alternative remedies etc.

I switched from surgery and at this point I couldn't see me doing anything else career-wise. It is the standing in one place for long periods of time (i.e scrubbed in surgery) that gets me. If I am moving or sitting I am fine. I had some medical issues when I was younger and my pelvis is severely rotated leading to a functional scoliosis, bad disk issues, and facet arthropathy.

 

[Laryngophed]

Even for medicinal reasons?
That's like saying you can get fired for having an amphetamine in your system, when you've been prescribed adderall for a medical condition.

The difference likely being that adderall isn't a schedule I agent.

 

[Spinach Dip]

I thought every American's right to smoke weed was also in the second amendment.

Ask the supreme court. I'm sure they can find some way to reason that one out.