Drug tests on interviews???

[ablumoon]

I may be totally off the mark, but a friend of mine just told me that some schools give drug tests on the day of their interviews. (Specifically OHSU). Does anyone know anything about this? More specifically, does Yale, NYU, or BU give tests? Not that I have anything to worry about...but still.

Thanks guys!

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[drmota]

good god. i hope not.
-mota

 

[CTSballer11]

good god. i hope not.
-mota

Wow I have never heard of such a thing. I sure hope schools do not do that.

 

[jbrice1639]

um...perhaps not getting high on interview day would help

 

[masterMood]

even if you didn't get high that day, they could still determine if you had smoked marijuana in the past month or two because the THC of marijuana stays in the system for awhile.

 

[jbrice1639]

even if you didn't get high that day, they could still determine if you had smoked marijuana in the past month or two because the THC of marijuana stays in the system for awhile.

i was kidding...

of course, it seems to be pretty common knowledge that a lot of medical schools (probably should be all) drug test before they allow any patient contact...so it probably would be wise to be prepared for that anyways

 

[Risa]

Wow, that would be ridiculous.

But no, I didn't pee in any cups at either NYU or Yale.

 

[-Goose-]

I may be totally off the mark, but a friend of mine just told me that some schools give drug tests on the day of their interviews. (Specifically OHSU).

Wouldn't a drug test at Oregon automatically preclude the majority of state applicants from getting in? maybe thats why they have such a high number of oos applicants

 

[pagemmapants]

So this drug test they do before patient treatment. . .
what sorts of things show up on it? Like. . . how far back in your past can they get readings from, and what sorts of drugs can they pick up on say, 2 years after the fact? (This is all completely hypothetical, naturally. . . )

 

[Wahina]

BU does drug test, but they said only for marijuana and cocaine. So you are fine with heroin or whatever.

 

[theunderdog]

drug test? wow...

 

[jebus]

Wow, you haven't done anything for 2 years? Bravo?
Hair is permanent. If they test hair, anything you've used since you've had that hair will show up in a drug test. Was that poorly written? You sure as hell bet it was! Is it going to confuse you because it was poorly written? I was going for scare rather than confuse, but whatever.
THC is fully metabolized in about 4-5 weeks. So, you can detect it in your pee for 4-5 weeks after you last smoked that killer dank that you love to toke, seilienne.

 

[tigress]

But really detecting THC is partially dependent on frequency of use. So if you smoke up like every day or even a few times a week (I hope that isn't the case), they'll detect THC up to a few months after you stop. But if you just smoke at a party 3 or 4 weeks before, it's likely it won't show up. Give it a good 5 weeks though.

And I've never heard of testing at an interview. Lots of schools test new matriculants or students entering clinical years, though.

edit: I assume they all use urine, like almost everybody else who does drug testing.

what I want to know is why they test for THC and not alcohol...there are blood tests that can show alcohol abuse (sorry I forget what it's called). Some things make me mad.

 

[powerbooki]

So for those schools that do drug tests, do they screen harder for picking interviewees? Maybe instead of 10:1 interview/acceptance, they have more like a 4:1? Will they inform you if they found alarming things (low HDL, high LDL...) on your blood panel?

 

[SailCrazy]

THC is fully metabolized in about 4-5 weeks. So, you can detect it in your pee for 4-5 weeks after you last smoked that killer dank that you love to toke, seilienne.

I've never heard of any drug tests at inteviews, though I suppose with all of the anxiety people would be more able to pee...

 

[tigress]

So for those schools that do drug tests, do they screen harder for picking interviewees? Maybe instead of 10:1 interview/acceptance, they have more like a 4:1? Will they inform you if they found alarming things (low HDL, high LDL...) on your blood panel?

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Wouldn't a drug test at Oregon automatically preclude the majority of state applicants from getting in? maybe thats why they have such a high number of oos applicants

So true. We are a stoner state. Personally, I think drug tests are a waste of time and money because things like marijuana show up while heroin doesn't. Also, doing it at the interview is just way lame. I'm cool with doing it prior to matriculation, but you shouldn't be asked to pee in a cup at an interview. That'd just throw me off -- and no not because I'm worried about failing.

 

[redclover]

Wow, you haven't done anything for 2 years? Bravo?
Hair is permanent. If they test hair, anything you've used since you've had that hair will show up in a drug test. Was that poorly written? You sure as hell bet it was! Is it going to confuse you because it was poorly written? I was going for scare rather than confuse, but whatever.
THC is fully metabolized in about 4-5 weeks. So, you can detect it in your pee for 4-5 weeks after you last smoked that killer dank that you love to toke, seilienne.

You can always dye your hair or use henna then it prolly won't work. And cut your hair...

 

[IDforMe]

BU does drug test, but they said only for marijuana and cocaine. So you are fine with heroin or whatever.

Well! I feel so much better now! (And I'd certainly feel much better if I had to receive medical care from their doctors...)

 

[Law2Doc]

what I want to know is why they test for THC and not alcohol...there are blood tests that can show alcohol abuse (sorry I forget what it's called). Some things make me mad.

They wouldn't test for alcohol because alcohol use is legal for anyone of age. Watch Grey's Anatomy (or MASH) and you will see that drinking heavilly is culturally expected for anyone in the medical profession.
But I've never heard of any school doing a drug test at the interview. Would be a good way to break the ice, though.

 

[tigress]

They wouldn't test for alcohol because alcohol use is legal for anyone of age. Watch Grey's Anatomy (or MASH) and you will see that drinking heavilly is culturally expected for anyone in the medical profession.
But I've never heard of any school doing a drug test at the interview. Would be a good way to break the ice, though.

Yeah I know. It's just...social drinking (light, not binge) is an acceptable part of our society, and is even seen as healthy. But if you socially use marijuana, like at a friend's birthday party, it's seen as horrible. Obviously abusing alcohol is bad, just as abusing marijuana is a problem. It's the social use I'm talking about.

btw, I don't smoke marijuana. I haven't had any since high school (over 5 years ago). I just think the whole thing is silly.

 

[Law2Doc]

Yeah I know. It's just...social drinking (light, not binge) is an acceptable part of our society, and is even seen as healthy. But if you socially use marijuana, like at a friend's birthday party, it's seen as horrible. Obviously abusing alcohol is bad, just as abusing marijuana is a problem. It's the social use I'm talking about.

btw, I don't smoke marijuana. I haven't had any since high school (over 5 years ago). I just think the whole thing is silly.

While I don't totally disagree with you, there is a notion that marijuana is a "stepping stone" drug that lessens the step you need to take to "experiment" with harder drugs. i.e. while it might be a big hurdle for a lot of us to break the law and try something illegal such as pot, once you already do so, it is perhaps a lot easier to take that next step.

 

[tigress]

While I don't totally disagree with you, there is a notion that marijuana is a "stepping stone" drug that lessens the step you need to take to "experiment" with harder drugs. i.e. while it might be a big hurdle for a lot of us to break the law and try something illegal such as pot, once you already do so, it is perhaps a lot easier to take that next step.

I don't want to turn this thread, like all of its predecessors, into a debate about marijuana. Of course I"ve heard the claims that it is a "stepping stone" drug, but they are all unsubstantiated. There's really no evidence for it. Sure, most people who use harder drugs have used marijuana, and many of them used marijuana first; but that just points to the fact that marijuana is more readily available than any other drug, so it's an obvious first choice. It's never been shown that people who use marijuana go on to use harder drugs at any great rate. In fact, I'd say 90% of my high school class smoked pot at some point in the course of high school, and I only know of 1 of them who ever had any sort of problem with hard drugs; she was already having those problems in high school, and I think she would have gotten there whether or not she'd had access to marijuana.

That said, it's not like I think everybody should go around smoking pot. It is a drug, and, like alcohol, many people are susceptible to at least a psychological addiction. But at the same time, smoking (or eating brownies or however you choose to ingest it) at a party every once in a while seems like a fairly safe and harmless practice, equivalent to having a glass of wine with dinner or having a few beers at a party.

 

[spot the cat]

What if someone has ADD & takes ritalin or amphetamines... legally? One might want to hide the disorder from the adcoms. A drug test would make this a bit difficult.

Of course if you did like I did when I was an undergrad (longish time ago), you might be self-medicating your ADD with coke, which is just a bad way to go.

 

[Pretty POHA]

That said, it's not like I think everybody should go around smoking pot.

I do. If it was a socially acceptable (a.k.a. legal), people in general would be a lot more calm. Alcohol tends to elicit violence... on the other hand, I don't know a single violent pot head. And I know a lot of pot heads.

Oh, and Denver just voted two days ago on a bill that made under an ounce of pot legal. It passed with a higher percent range than any of our other bills. Of course, that doesn't override the state or federal laws, but it's a step in the right direction! Yay Denver!

 

[indo]

Wouldn't a drug test at Oregon automatically preclude the majority of state applicants from getting in? maybe thats why they have such a high number of oos applicants

Yes. Yes it would.


BTW, if someone has a predisposition towards addiction alcohol, marijuana, gambling, masturbation, and Starbucks are all stepping stones toward worse addictions.

 

[indo]

Common sense suggests that if OHSU required a drug test we would have heard about it already.

 

[EctopicFetus]

Pre-meds crack me up.. BTW whoever said you cant detect heroin on a Urinde Drug Screen (USD) is way off. Of course if you took a vicodin or something like t#3 that would show up as positive. And for those of you who want to shave your heads.. that wont work.. You have eyebrows and if you shave them you have a 10% chance they dont regrow and body hair..

In the end some places do UDSs before patient contact I have NEVER heard of this for pre-meds. Of course if you go into anesthesia you can get all the narcs you want!

 

[Bluntman]

BTW whoever said you cant detect heroin on a Urinde Drug Screen (USD) is way off. Of course if you took a vicodin or something like t#3 that would show up as positive.

I think they probably meant to point out the ironic situation that the harder drugs (like opiates) clear out of your body in a couple days, whereas weed - arguably the most benign - stays in your system for weeks. Therefore, normal people who smoke some bud are more likely to get nailed on the drug screen than a heroin addict. *sigh*

On a related note...anyone who is interested in a hilarious (albeit biased) documentary on the subject should check out "Grass" . It's great!

 

[drmota]

I do. If it was a socially acceptable (a.k.a. legal), people in general would be a lot more calm. Alcohol tends to elicit violence... on the other hand, I don't know a single violent pot head. And I know a lot of pot heads.

Oh, and Denver just voted two days ago on a bill that made under an ounce of pot legal. It passed with a higher percent range than any of our other bills. Of course, that doesn't override the state or federal laws, but it's a step in the right direction! Yay Denver!

so, we're gonna get married when?
-mota

 

[Bluntman]

Mota-
"My wiife...she's dead...but that's ok...I found a new one!" -Borat