How to ask a med school if they drug test?

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funkymunkytoes

funkymunkytoes

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How do I go about doing this? Anonymous phone call?

Please don't give me the: "Can't you just stop smoking, you're gonna be a doctor you know!" I don't need a soap box lecture.
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how long does it stay in your system? people who don't smoke say it stays for like 6 months or something, but they have like no credibility i would guess. and i heard you have to shave your head and pubes, is that true? and do people on the west side smoke more than us people of the east?
 
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funkymunkytoes said:
How do I go about doing this? Anonymous phone call?

Please don't give me the: "Can't you just stop smoking, you're gonna be a doctor you know!" I don't need a soap box lecture.
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I would make an anonymous email account and email them (that's what I did, but my question was about holding on to multiple acceptances after the deadline)... better than having someone recognize your voice later on...

Maybe I'm being a little too paranoid, but you never know I guess.
 
phospho said:
I would make an anonymous email account and email them (that's what I did, but my question was about holding on to multiple acceptances after the deadline)... better than having someone recognize your voice later on...

Maybe I'm being a little too paranoid, but you never know I guess.
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this is the big time, they prob have uber-hackers checking IP addresses when they get emails like that. I really don't think they do, but now I've freaked everyone out about it lol.
 
OnlyNeedOneYes said:
this is the big time, they prob have uber-hackers checking IP addresses when they get emails like that. I really don't think they do, but now I've freaked everyone out about it lol.
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you would go to cincy over pitt, big dawg?
 
witness23 said:
you would go to cincy over pitt, big dawg?
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I don't know, I don't think so. It would probably be much cheaper... Pitt is a great school but I don't know if I can justify the full cost unless I have no other options. I feel that picking an exorbitantly expensive school necessitates choosing a high-paying specialty in the end. The problem isn't my interest in those specialties (I like ROAD specialties, A & R in particular), but rather my odds of getting into one of those residencies. I don't want to pay off my loans for 60 years lol. Cincy and Pitt are both ~3.5 hrs from my home, so they break even on location. I also have a cousin in Cincy (nice to be close to a family member).

I know it will just take some time for me to get over the "$ticker $hock" of medical school...
 
OnlyNeedOneYes said:
this is the big time, they prob have uber-hackers checking IP addresses when they get emails like that. I really don't think they do, but now I've freaked everyone out about it lol.
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for everything else, there's always backtracking with telnet...
 
funkymunkytoes said:
How do I go about doing this? Anonymous phone call?

Please don't give me the: "Can't you just stop smoking, you're gonna be a doctor you know!" I don't need a soap box lecture.
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I don't have anything against people who smoke weed, but is it really worth it? You want to risk getting kicked out over smoking weed after hundreds of hours of busting your ass in college and thousands of dollars in MCAT prep/applications/interviews?
 
OP, can't you just stop smoking, you're gonna be a doctor you know!
 
circulus vitios said:
I don't have anything against people who smoke weed, but is it really worth it? You want to risk getting kicked out over smoking weed after hundreds of hours of busting your ass in college and thousands of dollars in MCAT prep/applications/interviews?
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I'd try and e-mail a student before you go after the administration.

This is not directed at anyone:I have been so surprised by how many pre-meds actually feel so self righteous and are so judgmental against people who admit to smoking pot occasionally- as though it somehow will make you a worse doctor. I'm not saying everyone should go out get high and toss the 'bee around but people need to get out and live a little in college.
 
Make sure you ask a 3rd year, not someone in preclinical. I've never heard of a school that drug tests in the first 2 years, but the hospital might have its own policy about drug testing.

Or you could stop.
 
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Instatewaiter said:
I'd try and e-mail a student before you go after the administration.

This is not directed at anyone:I have been so surprised by how many pre-meds actually feel so self righteous and are so judgmental against people who admit to smoking pot occasionally- as though it somehow will make you a worse doctor. I'm not saying everyone should go out get high and toss the 'bee around but people need to get out and live a little in college.
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Thank you.


Perrotfish said:
Or you could stop.
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Never.
 
Medical students are now classified as health workers rather than graduate students for the purposes of testing and drug testing is going to be required.

So I've heard through the grapevine.
 
Perrotfish said:
Make sure you ask a 3rd year, not someone in preclinical. I've never heard of a school that drug tests in the first 2 years, but the hospital might have its own policy about drug testing.
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Although I didn't end up attending, I know that Mt. Sinai requires a drug test prior to entering the school. They mailed the Quest lab form along with my acceptance packet.

OP, you can be drug tested at any point in time in medical school (especially if you start seeing patients from 1st year). I've heard that pot can be detected up to 90 days in urine for light smokers and longer for heavy smokers. If you're talking about hair testing it can be detected much longer than that. I say make an anonymous call to the school or talk to current students.
 
Stop breaking the law ***hole!!
 
phospho said:
I would make an anonymous email account and email them (that's what I did, but my question was about holding on to multiple acceptances after the deadline)... better than having someone recognize your voice later on...

Maybe I'm being a little too paranoid, but you never know I guess.
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This is what I was going to suggest. Pretend you're from a state where it's legal and you have a chronic pain condition that you use it for and you might get more serious answers, too.
 
sarahg said:
This is what I was going to suggest. Pretend you're from a state where it's legal and you have a chronic pain condition that you use it for and you might get more serious answers, too.
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I think you mean country.
 
MsJLewis said:
OP, you can be drug tested at any point in time in medical school (especially if you start seeing patients from 1st year). I've heard that pot can be detected up to 90 days in urine for light smokers and longer for heavy smokers.
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You can wiz clean in a week if you are a light smoker, very easily. Friends who are weed chimneys have done it in 2-3 weeks. Because THC is a lipid and fat-soluble, it is very dependent on your fat %. Skinny, and you can get it done quickly. Overweight, and it will take much longer. No idea about hair tests, but I bet they would be able to detect at length.

Once again, standard SDN mentality that being a doctor>>>>>>>>than everything else shows up. This is the last quarter year before you go through the med school gauntlet. Live it up, beat the system, it isn't hard.
 
Or you could live it up while not taking a drug that stays in your system longer than just about any other. I partied plenty before matriculating but never had any weed. Contrary to popular belief, it is actually possible to have a good time and, in fact, be quite intoxicated without actually smoking marijuana. It is also possible to relax, get hungry, and enjoy stupid television shows without our good friend THC. Seriously. I'm not making this up.
 
OnlyNeedOneYes said:
I don't know, I don't think so. It would probably be much cheaper... Pitt is a great school but I don't know if I can justify the full cost unless I have no other options. I feel that picking an exorbitantly expensive school necessitates choosing a high-paying specialty in the end. The problem isn't my interest in those specialties (I like ROAD specialties, A & R in particular), but rather my odds of getting into one of those residencies. I don't want to pay off my loans for 60 years lol. Cincy and Pitt are both ~3.5 hrs from my home, so they break even on location. I also have a cousin in Cincy (nice to be close to a family member).

I know it will just take some time for me to get over the "$ticker $hock" of medical school...
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I think you'll have a pretty good shot at getting into anesthesia if that's what you want. Their board averages are more or less at the national average.
 
NotAndrew said:
I think you mean country.
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I don't think she did. Here's what she said:

This is what I was going to suggest. Pretend you're from a state where it's legal and you have a chronic pain condition that you use it for and you might get more serious answers, too.
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Some states allow medicinal marijuana.

To the OP -- grow the hell up. You're going to med school. Quit acting like a frat boy. Even if you don't see anything wrong with marijuana, it's still illegal. I can't believe that 700 people will chime in to call someone a tool for wearing scrubs, but most people around here think it's fine for someone to break the law and even give him tips on how to hide it from his med school.

:::shakes head:::
 
drizzt3117 said:
I think you'll have a pretty good shot at getting into anesthesia if that's what you want. Their board averages are more or less at the national average.
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I've been shadowing an anesthesiologist w/ a pain management clinic and I see a lot of value in what he does. I'm not sure what the future is for that sort of stuff though (tons of business competition, profit will go down?). People on SDN are also always talking about how other healthcare professionals are trying to make anesthesiologists obsolete... but what do they know, right? :p
 
MedStudentWanna said:
I don't think she did. Here's what she said:



Some states allow medicinal marijuana.

To the OP -- grow the hell up. You're going to med school. Quit acting like a frat boy. Even if you don't see anything wrong with marijuana, it's still illegal. I can't believe that 700 people will chime in to call someone a tool for wearing scrubs, but most people around here think it's fine for someone to break the law and even give him tips on how to hide it from his med school.

:::shakes head:::
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Yes, however the United States of America does not. So regardless of state law or policy, medical marijuana is still illegal in everyone of the 50 states.
 
OnlyNeedOneYes said:
I've been shadowing an anesthesiologist w/ a pain management clinic and I see a lot of value in what he does. I'm not sure what the future is for that sort of stuff though (tons of business competition, profit will go down?). People on SDN are also always talking about how other healthcare professionals are trying to make anesthesiologists obsolete... but what do they know, right? :p
Click to expand...

Don't worry about that stuff. Anesthesia will always be around. People always talk about competition making any field obsolete. I wouldn't worry about it. Even CT will probably be ok.
 
NotAndrew said:
Yes, however the United States of America does not. So regardless of state law or policy, medical marijuana is still illegal in everyone of the 50 states.
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Uh, it's not a federal issue. It's a state issue, state by state, just like gay marriage and physician-assisted suicide. It most certainly IS legal in a few states.
 
OP, I recommend the Lance Armstrong approach. If some guy from France shows up on your doorstep, after you just got off your bike, and wants you to take a drug test,then give him a look of profound disgust, whip it out and pee on his shoe, and then go take a shower.
 
MedStudentWanna said:
To the OP -- grow the hell up. You're going to med school. Quit acting like a frat boy. Even if you don't see anything wrong with marijuana, it's still illegal. I can't believe that 700 people will chime in to call someone a tool for wearing scrubs, but most people around here think it's fine for someone to break the law and even give him tips on how to hide it from his med school.

:::shakes head:::
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My response:
marley-bob-joint-5000321.jpg


That'll be me delivering your baby. :)
 
Just switch to heroin or coke. They will be out of your system in a few days.
 

LONDON (Reuters) - The active ingredient in marijuana appears to reduce tumor growth, according to a Spanish study published on Wednesday.
The researchers showed giving THC to mice with cancer decreased tumor growth and killed cells off in a process called autophagy.
"Our findings support that safe, therapeutically efficacious doses of THC may be reached in cancer patients," Guillermo Velasco of Complutense University in Madrid and colleagues reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5307VK20090401
 
MedStudentWanna said:
Uh, it's not a federal issue. It's a state issue, state by state, just like gay marriage and physician-assisted suicide. It most certainly IS legal in a few states.
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I suggest your read article 6 paragraph 2 of the United States Constitution.

James Madison said:
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
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This means that any state or local law that contradicts federal law is invalid. Therefore any law that legalizes/decriminalizes marijuana or any other substance made illegal by federal law is invalid. Marijuana is illegal in every state in the United States and the physicians who write prescriptions for medical marijuana are braking the law.
 
Best thread ever.

Can we debate the legalization of pot? Pretty please? I want blood.

I challenge someone to make a coherent argument against the legalization of marijuana.
 
DeadliestSnatch said:
Best thread ever.

Can we debate the legalization of pot? Pretty please? I want blood.

I challenge someone to make a coherent argument against the legalization of marijuana.
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I actually don't have a problem with legalizing marijuana, I am just here to put the law breakers and the ignorant in their places with facts, justice and patriotism.
 
I think it's funny that weed smokers are so adamant about continuing to smoke. Sorry, that's just dumb, and it shows you're hooked. Ruh roh!
 
NotAndrew said:
I suggest your read article 6 paragraph 2 of the United States Constitution.



This means that any state or local law that contradicts federal law is invalid. Therefore any law that legalizes/decriminalizes marijuana or any other substance made illegal by federal law is invalid. Marijuana is illegal in every state in the United States and the physicians who write prescriptions for medical marijuana are braking the law.
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The loophole is that it's being used as a form of medicine and thus far in recent history, the states haven't been challenged. In fact, more and more are legalizing medicinal marijuana. It's in the NH state senate right now after the House passed it.
 
Instatewaiter said:
I'd try and e-mail a student before you go after the administration.

This is not directed at anyone:I have been so surprised by how many pre-meds actually feel so self righteous and are so judgmental against people who admit to smoking pot occasionally- as though it somehow will make you a worse doctor. I'm not saying everyone should go out get high and toss the 'bee around but people need to get out and live a little in college.
Click to expand...

Wow. Just, wow. The automatic association between "living a little" and pot-smoking is either really funny or really sad. I haven't really decided which. You know what's really fun and isn't illegal? Sex. Also, alcohol, in moderation. Oh, and doing fun stuff with fun people.
 
ButImLETired said:
Wow. Just, wow. The automatic association between "living a little" and pot-smoking is either really funny or really sad. I haven't really decided which. You know what's really fun and isn't illegal? Sex. Also, alcohol, in moderation. Oh, and doing fun stuff with fun people.
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Please enlighten us as to why alcohol is acceptable and marijuana isn't. :laugh:
 
MedStudentWanna said:
The loophole is that it's being used as a form of medicine and thus far in recent history, the states haven't been challenged. In fact, more and more are legalizing medicinal marijuana. It's in the NH state senate right now after the House passed it.
Click to expand...

Right, so the states that have legalized/decriminalized it will not arrest/prosecute you for having medical marijuana, however the federal government will. Also the federal government are the ones you should be worried about, maximum penalty for a first time marijuana possession in Virginia is like $2,500 fine, for the federal government it is like $250,000 fine and 5 years in jail. No Joke.
 
Alcohol in moderation also improves your HDL cholesterol. Marijuana in excess gives you gynecomastia and can cause ED. Alcohol in excess can cause liver cirrhosis, Wernicke's encephalopathy, vitamin deficiencies, metabolic acidosis from ketoacidosis, and other things.

The difference? One is legal while the other isn't. That's just the way it is. Plus it's a little hard to do drug screening for alcohol if someone doesn't come in drunk.
 
GoSpursGo said:
OP specifically said he doesn't need a soap-box speech.
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I know you're a moderator and all and I say this with all due respect, but so? The OP posed a question. We're all free to air our opinions. He doesn't get to control the content of the thread, even if he's the one who started it. He can delete his original post, but the post spurred a discussion and I don't think it has to end just because the OP said so.
 
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