A controversial practice by most nursing schools in the mandatory drug testing of nursing students. The nursing schools that endorse this practice insist that it is necessary to ensure that patient care is not compromised. On the other hand, opponents of this policy insist that it only tackles the symptoms of the problem and infringes on the civil liberties of the nursing students. In my opinion, mandatory drug testing of nursing students is essential since it helps ensure patient safety and leads to the early identification of at-risk students who can be given help for their substance abuse problems.
The most important reason for enforcing the mandatory drug testing policy is to increase patient safety. Monroe and Kenaga (2011) admit that substance misuse and abuse among nurses have been recognized as a major problem. Drug abuse by nursing students who deal directly with patients is a major issue as it can put the patient’s life at risk. Marshall and Hogue (2012) note that in the context of students providing health care to patients, substance use and abuse can have potentially disastrous effects. Students with drug problems are likely to deliver substandard care to the patients in their care. This can lead to poor results for the patient or even death.
Drug screening is beneficial to students since it leads to the early identification of substance abuse problems. From the drug test results, the school can identify students who have substance abuse problems. Bozimowski (2014) observes that pre-enrollment drug testing enables the school to identify those at risk and refer them to wellness programs. Without the mandatory test, it is unlikely that students having drug-related problems would volunteer this information. Messamore (2012) reveals that students who fail the initial test can be allowed to take another test at a future date after they have sought treatment for their substance abuse problem.
The mandatory drug tests prepare students for a thereal-worldd environment where they are required to go through such tests on a regular basis. Cusack and Arbon (2013) note that nursing students enter into a heavily regulated environment when they start working as professionals. Education providers should be responsible for introducing the students into this environment. Mandatory drug introduces the students to the heavily regulated profession where the level of monitoring is high.
A major argument made against mandatory drug tests is that they impose a financial burdon to the student. This argument is true since thorough tests are expensive and most nursing schools cannot afford to fund them out of their budget. Students are therefore made to pay for the complete test or parts of the test. Opponents of mandatory tests argue that it is unfair for nursing students to be subjected to these extra costs while other students are not put through the same. Marshall and Hogue (2012) assert that the professional consequences of drug use by healthcare students are greater than for students in other courses. As such, while the extra costs to the student are unfortunate, they are necessary to ensure patient safety.
Substance abuse among students is a concern for nursing educators. Nursing schools have therefore tried to address this issue and one of the most commonly used tools is the mandatory drug test. In my opinion, drug tests are useful and they should be adopted by all nursing schools. This will uphold patient safety and also benefit the students by preparing them for the heavily regulated nursing profession.
References
Bozimowski, G. (2014). The Prevalence and Patterns of Substance Abuse Among Nurse Anesthesia Students. AANA Journal, 82(4), 277-283.
Cusack, L. & Arbon, P. (2013). Exploring nursing students’ understanding of being regulated. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 44(2), 232-241.
Marshall, C., & Hogue, M. (2012). Experience With a Drug Screening Program at a School of Pharmacy. Journal of American College Health, 60(6), 476-480.
Messamore, A. (2012). Drug Testing Required at Nursing School. Web.
Monroe, T., & Kenaga, H. (2011). Don’t ask don’t tell: substance abuse and addiction among nurses. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 20(3), 504-509.