This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Drug Testing (question for those already doing Medicine)

I know you have to undergo a "health screening" process before you start the course and I'm wondering exactly what it entails.

Obviously they do the blood test to check for Hep B but do they check the blood for anything else? e.g. HIV/drugs?

I'm asking because my friends and I want to go to Amsterdam at some time during the summer, and perhaps try weed/mushrooms. However, I'm obviously not going to do this if drug tests are carried out (by urine/blood/hair samples) because I wouldn't do anything to jeopardise my placement which I've worked hard for.

So do universities screen medical students for drugs before starting the course? If so, what likely action would they take if they found (e.g. by analysis of a hair sample) that you smoked weed a couple of months ago?

Cheers for any info.

Reply 1

rahmed

Don't do weed, period.

Reply 2

Murk

rahmed

Don't do weed, period.

QFT.

Reply 3

brokenangel

16

Just dont do drug anyway

Reply 4

quadruple_twist

OP

2

Any advice relevant to my questions?

Reply 5

Philosoraptor

18

Hmm , I don't know. If you have satisfactory blood results already they don't even do a blood test I think. The blood tests they may do will be for the things like Chickenpox, Hepatitis B/C, Rubella etc. If you're worried, wait for your blood test then do that. It's legal in Holland to take those drugs right? So it's not like you're breaking the law. However be careful how you tread!

Reply 6

cis2320

lol i liked the last three replies.. haha.. that is your info right there...

ifyou do weed you're an idiot. so go do it. maybe i can take your place instead.. :biggrin:

im weed-free and never gonna try it. :rolleyes:

but all in all dont do it, because chances are they will find out.. and you will ruin everything you work for. And thats worse than getting rejected :rolleyes:

Reply 7

Philosoraptor

18

Hey hang about - I'm not going to smoke weed - I won't even smoke a normal cigarette!

Reply 8

digitalis

17

Oh come on, the guy asked for some advice here....you people sound like his mother!!!

For the Hep B, you do your own blood test with your GP and show them the certificate that shows your surface antigen level. I would highly doubt that they are given a "blank cheque" so to speak to do any test they want on you, you would have to consent to say a blood test for drugs.

To the "dont do drugs" crowd, you would be naive to think that no medics take drugs/smoke/drink blah blah blah...they are people at the end of the day.

Reply 9

Johnny C.

9

f_debelder

To the "dont do drugs" crowd, you would be naive to think that no medics take drugs/smoke/drink blah blah blah...they are people at the end of the day.

There's nothing wrong with smoking and drinking because they are legal. Why are you talking about them as tho they are the same as illegal drugs?

Of course everyone on here knows that medics drink and smoke, but you'd have to be a total idiot to risk your place at medical school or your chance of graduating as a doctor just coz you couldn't say no to some green.

I apologise for sounding boring, uncool and mother-like :rolleyes:

To answer the OPs questions -
I think it's incredibly unlikely they will test you for drugs without good reason. However, if they did find out, I'd say there's a very good chance they'd revoke your offer.

However, surely you appreciate that once you are a doctor, you definitely won't be able to do illegal drugs, as a med student you shouldn't be doing it, so why are you going to start just months before going to med school?

Reply 10

quadruple_twist

OP

2

f_debelder

Oh come on, the guy asked for some advice here....you people sound like his mother!!!

For the Hep B, you do your own blood test with your GP and show them the certificate that shows your surface antigen level. I would highly doubt that they are given a "blank cheque" so to speak to do any test they want on you, you would have to consent to say a blood test for drugs.

To the "dont do drugs" crowd, you would be naive to think that no medics take drugs/smoke/drink blah blah blah...they are people at the end of the day.

THANK YOU. Pos rep going your way!

Reply 11

quadruple_twist

OP

2

Johnny C.

There's nothing wrong with smoking and drinking because they are legal. Why are you talking about them as tho they are the same as illegal drugs?

Of course everyone on here knows that medics drink and smoke, but you'd have to be a total idiot to risk your place at medical school or your chance of graduating as a doctor just coz you couldn't say no to some green.

I apologise for sounding boring, uncool and mother-like :rolleyes:

To answer the OPs questions -
I think it's incredibly unlikely they will test you for drugs without good reason. However, if they did find out, I'd say there's a very good chance they'd revoke your offer.

However, surely you appreciate that once you are a doctor, you definitely won't be able to do illegal drugs, as a med student you shouldn't be doing it, so why are you going to start just months before going to med school?

I'm not going to risk it, I've decided, because even though the chance of it being found out, and me being kicked out is probably very minute, it could still happen and I'd be kicking myself for the rest of my life about it.

Reply 12

Johnny C.

9

quadruple_twist

I'm not going to risk it, I've decided, because even though the chance of it being found out, and me being kicked out is probably very minute, it could still happen and I'd be kicking myself for the rest of my life about it.

Good choice :smile:

Reply 13

drsnoopy1885

Johnny C.

There's nothing wrong with smoking and drinking because they are legal. QUOTE]

Apart from the obvious that is.

They're legal because the government makes a lot of money from them.

If you look at nicotine, alcohol and cannabis and how addictive they are and how dangerous they are in the short and long term, cannabis comes out as the safest choice and has the lowest potential for harm, so....

Reply 14

Philosoraptor

18

Hey, no positive rep for my post? :p:

Lol but seriously, if the drugs are legally taken in Holland, I'm not sure what they'd do - unless it specifically states on your contract not to do so etc.

Reply 15

Johnny C.

9

drsnoopy1885

There's nothing wrong with smoking and drinking because they are legal. QUOTE]

Apart from the obvious that is.

They're legal because the government makes a lot of money from them.

If you look at nicotine, alcohol and cannabis and how addictive they are and how dangerous they are in the short and long term, cannabis comes out as the safest choice and has the lowest potential for harm, so....

When I said there's nothing wrong with smoking and drinking, I was talking in legal terms, which I think you knew tbh.

I never said anything about cannabis being harmful - I said it was illegal, which it is.

On your point about cannabis being the one of these three drugs with the lowest potential for harm - I can't ever remeber hearing about alcohol or nicotine triggering psychotic episodes or other illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Reply 16

Johnny C.

9

Philosoraptor

Hey, no positive rep for my post? :p:

Lol but seriously, if the drugs are legally taken in Holland, I'm not sure what they'd do - unless it specifically states on your contract not to do so etc.

I don't know what the rules for med school are, but if you were working for a company/organisation that did drug tests on its employees and you were found to have taken drugs - saying you took the drugs in a country where it is legal would not be an excuse.

Reply 17

Huw Davies

11

No doctor would perform such a test without a patient's knowledge or consent under such circumstances. If the medical school want such a test (as far as I know it is not part of the routine health screening) they would have to request it explicitly.

Reply 18

Renal

17

Hahahaha.

If they drug tested medical students there'd be a lot fewer around. :biggrin:

Reply 19

cis2320

ahh everyone just shut up. :p:

to the person who said the no-drugs-people were naive to think that medics don't do that kinda crap is stupid. Just because we don't support it does not mean we are naive. Idiot. Of course there are people doing it, there are always people doing things that are wrong.. i mean come on. its not naive. its just we choose not to mix with the kinda crap some people do.

ugh.

Drug Testing (question for those already doing Medicine)

Related discussions

Articles for you