Undergraduate Nursing Student Drug Screening Policy

Purpose

The University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst Elaine Marieb College of Nursing (EMCON)is committed to is committed to high quality education and providing excellent clinical experiences for all nursing students. Clinical placements provide students with the required number of clinical hours needed for successful completion of their clinical courses and nursing program. During these experiences, students are expected to perform at their highest functional level to maximize the learning environment and ensure both patient and student safety.

Policy Statement

Students enrolled in undergraduate nursing programs are required to undergo and pass a drug screening analysis to remain in the program and be eligible for placement in a clinical facility. Students assigned to clinical education experiences at the EMCON’s contracted facilities may also have varying policies with additional drug testing requirements including random and for cause, scheduled drug screenings to remain at that clinical facility and in the program. Students need to adhere to these clinical site policies to qualify for these placements.
Although Massachusetts law permits the use of medical/recreational marijuana, federal law prohibits its use at educational institutions. See UMass Amherst Code of Student Conduct and Guide to University Alcohol and Drug Policies below.

Procedure

Drug testing instructions are provided on our Exxat credentialing platform and are stated here.

  • Select your correct program and then drug test.
  • Register for the site you plan on utilizing for your drug test: Quest or Lab Corp.
  • Make an appointment for Quest Diagnostics or Lab Corp – wherever student is registered.
  • Once you register in Exxat you will receive an email to bring to your appointment. Please do not forget this email document since they will not be able to process your test.

Students who refuse to submit to this screening within the designated time frame will be ineligible for clinical placement and therefore unable to meet the objectives for the course, which may affect their ability to progress in the program.

Students who test positive for a legal, controlled substance/drug will be asked by the testing site’s medical review officer (MRO) for a current prescription for that substance written by a healthcare provider indicating the need for the medication.

  • If the substance is an illegal substance or a controlled drug for which the student does not have a valid prescription, they will be ineligible for clinical placement and therefore unable to meet the objectives for the course, which may affect their ability to progress in the program.
  • Such students may reenroll in the clinical course when it is again offered but will again need to resubmit to drug testing in accordance with credentialing requirements prior to clinical placement.
  • Students will be responsible for any costs associated with additional testing that is required following a positive drug test result.