School of Medicine Drug Testing Policy
Please refer to the Medical Education Program Policy section regarding 2.6 Drug Testing Policy.
The School of Medicine does not require "routine" drug testing of medical students. However, some facilities where students may rotate for various clinical experiences do require drug testing before they will accept a student for a rotation.
The School generally contracts with these facilities so that the testing can be done through the School rather than through the facility in order to protect students' privacy. The School in turn uses HireRight, which provides industry-standardized drug screening service through Quest Diagnostics and Lab Corp laboratories around the 5 state region.
Working with HireRight, the School has chosen to implement a urine drug screening program for its drug testing protocol. The HireRight drug testing procedure is used and the laboratory will perform a 13-panel test for the following drugs:
13 Panel Drug Test |
|---|
Amphetamine (methamphetamine) |
Barbiturates (Amobarbital, Butalbital, Pentobarbital, Phenobarbital, Secobarbital) |
Benzodiazepines (Alprazolam Metabolite, Oxazepam) |
Cocaine Metabolites |
Expanded Opioids (Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, Hydromorphone, Oxymorphone) |
Fentanyl |
Marijuana Metabolites* |
MDMA (Ecstasy) |
Methadone |
Methaqualone |
Opioids (Codeine/Morphine, 6am (heroin)) |
Phencyclidine (PCP) |
Propoxyphene |
*Due to federal regulations, a positive drug test is not mitigated by state law or medical marijuana authorization.
The drug screen is good for one year. If you are scheduled at multiple sites that require drug testing through the UWSOM, you will only need to complete drug screening once.
Clerkship sites/course numbers with drug test requirement. No information concerning drug testing will be shared with the clerkship rotation facility other than to verify that the results were negative. The SOM can NOT verify drug test results from outside agencies.
The School and the students will have access to the report by submitting a request through HireRight. The School will record compliance status in Evalue but will not upload the reports to Evalue in order to protect students' privacy.
STUDENTS SHOULD NOT SHOW THEIR RESULTS to clerkship sites, please reach out to somcompl@uw.edu for a drug testing attestation letter.
UW Policy on Cannabis Use
Process for positive results for prescribed medications
If there is a positive result for a prescribed medication/s, a HireRight "Medical Review Officer" (MRO) will contact student to ask for documentation of their prescription. Once the review is completed, the results will be reported as negative and the UWSOM will not have any information about the student’s medication/s.
Students will have three days to respond to the MRO. If the MRO does not hear from the student within three days, HireRight will report the positive result to the school. If you do not hear from the MRO within 3 days please call them directly at 800.404.0016.
Process for positive results for controlled or illicit substances and/or cannabis
If there is a confirmed positive for a controlled (Schedules II-V) or an illicit substance or cannabis, the medical student will be referred to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs for further assessment and management. A positive result for any illicit substance and/or cannabis, will result in an automatic referral to the Washington Physician's Health Plan (WPHP).