Effective fall 2011, the MU School of Medicine and School of Nursing require incoming students to get drug tested before they enroll in classes.
Drug testing in the medical school was first introduced by Linn State Technical College. But the MU School of Medicine did not get this idea from LTC.
“MU medical students are tested because their education requires them to train in hospitals and clinics that require testing, and like other health care providers in those facilities, medical students are entrusted with and committed to the health, safety and welfare of patients,” School of Medicine Communications Director Rich Gleba said.
MU senior and nursing student Amelia Sherinski said the drug testing is an essential procedure for medical students.
“I think the tests are helpful in finding out who is truly qualified to be in medicine,” she said. “No patient would knowingly sign their safety over to a known drug user, so the testing by the hospital is absolutely necessary in order to stop these individuals from potentially causing harm.”
She also said alcoholic or drug-addicted students should not be practicing medicine and the tests make sure they can’t.
Columbia attorney Dan Viets said he questions this approach to benefit the medical industry. Although the motive has good intentions, Viets said, it is still an illegal action.
“I don’t care what the motive is,” he said. “Their method is illegal.”
Sherinski stressed that patient safety should be considered primarily before considering a constitutional matter.
“I agree that drug-testing could be viewed as a violation of one’s privacy, but the individuals being subjected to these tests know what they are getting themselves into when they decide to pursue careers in medicine,” Sherinski said. “To me, that makes the constitutional issue null and void. Furthermore, the individual being tested is not the key player in this situation. In the public institution we are concerned with, patient safety is at stake. As health care professionals, patient safety is our number one priority.”
This is the first semester this practice has been in effect.
