Nicotine testing in EMS

sjukrabilalfur

sjukrabilalfur

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How prevalent is nicotine testing in EMS hiring these days? I know it's becoming increasingly common in hospital systems and certain public safety services.

I may have some self serving reasons for asking this question. I recently got hired on to a private EMS company. I'll be taking the PAT and probably taking their drug test in about a week. I don't do drugs and I haven't had any alcohol in two years, but I've been gradually coming off of the vape/e-cig. I know nicotine testing doesn't differentiate between cigarettes, vapes, the patch, or gum. If this proves to be an issue with my prospective employer I guess I'll have to man up and take the consequences.
 
I mean I don't see them not hiring you for it. In my department they are going to start taking I believe $12 a pay period (two weeks) if you use tobacco products.
 
For us we get a little discount on health insurance for it but there is no testing done by the company.

We have a handful of employees who smoke and a whole crap load who chew
 
For private companies it seems to be 100% variable as to if they do tobacco testing. With e-cigs making an entry into the market, some companies are leaving them alone and only penalizing people who smoke actual tobacco
 
Jeez wow, I've never even heard of this. I'm in the northeast and probably 2/3's of EMTs I know smoke.
 
Chewy20 said:
I mean I don't see them not hiring you for it. In my department they are going to start taking I believe $12 a pay period (two weeks) if you use tobacco products.
Click to expand...
There are some agencies, including civil service that will not hire you if you use tobacco. Period
 
TransportJockey said:
There are some agencies, including civil service that will not hire you if you use tobacco. Period
Click to expand...

Bingo.

I don't -necessarily- think this is going to be an issue with the company that gave me the offer, but I'm still putting a hard stop on inhaling anything other than fresh air from here going forward because I frankly don't want to risk it either on drug test day (in 5 days) or at any point in the future.
 
Hello, anyone know anything about nicotine testing for Premier in Brea?
I'm a former smoker (long ago) but still chew the gum and am concerned it'll be tested for and knock me off being hired.
 
I've never heard of this either. o.0 Good grief, I'm hard-pressed to find an EMT/FF who doesn't smoke/vape to some degree. I give them props for the creative lengths they'll go to in order to smoke at the hospital after transport. Otherwise...yeesh. I wish we had testing for this.

But at any rate, if you explain that you have the gum and are trying to quit, I don't see how it could be an issue because you are trying to kick the habit and employers should understand it's a process. Especially if you really are trying to quit (and not "addicted to rehab" as it were), then you should be fine.
 
One of the services I work for is going to start testing and coaching to quit as a workplace health/insurance measure, optionally for now...
 
The hospital I work for does nicotine testing. (+)nicotine = no hire. Only staff that were hired before the policy got to stay. All new hires are tested. And we have no designated smoking areas for anyone. There is also a smoking question on our health insurance. If you say yes, then it costs more.
 
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