Working with Affiliated Entities - Student Drug Screening (HSCEP OP 77.15)

Operating Policy and Procedure

HSCEP OP: 77.15, Working with Affiliated Entities - Student Drug Screenings

PURPOSE: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso) students enrolled in clinical programs are entrusted with the health, safety and welfare of patients. The safety and welfare of patients cared for by TTUHSC El Paso students is of primary concern in all TTUHSC El Paso clinical programs and its contracted affiliated entities that provide essential clinical experiences for TTUHSC El Paso students. Clinical rotations are an essential component of TTUHSC El Paso programs, and in conjunction with those clinical rotations, TTUHSC El Paso must also satisfy contractual obligations with those contracted affiliated entities.

REVIEW: This HSCEP OP will be reviewed on November 1 of each even-numbered year (ENY) by the senior associate general counsel, deans of each school (except the Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences), , and the vice president for academic affairs or designees, with recommendations for revisions forwarded to the president by January 1 of the following year.

Policy/Procedure:

1. Defined Terms
   For purposes of this policy, the term “Student” does not include residents in the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine (HSC) -.
2. Background
   TTUHSC El Paso enters into affiliation agreements with various health care clinical entities (“Affiliated Entities”), such as hospitals and other facilities, in order to provide clinical experience opportunities for its students enrolled in TTUHSC El Paso clinical education programs.
   
   Affiliated Entities may establish more stringent standards for students who wish to do a clinical rotation at the affiliated entity, than those required by TTUHSC El Paso as part of its admission process. Affiliated Entities may require students, among other things, to undergo and satisfactorily pass additional background checks and/or drug screenings as a pre-requisite to participating in a clinical rotation at the Affiliated Entity.
   
   Clinical rotations are an essential element in certain degree programs’ curricula. Students who cannot participate in clinical rotations due to a positive drug screening may be unable to fulfill the requirements of a degree program.
   
   TTUHSC El Paso schools may NOT mandate this requirement for all students. It applies solely to those students who must fulfill the requirement for participation in a clinical rotation at an Affiliated Entity.
3. Clinical Placement
   Placements at Affiliated Entities for clinical rotations will be based on the learning objectives as defined by each program consistent with the learning objectives of each student. Determination of unacceptable results of a drug screening will be made by the Affiliated Entity. Any student placed with an Affiliated Entity that requires additional background checks and/or drug screens, who cannot meet these requirements, must discuss all available options with their School’s Office of Student Affairs or their designee.
   
   Affiliated entities may conduct their own drug screening. If the student fails the drug test and is consequently denied externship placement, s/he shall be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the TTUHSC El Paso policies.
4. Responsibility of the School
   
   The student’s School shall:
   1. Notify the student of the Affiliated Entity’s requirements for a drug screen, to include the type(s) of drug screen required by the Affiliated Entity, deadlines to meet the Affiliated Entity’s requirements, a list of approved drug screen testing vendors, and a completed Authorization, Attachment A, for signature by the student.
   2. Receive the student’s drug screen test results, which shall be maintained in a confidential, locked file separate from the student’s primary educational records.
   3. Notify and ensure the Affiliated Entity that all students prior to their clinical rotation have met their drug screening requirements.
5. Responsibility of the Student
   1. The student shall pay for the cost of any and all drug screening required by an Affiliated Entity that is designated for student matriculation by TTUHSC El Paso provided articles b, c, d, below are met. The student shall be responsible for the cost of any necessary re-test or subsequent tests at TTUHSC El Paso designated Affiliated Entity(s) and any drug screening required by an Affiliated Entity selected for matriculation by the student.
   2. The student shall complete the drug screen prior to the deadlines provided by the School and meet the guidelines of the Affiliated Entity. Failure to complete the drug test prior to the deadlines may result in an additional expense to the student, and/or delay in, or denial of, rotation in the Affiliated Entity.
   3. The student shall use a drug screen vendor from the designated vendors provided to the student by his/her School and/or the Affiliated Entity.
      1. Results from a vendor NOT designated by the School and/or Affiliated Entity will not be accepted and the student shall be required to have the drug screening test(s) conducted by an approved vendor.
   4. The student will be required to sign a valid consent and authorization, Attachment “A,” consenting to the drug screening and giving the vendor performing the test permission to provide the drug screen test results to the person designated by the School to receive student drug screen tests results under this policy.
6. Student Refusal to Consent to Drug Screen
   Any student who fails or refuses to consent to a drug screen required by an Affiliated Entity to which the student has been assigned by his/her School shall be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the TTUHSC El Paso Student Handbook/Code of Professional and Academic Conduct, the Schools’ written policies, if any, and this policy.
7. Period of Validity - Drug Screen Results
   1. Unless otherwise required by an Affiliated Entity, drug screen test results will generally be valid for the time the student is in the program within the School unless there is a break in enrollment, defined as not enrolled for one full semester.
   2. Students may be required to undergo drug screening more than once depending on the requirements of each Affiliated Entity in which the student is placed to meet their learning objectives or the number of Affiliated Entities at which the student is placed.
8. Drug Screen Results
   1. Diluted Specimen. Should the vendor report that the screening specimen was diluted, thereby precluding an accurate drug screen test, the student, at his/her expense, will be required to complete and successfully pass a new drug screen test.
   2. Negative Drug Screen Results. The School which receives the student’s drug screen test results, may release negative drug screen test results to the student, provided the student has signed the appropriate release form, Attachment A.
   3. Positive Drug Screen Results.
      1. A positive drug screen is any instance in which a drug screen report shows a positive test for one or more of the drugs on the panel required by the Affiliated Entity.
      2. Any student with a positive drug screen will not be placed in any clinical facility pending review and outcome of appeal with the vendor.
      3. The student has the right, at his/her expense, to request an independent review of any positive drug screen, by an independent Medical Review Officer, provided by the vendor. There will be an additional charge if review by the Medical Review Officer is requested, and the student is responsible for all costs related to this review.
      4. Any appeal based on a positive drug screen is solely between the student, the Medical Review Officer and the vendor. The student’s School will not become involved in the appeal of a positive drug screen.
      5. If, after review by the independent Medical Review Officer, there is no valid medical basis which would cause or contribute to the positive drug screen, the test results will stand, at which point the student will be referred to the School’s Office of Student Affairs for disciplinary action in accordance with this policy and the School’s written policies.
9. Confidentiality of Records
   Drug screening reports and all records pertaining to the results are considered confidential information with restricted access to the extent allowed by law.
10. Re-admission
    1. Any student who is withdrawn due to a positive drug screen without medical validation will only be eligible for re-admission to any TTUHSC El Paso program of study in accordance with the School’s re-admission policies.
    2. If accepted for re-admission after the required period of time, the student must, at his/her own expense, provide a negative drug test and satisfactory documentation of completion of any remedial action required by the School.
11. Right to Change Policy.
    TTUHSC El Paso reserves the right to change, modify, amend or rescind this policy in whole, or in part at any time.