i applied at a local nursing home and they had me go in for an interview and a drug screening. now, seeing that i had never did any drugs, i’m afraid that i might get a false positive because i drink Propel flavored water and I heard that the B vitamins can be mistaken for THC. I went in for this screening two days ago, and I still haven’t heard anything. I am starting to panic.
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Don’t panic.
How fast a test comes back depends on what kind of drug test. If it was rapid, the result is instant, but that doesn’t mean they immediately send it to the employer. We only use rapids and it usually takes 1-3 days to get back. Just depends on how busy the provider is. Where I worked before we did not use rapids and it took anywhere from 4 days to 2 weeks.
Lots of things can cause a false positive. My experience has been that the provider will call the candidate if there is an issue with the test. They don’t come out and say you failed, they ask questions like are you are taking any medications or vitamins or have you been exposed to XYZ. They know what would trigger a false positive and if there is a possibility of it they will re-test or they may send the sample to an outside lab for further more specific testing.
After I get a result back, there is a slue of other things I have to do before I start an employee. Order a computer, get them account access, get the new hire paperwork together, set them up in the HRIS system, order uniforms etc. I usually don’t call the candidate to give them a start date until I have all that together or at least know the date I will have it all. No point in them starting if they don’t have what they need on the first day.
Have you already sent a thank you note to the employer? If not, send (old fashion handwritten is better but to save time, I would e-mail or drop it off) them a nice thank you and let them know you have completed your drug test and are excited about the opportunity. Hopefully that will get them to give you a response. Besides I can’t tell you how many people don’t do thank you notes anymore and yes this can make a difference if it is between you and someone else). If you have already done that, then call HR let them know you are excited to start and see when that would be.
I can’t speak for all companies, but every place I’ve ever worked we have always notified a candidate when they failed a drug test.