Drug Testing in PT School

Every few weeks, I see panicked messages from PT students and applicants wanting to know if they’ll be drug tested. While rare, some programs arrange for drug testing before school starts, while others do it during the program (especially before clinicals), and many others don’t do it at all. Often, certain clinicals or jobs will require drug testing before starting. Pediatric or school-based settings are especially likely to test you, as are certain hospital systems or large PT chains.

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) notes, “DPT programs may require criminal background checks and/or drug tests in order to verify an individual’s suitability to participate in experiential education rotations, to confirm a student’s eligibility for licensure, and to ensure patient safety. Contact your designated DPT programs directly for specific policies.”

The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) lists failing a drug screen as a category for disciplinary action.

My own physical therapy program required drug screening before we started clinicals, but they informed students far in advance – they didn’t want anyone to fail. They also sent us a handy guide listing commonly used drugs and how long they last in your system. Other programs aren’t as forthcoming and make the tests more of a surprise. Anecdotally, most drug screens seem to be urine tests.

Now that marijuana is legal for either medicinal and/or recreational purposes in several states, many wonder if they’re allowed to smoke weed. This will largely depend on the state you’re in as well as the specific program or job testing you. In certain cases, you can still fail a drug test if you test positive for cannabis even if it is legal in your state and/or you have a medical card for it. Notably, FSBPT says urine tests cannot tell the difference between THC and CBD. If you’re comfortable, ask what the policy is. If not, you might want to refrain from using for a bit before getting tested to ensure you’re not going to fail. You can also ask students in the years above you or try Googling “[Program Name/Clinical Site] + drug screen” to see if you can find anything out online.