Cox Health / Mercy Nicotine Rules

Submitted by Frogsrule500 t3_y8abc9 in springfieldMO

Hello everyone, hope your all having a fantastic day! I am applying to Cox and or Mercy and I have recently (RECENTLY) quit using nicotine (lozenges/occasional cigarette). I am concerned it will still be in my system for a while and I was wondering if anyone knew the latest and most updated rules for nicotine/cotinine testing for the hospital systems. What is the cotinine cutoff? I have tests but they are 200 ng/ml and I would imagine the hospitals are much more precise. Do they still offer a 90 day cessation program in with an option for rehire? Or do they reject you completely and blacklist you? Any information on this would be very useful. Thank you wonderful redditors and have a wonderful day!

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Thesecondbornhunter t1_iszq69f wrote

I think if you explain your situation you should be good. I worked for Cox and several I worked with quit smoking not long before working there. On top of that many of my coworkers smoked while employed by them so I’m not sure how strict they are.

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denisedenise9 t1_it01ye1 wrote

100% agree (used to work in Cox hr). The recruiter will even push back your employee health appt (that’s when they test you) so you can pass because they truly do want you to pass. Usually 2 weeks is good enough to get nicotine out of your system depending on your metabolism.

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Maleficent_Price5346 t1_it03ivz wrote

I’ve worked at Cox for almost 5 years, there doesn’t appear to be info publicly available about specific levels of nicotine. There is a smoke cessation program that you can enroll in as a condition of employment. And I can say from experience that once you’re hired that’s where the inquiry stops, provided it’s not obvious. There are also exceptions made for certain products that are recognized as for the purpose of smoke cessation.

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StrongPlan3 t1_it07uzv wrote

I just got hired and quit using nicotine about 20 days before!

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ryanolds t1_it0a2bk wrote

I don't think Mercy tests new hires for nicotine. It may be a health Insurance requirement but if I remember correctly, they offer a smoking cessation program and cover the costs.

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mreiebs t1_it0fleo wrote

Cox is strict in that they don’t hire smokers. The reason some employees smoke is bc they worked there before cox made that rule, so they were “grandfathered in”. Those employees still don’t smoke on cox property however. But I’m sure the hiring staff will work with you since you recently quit.

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Foxsaysfuck t1_it1m61q wrote

Mercy doesn't test for nicotine. Although, there are most likely extra charges for your insurance through them. I believe in 2019 there was $75 added to your premium if you were a smoker. I barely pay attention to the benefits so forgive me if my numbers are off.

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hibbitydibbitytwo t1_it1qht6 wrote

Mercy didn’t test for nicotine in 2017 when I started.

Mercy’s health insurance asks you if you have used nicotine in the last six months and if you have then your health insurance premiums are higher for the following year.

I did my open enrollment on Monday night. You can use nicotine from December to May without paying a surcharge.

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MaximumPlantain210 t1_iuad5u5 wrote

it only takes about three days for nicotine to not show up in your piss. u should be good

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FrozenBearMo t1_iszoxmt wrote

Either one is trash and not worth your time. What you do to your own body is none of their business.

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Aimless78 t1_it0y5so wrote

They are Healthcare providers and so it makes sense that they want their staff to be healthy by not smoking. Anyone who works in Healthcare knows how bad it is for the body. Don't want to work there then that is your choice but they are not trash because of the nicotine policy.

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