Institutional Guidelines for Pre-Employment Drug Screening
Appointment Process
- A letter of offer must be sent to the faculty candidate for a position that meets
the criteria for pre-employment drug screening with details of the initial steps required
once the position has been accepted.
- The faculty candidate may elect to have the screening at Augusta University Health/Augusta
University Medical Center Employee Health & Wellness or a non-AU Medical Center certified
testing facility.
Au Health/Au Medical Center Certified Testing Facility
AU Health/AU Medical Center Employee Health & Wellness (AUMC EH&W) is the official
Augusta University certified testing facility for faculty applicants who require pre-employment
drug screening. AUMC EH&W will bill hiring departments for these charges based on
the information provided on the AUMC Employee Health & Wellness Service Approval Form.
- The hiring department will provide the faculty candidate with the necessary documents
required at the time of scheduled for testing.
Non - AU Health/AU Medical Center Certified Testing Facilities
When the applicant selects a non - AU Health/AU Medical Center testing facility not
in the Augusta area, the following conditions must be met:
- The facility must be certified by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration
(SAMHSA) or College of American Pathology (CAP) to perform urine toxicology.
- The applicant must provide the hiring department representative with the name of the
facility and mailing address. The hiring department will send the letter (Letter to
Non - AU Health/AU Medical Center Certified Testing Facility) to the certified testing
facility advising them of the requirements of Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 45-20-111, et
seg.) and Augusta University policies.
- The facility will be instructed to provide AUMC EH&W with a written lab report and
to include a copy of their current SAMHSA or CAP licensure and a written certification
of chain of custody regarding each specimen.
- Faculty candidates must be screened for the presence of any amount of the following
illegal drugs: Marijuana/cannabinoids (THC); cocaine, amphetamines or methamphetamine;
opiates; or phencyclidine (PCP).
- The facility will be instructed to bill the hiring department directly for the initial
drug screening and confirmation test requested up to the amount of $100 per individual
faculty candidate. The hiring department is responsible for all charges associated
with pre-employment drug screening of faculty candidates.
- Failure of the non - AU Health/AU Medical Center certified testing facility to follow
the procedures or to provide necessary certifications may nullify the candidate's
test results.
- A faculty candidate's failure to submit for testing, or who receives a positive result
for illegal drugs, will render the faculty candidate ineligible for employment.
VA Faculty
Many Augusta University faculty hold VA appointments. Salary funding and distribution
differs with the commitment between the two agencies. It is possible that a faculty
member could receive all of their salary from the VA or receive funding from both
the VA and Augusta University. Georgia's pre-employment drug testing law applies only
to employees and does not distinguish between full-time and part-time employment.
Therefore, the law requires that any VA faculty who receive any salary support from
Augusta University must submit to pre-employment drug testing. This means any new
VA faculty appointment in this category should be advised of the pre-employment testing
requirements and must comply with them prior to their effective date of employment.
Testing is not required in the following situations:
- Individuals providing services to the VA pursuant to a contract (e.g. shared services,
scarce medical specialist services) between Augusta University and the VA Augusta;
and
- Individuals participating as investigators or co-investigators on research grants,
but who receive direct salary support from Augusta University, unless conducting research
within a laboratory environment.
*Faculty who receive 100% salary support from the VA are not required to undergo the
Augusta University drug screening requirement; however, if their salary distribution
changes to include any portion of Augusta University funding, a drug screening will
be required at that time. Therefore, it is advisable to request at the time of appointment
that they voluntarily undergo the drug screening. Please note that this is on a voluntary
basis and should not be construed as a requirement.
Testing by Laboratories Outside the United States
Currently, there is no international licensing or accrediting process for urine toxicology
screening; therefore, prospective faculty who reside outside the United States and
its possessions must present for and submit to testing at a facility inside the United
States.
