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Drug Tests for Clinical Rotations: How Ordering Works

Many nursing and allied health programs tell you exactly how to get your pre-clinical drug test, and many name a specific screening company. If yours does, use that company. If your program says it accepts a result from any lab, you can order Pact's $40 10-panel urine drug test and name your program to receive the result. Either way, ask your clinical coordinator before you order anything. This guide shows how schools set this up, what to ask, and how ordering through Pact works when it is allowed.

Updated October 16, 2026 · Checked against the official sources listed at the end

Your program sets the rules

Each program writes its own instructions for pre-clinical screening. Those instructions usually tell you who runs the test, how to order it, who sees the result, and how long the result stays good.

Programs take this seriously because clinical sites can turn students away. The University of Memphis Loewenberg School of Nursing, for example, says that if a healthcare facility it contracts with denies a student entrance because of background check results, the student will not be able to complete the course requirements.

So the first step is always the same. Read your program's instructions, then ask your clinical coordinator if anything is unclear.

Many schools name a specific screening company

Two real examples show how this usually works.

Rutgers School of Nursing has students order the drug test online through a specific screening company's platform, using a package code the school provides. After the order, an electronic chain of custody form is placed in the student's account and tells the student where to go for the test. Results are posted to that account, and a school administrator can view them there. Rutgers says students pay for all initial testing and any retesting, that a dilute or positive screen may require further action, and that the urine drug screen is valid for two years from the date results are published.

At the University of Memphis, nursing students complete the background check through a specific screening company, using a program code. The school's form tells students to note their profile details because they will use them to register for the urine drug screen.

The school gives you a code that ties your order to your program.
The result goes straight into a system the school can see.
A test ordered somewhere else may not count, even if it is the same kind of test.

If your program names a company, use it

If your school or clinical site names a specific screening company, order from that company. Pact's drug test page says the same thing. A test from another provider may not be accepted, and you could end up paying twice.

This is true even if another option costs less. The school's system, codes and deadlines are built around the company it chose.

Questions to ask your clinical coordinator

Ask these before you order. Get the answers in writing if you can, such as in an email or the program handbook.

Do I have to use a specific screening company, or will you accept a result from any lab?
Which test do you need? For example, a 10-panel urine drug screen.
Who must receive the result, and in what form?
What is the deadline, and how far ahead of it should I test?
How long is a result good for?
Does my clinical site have its own extra rules?
What happens if a result comes back dilute or needs medical review?

If your program accepts any lab: ordering Pact's 10-panel

If your coordinator confirms that any lab result is fine, Pact sells a non-DOT 10-panel urine drug screen for $40. The price covers the urine collection at a Quest Diagnostics patient service center, the laboratory test, and review by a medical review officer (MRO). Nothing is paid at the collection site.

The panel looks for amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, marijuana (THC), methadone, methaqualone, MDMA/MDA, opiates, oxycodone and oxymorphone, PCP, and propoxyphene. It is Quest test code 65190N. It does not include an alcohol test. Make sure that matches what your program asked for.

Order online. Enter your full legal name exactly as it appears on your photo ID, and your date of birth.
Name your program at checkout so the result goes to it as well as to you.
Watch your email for the Quest donor pass. Pact usually sends it within one business day (Monday to Friday).
Go to a Quest patient service center with the donor pass and a government-issued photo ID. Appointments are served first, so booking ahead saves waiting.
Testing in New York, New Jersey or Rhode Island? Call Pact before you order.

Timing, prescriptions and results

Do not wait until the week of your deadline. Pact's page says most negative results are reported within a few business days after collection. A result that needs confirmation or MRO review takes longer.

If you take a prescription medicine, that is what the MRO is for. When a lab result is not negative, a licensed physician (the MRO) contacts you to ask about prescriptions before the result is final. Our guide to MRO review explains the process.

This is a non-DOT test. It is not a substitute for a DOT test if a job is covered by federal transportation rules.

Common questions

Do I need a drug test before clinicals?

Many nursing and allied health programs require one, but each program and clinical site sets its own rules. Your clinical coordinator can tell you what your program needs and how to get it.

My school names a screening company. Can I use Pact instead?

No, use the company your school names. A result from another provider may not be accepted, and you could pay twice.

Will Pact's 10-panel be accepted by my program?

Only your program can say. Ask your clinical coordinator whether it accepts a result from any lab, and which test it needs, before you order.

Can I reuse a drug test I took for a job?

Ask your program. Some programs, like Rutgers, have students order through the school's chosen company so the result lands in a system the school can see. Rutgers also says its urine drug screen is valid for two years from the date results are published.

Does Pact's 10-panel test for alcohol?

No. It screens urine for the drugs listed on the drug test page and does not include an alcohol test.

What if I take a prescription that could show up?

Keep your prescription information handy. A result that is not negative goes to a medical review officer, a licensed physician, who contacts you about prescriptions before the result is final.