What Do Specimen Collectors Need Refresher Training?

Working as a urine collector for the Department of Transportation (DOT) is a very important job that the government takes very seriously. If you want to secure a position working as a urine collector with the DOT, you’ll need to go through initial training and refresher training.

Why Refresher Training Is Necessary

No matter your job, it makes sense to work for a greater degree of proficiency constantly. That being said, sometimes you don’t have a choice. For example, if you work for the DOT as a urine collector, you must undergo retraining (what they call “refresher training”) every five years starting from the day you initially went through this process.

Therefore, you’ll want to make sure you treat this training as a priority and prepare for it as necessary. Though you shouldn’t have too much trouble passing (after all, you will have been doing this job for five years), understanding what to expect is still a good idea.

What DOT Urine Collection Refresher Training Entails

The good news is that refresher training will most likely involve the training and tests you had to go through to get hired by the DOT as a urine collector in the first place. However, it is important that you are aware of all the changes that have been made since you began. Those changes are things you must implement every day while you work for one thing. Although they will still be covered in your refresher training, the DOT expects that you have already been introduced to them.

Aside from those changes, you’ll have to pass five tests before returning to work as a urine tester. Two of these will be “uneventful” tests where you must administer it to a subject and carry out the control and custody form procedures.

Then there will be one where you have to respond to a test where there is an inadequate amount of urine. Next, you will have to react to a test wherein the temperature of the sample falls out of the acceptable range of temperatures. Finally, you must prove you know how to respond when a test taker refuses to verify that they have been through the process.

The Importance of Being Proficient

As the DOT doesn’t offer refresher training, choosing the cheapest option for this requirement may be tempting. The problem with this approach is that it could hurt your business prospects in the future. If you aren’t properly testing subjects because your refresher training was lacking, companies will quickly forego hiring you in favor of another tester. You may even be the target of lawsuits if you’ve inadvertently hurt someone’s employment prospects (or passed someone who should have failed).

Going through refresher training is critical for every urine collector. Not only does the federal government require it of all their collectors, but you will also risk losing business if you aren’t up-to-date on best practices.