Pre-employment medical exams

[Elfknitter.#]

My last pre-employment medical exam was seven years ago and I recall it being a basic physical- height, weight, record history, and some minor physical exercises (touch your toes, lift this, etc). I'm currently in the midst of scheduling one for a new job and I need to mark off 3-4 hours of time. I also need to fast for it. :blink: Is this the new pre-employment medical exam norm? FWIW, the position is in library management.

[In The Great White North]

I've never heard of a pre-employment medical exam, except for the military. Do they base hiring decisions on it? Is that even legal?

[TammyS]

My last pre-employment medical exam was seven years ago and I recall it being a basic physical- height, weight, record history, and some minor physical exercises (touch your toes, lift this, etc). I'm currently in the midst of scheduling one for a new job and I need to mark off 3-4 hours of time. I also need to fast for it. :blink: Is this the new pre-employment medical exam norm? FWIW, the position is in library management.

 

Why does a library position need a pre-employment medical at all?  I can understand if it includes some kind of physical labor and they want to make sure you can reasonably do it without having a heart attack or something....but bloodwork and for a non-physical job?  I would not be ok with that.  That would feel very intrusive to me.

[Lanny]

Many many many years ago, I had a pre employment physical examination, as part of the process, before I got a position (in an office) working for a U.S. flag airline whose name you would recognize instantly. 

 

The "pre employment" physical for the U.S. Army scared the heck out of me, because I had severe Myopia and at the end of the process, a man told me that I was "fully qualified to be a paratrooper". After that, the U.S. Air Force seemed a much better way for me...

 

If someone is applying to be a Truck Driver or an Airline Pilot or many other occupations, Physical Examinations are required on a regular basis. Also, drug testing.

[Elfknitter.#]

Usually, librarian job descriptions include a must be able to lift x amount of pounds requirement. So the pre-employment physical has included a drug test and demonstrating that you are able to preform the weight lifting requirement. I've never had to submit blood work before.

[texasmama]

I had a pre-employment drug testing once.  They also did a chest x ray because I test positive on TB tests.  In addition, I had to blow into a breathalyzer to make certain I was not drunk at that moment in time.  It was a blast, I tell ya.  I only had to give urine, though, but it was a bare stripped down toilet with the lid taped down and the temperature marker on the cup to make sure the urine actually came out of your body.  Also, the tech did not get the chest x ray correct the first time and had to repeat it.  Thanks for the extra radiation, dude.  Do I need to pay extra for that???

 

Oddly, they did not do my height or weight or anything else.  It was all about drugs and alcohol and TB.

[TammyS]

Usually, librarian job descriptions include a must be able to lift x amount of pounds requirement. So the pre-employment physical has included a drug test and demonstrating that you are able to preform the weight lifting requirement. I've never had to submit blood work before.

 

Tiny threadjack..more of an aside.

 

I see that you are "elfknitter" and you have "shiny...." over your avatar.....so I have to ask - have you seen this:

 

https://sites.google.com/a/yarmando.com/library/washsweater

[Elfknitter.#]

Tiny threadjack..more of an aside.

 

I see that you are "elfknitter" and you have "shiny...." over your avatar.....so I have to ask - have you seen this:

 

https://sites.google.com/a/yarmando.com/library/washsweater

Ooo, I had not! Thanks. :)

[Momof3littles]

I worked for a company at one point that did all pre employment physicals  and lots of medical care on site in their own facilities.  They had a full PT department, physicians, nurses, PTs who did just ergonomics, you name it.  They were doing detailed physicals 12-15 years ago.  Many places want to document if you can meet the lifting requirements and so forth.  As far as the fasting, I don't recall if this facility did that, but they did their own drug screening and so forth on site.

[Stratford]

Not to hijack, but the company I work for recently announced it will not hire anyone who uses tobacco products.  I have no idea how they plan to enforce that one.  Apparently existing employees are exempt.

 

 

[peachskittles]

I've never heard of a pre-employment medical exam, except for the military. Do they base hiring decisions on it? Is that even legal?

 

Where my husband worked (and is going back to), they do pre-employment medical exams.  They do base employment on it as well.  My husband almost did not get the job because his knees pop (done that for years).  Once he explained it was a chronic condition, the nurse let it slide.  It was height, weight, eye exam, electrical stimulus for like nerves or muscles, drug test, seeing how much weight you could safely lift, etc.  I don't know if it is legal.  It would have really sucked if he hadn't got that job.  And hopefully, the new nurse will see the old report so he will squeeze right back in.

[ocelotmom]

I had pre-employment physicals at two of my nursing jobs, and drug screens at two (not the same two :)). Which makes sense, given the nature of the work.

 

At one of them, I would have had blood drawn for the Quantiferon TB test if I hadn't already had current results available from my other job.

 

But the thing that bothered me was that one of the physicals asked about STDs. Really? What does that have to do with anything? They didn't ask about other communicable diseases, just STDs.

 

The physical exam at the other job was much more thorough, but they didn't ask about STDs.

[texasmama]

At one of them, I would have had blood drawn for the Quantiferon TB test if I hadn't already had current results available from my other job.

Excuse the highjack, but is this a way for people with positive skin titres to prove they do not have TB without a chest xray?  I would like that option, as I would prefer to give blood rather than have an xray.

[Tap]

Not to hijack, but the company I work for recently announced it will not hire anyone who uses tobacco products.  I have no idea how they plan to enforce that one.  Apparently existing employees are exempt.

If you are seen smoking, you can be terminated for it as breech of contract.  They can also request a mouth swab to test for nicotine use to prove if you were smoking it yourself or 'holding it for someone'. 

 

It affects health insurance rates so it is worth it financially for the employer to not hire smokers.

Time off work for illness is proven to be higher for smokers vs non-smokers so it affects performance and sick pay also.

 

I worked for an employer that did not allow any smoking by an employee on its property, which included the parking lot.  It was an immediately terminable offence in the contract signed by all employees when they were hired.  

[Tap]

I have had them in the past.  They were minimally invasive and was basically like a sports physical, pass vs fail.  No private information went to the employer, only the pass/fail note.

 

I am guessing that the fasting is for glucose and cholesterol testing.  These results are commonly collected by health insurance companies now to set health insurance rates.  I would also expect a nicotine swab. A measurement of your waist line with the height/weight wouldn't be surprising to set BMI also. 

 

[kroe1]

Yes, I have had a huge medical work up including lab, EKG, etc. The job was worth it.

[AimeeM]

I've never heard of a pre-employment medical exam, except for the military. Do they base hiring decisions on it? Is that even legal?

 

My husband had one... and he's an engineer (white collar, IT research for a large international company).

However, they also have a plant in the area, and of course they need to make sure that the potential workers in the plant are physically fit enough to work there (heavy work). I can't imagine it not being legal - it's for safety.

For whatever reason, even those who aren't working in the plant are required to also take the pre-employment physical (but I guess the requirements for "passing" aren't the same).

 

OP - it took my husband a while too. I think it took him 2 or 3 hours (if I recall, it took less time than they told him it would).

[ocelotmom]

Excuse the highjack, but is this a way for people with positive skin titres to prove they do not have TB without a chest xray?  I would like that option, as I would prefer to give blood rather than have an xray.

 

Depends on why you have a positive test.

 

If you're positive because you've been exposed in the past and have a latent infection, you still have to do a chest x-ray.

 

If you're positive because you received the BCG vaccination in the past, the blood test will work.

[mamajag]

My husband works in the offshore oil business and his pre-employment physicals are very thorough. They want to know about any and all pre-existing problems so that they cannot be blamed (and therefore sued) for things they did not cause. They also need to be reasonably healthy because emergency health care options are limited.

[texasmama]

Depends on why you have a positive test.

 

If you're positive because you've been exposed in the past and have a latent infection, you still have to do a chest x-ray.

 

If you're positive because you received the BCG vaccination in the past, the blood test will work.

Thanks!

[Another Lynn]

I had a pre-employment exam once - it was a drug-screening if nothing else, which I had no reason to worry about.  But, personally, I felt that it insulted my professionalism.  I worked there 3 months before I knew it was not the job for me.  Maybe the pre-employment exam should have been a clue.  jmho. 

 

ETA:  Actually, I knew it was not the job for me pretty quickly, and I left it for a better, more professional job after three months.

[ocelotmom]

I had a pre-employment exam once - it was a drug-screening if nothing else, which I had no reason to worry about.  But, personally, I felt that it insulted my professionalism.  I worked there 3 months before I knew it was not the job for me.  Maybe the pre-employment exam should have been a clue.  jmho. 

 

They don't bother me because I work in a safety-sensitive position with access to controlled substances. They always stress me out because, you know, what if I started spontaneously generating opiates in my urine or something? At my last job, they did a breathalyzer test, and I idiotically asked if the rare glass of wine that I'd had the night before would show up. Come on, I'm a nurse. I know at least a little bit about BAC and that a single glass of wine is not going to register 18 hours later.

 

I interview horribly. It's amazing I have a job at all.

[Another Lynn]

They don't bother me because I work in a safety-sensitive position with access to controlled substances. They always stress me out because, you know, what if I started spontaneously generating opiates in my urine or something? At my last job, they did a breathalyzer test, and I idiotically asked if the rare glass of wine that I'd had the night before would show up. Come on, I'm a nurse. I know at least a little bit about BAC and that a single glass of wine is not going to register 18 hours later.

 

I interview horribly. It's amazing I have a job at all.

 

LOL.  I understand. 

 

[creekland]

I suspect they are doing the more thorough exam for a library position due to the health insurance they have.  I've heard of it happening before, but have not personally experienced it. 

 

My pre-employment physical (for teaching) pretty much just checked to make sure my heart was beating and I was breathing.  They didn't even check for drugs (which surprised me).  That was 15 years ago.  I've no idea if it's changed since then or not.

 

Some jobs do need extensive ones for the job (as a pp stated, so they don't get sued for what was a pre-existing condition), but I can't see that with a library position.

[stripe]

I had one. The doctor didn't even touch me, that I recall, but he had an exhaustive list of questions, including lots of details on any medicines I took, why I took them. My boss (who'd been there for a very long time) said hers was quite thorough and she definitely was touched.

[Jane in NC]

Tiny threadjack..more of an aside.

 

I see that you are "elfknitter" and you have "shiny...." over your avatar.....so I have to ask - have you seen this:

 

https://sites.google.com/a/yarmando.com/library/washsweater

Thank you for the "aside", Tammy.  I had not seen this either.