OK. New to this. But to sum things up...
I just graduated nursing school in August. My TB test was coming up on being due, so I got it renewed then. It was probably positive. It itched like crazy, swelled up, and in a panic, I iced it like crazy before going in. (Stupid, I know, no lectures - but keep in mind that I hadn't shown a single symptom of any illness in almost 3 years at this point and had a long history of negative tests.)
They originally read it as positive, but I knew I was in a sticky situation, being a new grad. My family is so poor, on the verge of losing everything, and the only way we kept our lights on through school was with my small student loan installments. I knew any delay in employment could mean losing everything, and I started crying. So they kept calling new people over, who read it smaller and smaller, until it was declared negative. Yup. The pity pass.
So it STILL took me this long to find a new job. We are bordering on having to pull my daughter out of her preschool, and our rent has been late for the last 2 months. AND I NEED ANOTHER PPD TEST. I start on the 5th. I have my test Wednesday, read on Friday.
Now, I KNOW I'm healthy - not so much as a sniffle in almost 3 years. Not even a head-cold. Really. So I know a cxr would be negative, absolutely. My question is this - while I can probably secure an x-ray before the 5th, no problem, can they force me to wait months until I'm well established on the prophylactic antibiotics as well? And if the position isn't open then? Can they halt my employment for this? NO ONE at this major corporation can give me a straight answer. And there's been radio silence from my instructors. I know plenty of nurses who converted during their career, and I'm not worried anymore. I could give a CRAP if I croak 20 years from now - as long as my daughter has food tomorrow, you know?
What are the legalities involved? Can they withhold employment? I can't sleep over this...