Invasive Pre-Employment Physical??

Nurses General Nursing

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hi to all!! i just wanted to take a few minutes and ask around. i went today for my pre-employment physical. i know that obviously drug testing and titers are drawn. however, when i'm about to be taken to the lab, i am told that i will also have a cbc done. i felt that was really invasive in regards to my health privacy. i think my health, as long as its not a communicable disease issue where my patients are at risk or i am at risk of catching it from my patients, is exactly that...my health.

at that point, i really had no choice. its the job of my dreams and what am i going to say...no and there goes my employment. however, i did feel slightly violated. what if there is something? what if even though i am young and healthy, they find something very wrong and either a) they decide that someone sick is not someone they want to invest in and i lose the job i didn't even get to start and/or b) now the hospital is aware of my health issues?

maybe i'm wrong but i just feel that it was unnecessary. what do you all think?

Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

I totally understand how you feel I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THAT as apart of a pre employment physical..isn't XRAY TB and urine only?

I had labs drawn, a fairly complete physical including some physical activity (how many times I could go up and down the stairs in 3 minutes, what my pulse was immediately before, immediately after, and five minutes after the stair test; lifting a 25 pound weight, and something else that I can't remember right now...maybe stepping up and down off of a high step/box for 30 seconds? I remember doing something balance oriented, but I can't remember what). My labs included a CBC, COMP, and TSH with reflex.

I don't mind. I get my healthcare done at my hospital (it's a one horse town) so it's not like they don't have access to my records anyway. I was happy to get it all done for free.

Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

When I went for pre-employment for a contract research & pharmaceutical manufacturer we had to do hair sampling for drugs. It was their P&P since the site manufactured & tested class II-IV narcotics. Cost them big $$$ but more accurate (and harder to fake/cheat) than a random urine.

Hospital was titers, urine drug screen, CBC & chem panels (especially for staff that potential contact w/ oncology, radiation, or immunocompromised patients)

Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

this is normal for one hospital of which i know. i never heard of anyone being fired or denied employment, but i am not an occupational health nurse. on the other hand, i do know of someone who had an issue that was found on the cbc. the nurse was not allowed to start orientation until the issue was either fix or being treated. the nurse could not get it resolved but the nurse did see a doctor, who wrote a note explaining that he was treating the patient for x, and that there was nothing preventing the nurse from performing the job description. in fact, this note is the only thing the nurse's new employer wanted to see before starting work.

Specializes in med-surg, mother-baby.
Can I come work in Canada? Not only do you have better employment rights, your beer is better too!

Oh my dear God! I dont know about better employment rights, but that might be just because Im from Quebec...Pay is much lower, taxes are higher, and mandatory overtime is pretty much standard for most hospitals. I would suggest finding another hospital in your area if you're not satisfied, not moving here where you most likely will not like the work conditions...

Specializes in med-surg, mother-baby.
They can screen me from top to bottom and obviously if I was a drug user then they need to know. I just worry that if (God forbid) something comes back abnormal (like low plates, low WBC, or anything else that requires much further workup), that I will lose the opportunity because I'm not a "healthy" employee. I'm a new grad and the opportunity I was offered comes around once in a lifetime. As far as i know and feel, I'm healthy...but still, being in the medical field you know that you can easily be surprised sometimes. I just have to wait but still, it rattles my nerves a bit cause you never really know.

Honestly, what worries me is that you are more scared of losing this job opportunity than finding out you have a health problem? If you ARE sick enough to not get the job, then you might not be physically able to work anyways...And as someone else said, I dont see how getting a CBC is invasive...I really think you're making a big deal out of nothing. If invasion of privacy is something that freaks you out, living in Big Brother USA might not be the best thing for you :S

Specializes in acute care med/surg, LTC, orthopedics.
Oh my dear God! I dont know about better employment rights, but that might be just because Im from Quebec...Pay is much lower, taxes are higher, and mandatory overtime is pretty much standard for most hospitals. I would suggest finding another hospital in your area if you're not satisfied, not moving here where you most likely will not like the work conditions...

No offense to you, but Quebec has always been the oddball of all the provinces, and in many ways can't be compared to the rest of Canada. Quebec has historically always paid its nurses lower than any other province - that's your union and government you need to go after, however cross the border into Ontario and BC and you will find the highest paid nurses in the country. Taxes may be higher but in return we get social service safety nets not available in the States, and as for mandatory overtime... maybe 20 years ago, but now OT is discouraged unless necessary for staffing levels.

We don't work in fear of losing our jobs over every little decision - our unions protect us, we're not subjected to mandatory vaccines or drug screens etc. as conditions of employment, jobs in many areas are aplenty and many support systems in place to promote autonomy and nursing professional practice. Of course our health care system has its issues, but overall if you read what our American colleagues have to go through on a regular basis just to survive, you'll probably find the grass isn't really greener on the other side.

You can refuse to have the CBC done, and, of course, they can refuse to give you a job.

You're making a mountain out of a molehill. This is a free country, you're allowed to refuse the CBC and seek employment elsewhere. No one is forcing this minimally invasive test on you.

Ummm...I never made this a big deal. I was taking suggestions. Invasive is someone performing a lady partsl exam on me for pre-employment. However, my health is my business PERIOD and is an invasion of my privacy. I agreed to it obviously and I have nothing to hide but like someone did mention, yes I was concerned that if out of the blue something came up that it would risk my job that I need very much because I have been unemployed for a year now.

So for those that were supportive and understanding and gave their experiences, thank you; everything came back fine and I am in my orientation now. To those that attacked about making a "mountain out of a molehill" or insinuating this was blown out of proportion..."seriously", I hope that's not how you respond to your patient's worries and concerns.

You never mentioned a lady partsl exam. In your original post, you mentioned being upset about a CBC, and in your title you yourself called it invasive. You don't need to make your own little knee-jerk generalizations when people give a response about whether a CBC is appropriate for a pre-employment physical. Voicing the opinion that you were overreacting is not attacking you, nor does it mean that they are insensitive to their patient needs.

You had a lady partsl exam as part of your pre-employment physical or were you just using that as an example? I find that invasive as well but that wasn't part of your original commentary. I'd drawn the line on that.

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