New employer requires I bring my antidepressant Rx and get "cleared" from my MD

[ORRN21]

So I just got hired at a big public hospital system and the pre employment paperwork states I have to bring any anti-depressant medication bottles to my pre-employment appointment. When I get there they make copies of my medication Wellbutrin and Celexa Rx and then require me to get a release from my doctor stating Im cleared to work. What?! Invasion of privacy and humiliating!! Can they do this??? Well I guess they can since they just did!

Has anyone else heard of this?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

How did your new employer know that you took antidepressant medications? Did you divulge this information to them?

I'm only asking because no employer has ever demanded this information out of me in the nearly two decades I've been in the workforce.

[ORRN21]

No, I didn't divulge. This is on the form that is given to all new hires. Only asked about antidepressants. Since I had to give urine sample I thought I'd better comply and not risk losing the position. But gee….

[SarahMaria, MSN, RN]

But antidepressants don't show up on a urine tox screen.

[ORRN21]

Sarah, I didn't think so either, but the wording was so intimidating that I was nervous that I might be "found out"

One nurse said the Rx were controlled substances! I told her they were NOT controlled substances at all. There is already so much stigma associated with "psych meds" I was really uncomfortable.

I don't think that this should be legal

[SarahMaria, MSN, RN]

I am a psych nurse. Psych treatment is considered to have a heightened level of privacy along with HIV & substance abuse records. You do not need to disclose this information to anyone. They were wrong to ask for it.

[anewsns]

I had to go through occupational health for my new job as well and got cleared by my doctor. I think if you sign a confidentiality agreement and it's going to a medical office , and not directly to your boss, it's a safe thing to do. Depression is an illness that could affect your ability to do your job, just like any other.(even if it actually doesn't, it COULD.) and antidepressant use is common.

[elkpark]

This is a grey area. People have a right to privacy and confidentiality regarding their medical issues and records, but employers have a right (if not a duty) to ensure their employees are capable of safely performing the jobs for which they're hired. I don't pretend to know the specific legalities and am not offering any legal advice, but I'm guessing that, if the hospital is doing this, their legal counsel has determined it's permitted. OP, I hope that this isn't going to create any kind of problems for you at the job. Best wishes!

[BostonFNP, APRN]

What antidepressant medication is it? Or what class?

[ORRN21]

wellbutrin and celexa.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

You shouldn't be required to disclose that information, either illness or medication.

By disclosing the illness you would be protected by the ADA. I am not sure disclosing medication is necessary or advisable.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Was the OP asked to disclose the information to her "employer" or to the "occupational health company" that does their pre-employment health screening. There is a big difference. In most places, it is totally legal for an employer to have physical standards that must be met -- and those standards of health/ability/etc. are assessed by a company that keeps the details of those screenings secret from the employer. As long as the information is not disclosed to the actual employer, it it perfectly legal.

I also believe it is perfectly reasonable. Employers have a right to know whether or not there are any health-related reasons that a person can't do the job they are being hired for. That's what the Occ. Health company does. They do the assessment and simply tell the employer whether or not the person is fit for work or not. They don't disclose the details.