Pre-employment Physical/med list request?

[zuluRN]

I am a newbie nurse, just graduated and have applied at a few hospitals. Here's the catch: their "pre-employment physical" consists of an extremely detailed health questionnaire. They want to know what medications you are on, what health conditions you have EVER been treated for (including mental conditions, substance abuse history, etc.). The kicker is that at the VERY end of the questionnaire is a blanket consent that authorizes the employer (in Orlando, FL) to have access to EVERY SINGLE MEDICAL RECORD you have ever had and any medical record in the future. WHAT?!?!

I don't know if this is a Florida thing, or if nurses in all states have to agree to this level of probing. Reason I ask: I do have a drug abuse history. I have worked extremely hard to get to where I am at, and have overcome so many obstacles. I have a LEGAL prescription for an anti-anxiety med that I am slowly coming off of, but cannot abruptly stop because I will have seizures and die, so that's not a possibility in the near future. I have no problem taking a drug test as I do not take any illegal drugs, nor do I have a problem presenting my prescription to an MRO after a drug test. I do, however, have a problem disclosing my ENTIRE medical history.

In what state is your medical history/medication information protected from employers as a nurse? In what state is it illegal for potential employers to require access to your medical records/medication list as a condition of employment?

[BeachsideRN, ASN]

I am interested in this also ...

[MunoRN, RN]

Under federal law an employer cannot require health information prior to a "conditional offer" of employment. Once that conditional offer has been made they can then pursue this information. The offer is conditional on meeting health requirements which can include not using certain medications, even legally prescribed ones. The purpose of this is to ensure that an offer of employment is not being denied based on health history, but that doesn't mean an employer can't then deny employment based on that health history so long as they meet certain requirements; it has to be job related and have the potential to substantially effect the ability to fulfill the requirements of the job or safety.