Pre-Employment Physical

[barbyann]

I have a friend who is concerned about a pre-employment physical. Does she have to tell them she has cardiomyopathy? What about medications? Do you need to give the complete list? How would a diagnosis like this effect chances of employment? I don't encourage lying but she needs the job and is physical capable of the assignment.

[Sister Fox]

I'm curious - here in the UK, OHNs are required to maintain all medical records of employees as strictly confidential - that is, not for the eyes of any member of the management. All management gets after a pre-employment medical is a paper stating that this person is either "FIT" or "UNFIT" for the proposed job. Nothing more, certainly they never get sight of the forms the individual has filled in. Any issues considered pertinent to be revealed to the management require the employee's written consent beforehand but they are at liberty to withhold that consent if they choose to though that would probably mean they wouldn't be offered the job.

The only time medical issues can be discussed with the management is when a manager has referred an employee for a sickness absence review and even then, we may only discuss the condition(s) causing the absence. Thus, if a person has absence due to back pain problems and depression, then that is all we discuss.

[deb1ohn]

If the employer is following ADA and EEOC guidelines, then the personal issues will not even come up in the post-offer exam. It is only wise for an employer to ask about issues related to the essential functions of the position... and those are usually only musculo-skeletal questions. Questions regarding past fractures, hip or knee replacements, etc. Do not lie on those, you will get terminated!

But on the other hand, don't volunteer stuff that isn't asked! An employer doesn't need to know all the little stuff, and if you share too much that isn't asked, you might not get the job! We had an applicant that shared that he had a "really bad sinus problem" and he was "waiting to get on somewhere with good insurance" before he had surgery. TMI !!!