Why are health employers asking for blood draw?

I was just offered a job and for a graduate nurse position and the HR Manager called to set up a physical for me.

She told me that they would also be testing for drugs, TB skin test, and drawing blood.

I guess I just never heard of having my blood drawn for employment. Has anyone else had their blood drawn? What are they testing for?

11 Answers

They may want to check titers. I've had an employer draw blood to check for that before and they gave me the necessary booster shots before I started on the floor.

Specializes in ER.

I've had it with several jobs, checking for immunities. No big deal.

Specializes in L&D, PACU.

Yep, titers

Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

I know it's crazy with titers...I had them pulled a year before LPN school to make sure a MMR had taken after I was exposed to measles at church...then when I started LPN school....then when I started at my hospital....then 9 months ago when I started Rn school....

Good grief, I'm afraid they've sucked all the antibodies out at this point..

Specializes in Cardiothoracic Transplant Telemetry.

If you still have proof of the positive titres in your files and can produce copies, they may not necessarily draw blood. In the past they have foregone the blood draws when I have been able to provide proof of positive immunity. If you are not able to provide proof of immunity, make sure that you sign whatever forms that you need to to get copies of the blood work for your files so that you don't necessarily need to have to go through the blood work with every new employer.

Different employers have different protocols for pre-employment physicals. My current employer did a CBC, chem panel, and UA in addition to TB and drug screening.

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

In addition to the titers ... they may also be doing a drug screen. My hospitals uses a urine test as a first screen, but it as a 30% false positive rate. That means that 30% of the new hires have to come back in for a second test -- a more reliable blood test.

Having to bring 30% in for a second appointment is expensive and takes time if you are trying to hire someone in a hurry. It is also very stressful for the new employee who has to be told that their urine test was positive for drugs and that a 2nd test is needed. The hospital in question might just prefer to get a blood-based test on everyone from the beginning.

Thanks, that's what I was figuring but we have all those titers done prior to clinicals. It is a bit redundant and wasteful...but oh well, I'm just happy I got offered a job!! :yeah:

We actually get a yearly CBC, and Chem profile at our hospital

I would just ask, "hey, what's the blood draw for?" They have to tell you, and it shouldn't be a big deal. It's probably just titers, but I would like to know that before I let someone draw my blood and run whatever they would like on it.

Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

I stay so dehydrated at work, I'd be scared to see what my BUN/creat. ratio was after a 12 hour shift...

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