What is a medical?

[newdriver23]

I'm going to apply for a job fairly soon and it says you need to pass a medical, can someone explain what you have to do in the medical

Thanks

[Buenchico]

The scope of pre-employment medical examinations varies between different types of occupation. (Deep-sea divers, for example, probably need to be a good deal fitter than an office worker). Some employers require exceptionally high standards. Others only require you to prove that you're not actually dead!

The last time I had a pre-employment medical, it was for a job in the rail industry. I had to fill in a detailed questionnaire about whether I'd ever suffered from any of a long list of diseases. Then there was a fairly standard examination by the doctor and his nursing team. This included measurement of my height and weight, listening to my heart and chest, a check on my pulse rates (before, during and after brief exercise), and a blood pressure reading. My eyesight was also assessed (both with and without my glasses) and my colour vision was checked. Additionally, there was a fairly lengthy electronic testing session for my hearing. A urine sample was taken and this was tested for the presence of sugar (which might indicate diabetes), alcohol and illegal drugs. (Unusually, for such an extensive medical, no blood sample was taken). The efficiency of my lungs was tested by blowing into a device which measured the pressure exerted by exhalation.

Also, being a fella, there was the old 'drop and cough' hernia test. (The doctor holds your balls in the palm of his hand and asks you to cough).

The whole thing took about 90 minutes.

That medical was carried out at a clinic which specialises in assessing the health of workers on North Sea oil rigs, so their tests may well have been more detailed than the one which you'll have.

Chris

[antiguru]

Sounds like Chris experienced the full Network Rail medical, which is quite detailed (and hasn�t really changed since Railtrack or BR days).

Most companies will not require you to go through anything so arduous. If the company has a tame doctor you will be sent to see them and they will assess you for general health. In most vases you will be sent a blank medical form and asked to take it along to your own GP to fill in. You will need to tell your surgery that that�s what you need to see your doctor for and they will allow more time than usual. There is also usually a charge for your GP completing this process, but you could expect your new employer to reimburse you this or get the surgery to send an invoice direct to the company.

You�ll have to declare stuff like if you smoke, how much you drink, if you�ve had surgery and if you�ve been diagnosed with any major illnesses. All very straightforward really.

Hope this helps.

[newdriver23]

Thanks for your answers,

The job i'm going for is a airport check-in assistant, it says in the job ad that a medical and full security check is required, Do you think this just means a questionnaire type of medical,

e.g Do you suffer from any allergies

[Buenchico]

It's difficult to predict what type of medical the employer might require. There could well be people working in the same check-in area, but for different companies, who've experienced very different types of medicals.

The job I was applying for was 'safety critical' but, to the best of my knowledge, all staff (including, for example, those in the station booking office) still had the same medical. Other rail companies, though, might have chosen to only require safety-critical employees to go through such a detailed examination.

The only way you'll find out about what type of medical is involved is to ask someone who's already employed, in a similar job, by the company.

Chris

[CheekyChops]

I went for an admin job and had to go for a medical as part of the application process.

I filled in a questionnaire about various illnesses and diseases, they checked my weight/height and also cut a bl**dy great chunk of my hair off to send off for drugs testing.

I apssed the medical and still didn't get the job!

[CheekyChops]

*passed*

Oh and they checked my blood pressure as well.