Is it normal for programs to ask you to fly in for pre-employment physicals and tests?

[traxxradiorocks]

I know a lot of hospitals want pre-employment physicals and tests (ie. TB, drug tests, etc) but why can't they wait til you already there for orientations?
I am looking at the prices for my flights. Ouch....

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[BoardingDoc]

I know a lot of hospitals want pre-employment physicals and tests (ie. TB, drug tests, etc) but why can't they wait til you already there for orientations?
I am looking at the prices for my flights. Ouch....

What? No, this is in no way normal. If they want it now, why can't your own doctor do it?

 

[traxxradiorocks]

Right? They are asking us to fly in before end of May for those.
I'm flying from one end of the coast to the other for the tests. I'm going to spend my vacation budget on flights and hotel for the physicals and tests. Ouuuch.

 

[Raryn]

I know a lot of hospitals want pre-employment physicals and tests (ie. TB, drug tests, etc) but why can't they wait til you already there for orientations?
I am looking at the prices for my flights. Ouch....

I had a number of friends who had to do that. They were all planning on making at least one trip out to do apartment searching, so they did it at that time.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I had a number of friends who had to do that. They were all planning on making at least one trip out to do apartment searching, so they did it at that time.

Really?

We either had to do it on-site during orientation or provide it prior to from our own PCP (both med school and residency).

Is this a new revenue stream? What possible purpose otherwise would there be to force poor students to come out and pee in a cup and have some blood drawn?

 

[Raryn]

Really?

We either had to do it on-site during orientation or provide it prior to from our own PCP (both med school and residency).

Is this a new revenue stream? What possible purpose otherwise would their be to force poor students to come out and pee in a cup and have some blood drawn?

No idea.

Thankfully my residency program let us do it with our own doctor and my fellowship let us do it during orientation. But yes, even five years ago I had classmates that had to go out to their new states for a physical.

Hell, thinking back to last year I'm 95% sure my wife had to do the same. Flew out in May to get her pre-employment physical for her residency. We were buying so she coordinated it with the day we got our housing inspection. Still annoying.

 

[LucidSplash]

The GME office at my fellowship wanted me to have my testing done onsite by the middle of June. As that was before graduation and would have required multiple airplane trips and screwing over my fellow chief residents I told them it just wasn’t possible. Got my pee test/N95 fitting/etc the day after I arrived in town in late June.

Still ridiculous. I don’t know why they won’t subcontract with a national drug testing lab to get this stuff done.

 

[Raryn]

The GME office at my fellowship wanted me to have my testing done onsite by the middle of June. As that was before graduation and would have required multiple airplane trips and screwing over my fellow chief residents I told them it just wasn’t possible. Got my pee test/N95 fitting/etc the day after I arrived in town in late June.

Still ridiculous. I don’t know why they won’t subcontract with a national drug testing lab to get this stuff done.

Don't even get me started about required fellowship orientation events in mid-late June, including an unpaid orientation.

grumble

 

[traxxradiorocks]

I had a number of friends who had to do that. They were all planning on making at least one trip out to do apartment searching, so they did it at that time.

To add salt on injury, the resident housing JUST had us fly out there for apartment viewing and application. Even before my program starts, I would've skunk more than a grand haha on flights and hotels. I know it's not much in the grand scheme of things but we ain't attendings yet.

 

[Psai]

Hell no. They can get a nice letter on the emr from your pcp, the way it's been done since the dinosaurs.

 

[Freezeout]

I had to do this for my fellowship. It was a real drag.

 

[killerleaf]

Our HR department wants the results back before July 1. It takes 4-5 days to get them back. So...that means getting them done before the last week of June. With that said-they are contacted the first of May, and asked to schedule an appointment. If the resident/fellow says :I am out of state; program won't let me loose; I am on a cruise; whatever the reason is, then they are offered a drug screen where they are. Arrangements are made for them to go to a lab near them. Then they do the other stuff (I-9, respirator fit test, TB, immunization review) when they get here. It gets expensive doing off-site vs. on-site, that is why they prefer to have you come here.

 

[MaximusD]

No idea.

Thankfully my residency program let us do it with our own doctor and my fellowship let us do it during orientation. But yes, even five years ago I had classmates that had to go out to their new states for a physical.

Hell, thinking back to last year I'm 95% sure my wife had to do the same. Flew out in May to get her pre-employment physical for her residency. We were buying so she coordinated it with the day we got our housing inspection. Still annoying.

Just decline and do it once you are in-contract. Let them know that you are unavailable prior to that time. It is at your discretion and is not a condition of employment unless this was spelled out in the NRMP agreement or the contract you signed.

 

[732015]

Yes, it is normal. That said, I did not have to do one for residency, but did for fellowship and subspecialty fellowship. Depends on institution. And yes, there is a drug test where there is a physical.

 

[ortnakas]

My program requires you to go there for a onsite physical and a few other things, but you can do it as late as the last few days before orientation, when probably you’re in town anyway— no extra plane ride/road trip in May was required. That would have sucked.