Too many forms!!!

[triathlete411]

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My residency program has already sent me three large business-size envelopes with forms to fill out. I have also had to be fingerprinted, photographed, and today I had to submit a urine sample for a drug screen. This is all a little overwhelming. Plus, every test and form has some expense associated with it.

Is this an across the board experience or is this scrutiny because my residency program is at a public institution with a history of being burned by a person pretending to be a physician?

 

[Mindy]

Wow!?!

So far I have $100 fee for limited license with 4 easy pages and coordination with the registrar's office for additional support paperwork, an easy contract to sign, and health forms. The health forms needed a varicella and HBV titer, so I incur expense from them if my insurance doesn't pay.

I think that is all I had to do.

FINGERPRINTS?????? Yikes....

Mindy

 

[docB]

Wait 'till you guys apply for licenses.

 

[mikecwru]

Originally posted by Mindy
Wow!?!

So far I have $100 fee for limited license with 4 easy pages and coordination with the registrar's office for additional support paperwork, an easy contract to sign, and health forms. The health forms needed a varicella and HBV titer, so I incur expense from them if my insurance doesn't pay.

I think that is all I had to do.

FINGERPRINTS?????? Yikes....

Mindy

I have to be fingerprinted and pee tested, but after people like Michael Swango, what do you expect?

The residency program has been paying application fees, etc, so far.

mike

 

[triathlete411]

Hey Mike,
I am not familiar with the Swango story. Would you elaborate?
Thanks.

By the way, these forms do include my license application. Fingerprinting is a relatively new thing in NC - just started in February.

I wish my residency would pay for this stuff.

 

[docB]

If you don't get reimbursed for these expenses and you itemize on your taxes you can deduct them. Keep a file of this stuff for tax time.

 

[womansurg]

When we showed up for the first day of orientation, they administered a surprise urine drug screen.

Just so's you know...

 

[triathlete411]

When we showed up for the first day of orientation, they administered a surprise urine drug screen.

Oh no! I had enough trouble producing for the first urine specimen. I don't know if I can do it again.

(I live in a permanent state of dehydration - works well for those long cases.)

 

[mikecwru]

Originally posted by triathlete411
Hey Mike,
I am not familiar with the Swango story. Would you elaborate?
Thanks.

By the way, these forms do include my license application. Fingerprinting is a relatively new thing in NC - just started in February.

I wish my residency would pay for this stuff.

Michael Swango was a graduate of an Illinois med school who did an internship at Ohio State (with plans to go into neurosurgery). He was a real nutjob and into gory stuff and eventually was found to have been offing patients. He was fired from job after job but successfully would go and get a license in a different state (and eventually in Africa) because hospitals weren't doing sufficient background checks on him. He was put away for licensing fraud and the last I heard, he was formally charged with the murders when he was about to be released from that penalty.

BTW--not that this necessarily matters, but this wasn't an "angel of death" case. These people were not terminally ill. He was just real screwed in the head.

It's really an interesting story. I read a book by a James Stewart called "Blind Eye." You may want to check that out. You won't feel so abused for getting fingerprinted.

mike

 

[beezar]

Originally posted by mikecwru
Michael Swango was a graduate of an Illinois med school who did an internship at Ohio State (with plans to go into neurosurgery). He was a real nutjob and into gory stuff and eventually was found to have been offing patients. He was fired from job after job but successfully would go and get a license in a different state (and eventually in Africa) because hospitals weren't doing sufficient background checks on him. He was put away for licensing fraud and the last I heard, he was formally charged with the murders when he was about to be released from that penalty.

BTW--not that this necessarily matters, but this wasn't an "angel of death" case. These people were not terminally ill. He was just real screwed in the head.

It's really an interesting story. I read a book by a James Stewart called "Blind Eye." You may want to check that out. You won't feel so abused for getting fingerprinted.

mike

Holy ****! Just more evidence that med school admissions, residency admissions etc. etc. is just a total load of BS if someone crazy like that could get an MD and match in neurosurg...

 

[womansurg]

When I was a med student at Ohio State, one of the older nurses told me that she worked there during Swango's term. She said the nurses had come to know that you never left him alone with a patient, because they would always be in cardiac arrest as soon as he left the room.

I think they determined that he was injecting potassium boluses (is this right, mikecwru?), which causes your heart to arrest. It's the same thing some states use for capitol punishment. Most hospitals keep IV potassium in the pharmacy dept now; medical people can't access it without a written order by a physician (which of course leaves a paper trail to account for).

 

[mikecwru]

Originally posted by womansurg
When I was a med student at Ohio State, one of the older nurses told me that she worked there during Swango's term. She said the nurses had come to know that you never left him alone with a patient, because they would always be in cardiac arrest as soon as he left the room.

I think they determined that he was injecting potassium boluses (is this right, mikecwru?), which causes your heart to arrest. It's the same thing some states use for capitol punishment. Most hospitals keep IV potassium in the pharmacy dept now; medical people can't access it without a written order by a physician (which of course leaves a paper trail to account for).

I believe he used multiple poisons, including if I'm not mistaken arsenic. He killed one of his girlfriends, too, and it described her hair falling out. He was real into chemistry. Check out that book.

PS: A tip to new students: it's always better to order oral K+ vs IV K because if the patient needs fluids, the K line can be opened up accidentally, or it can be accidentally flushed in, thus giving your patient an unintentional lethal injection (a bad thing).

mike

 

[Celiac Plexus]

Originally posted by womansurg
When we showed up for the first day of orientation, they administered a surprise urine drug screen.

Just so's you know...

Just mailed in my hemeoccult card, and semen sample.

 

[mikecwru]

Originally posted by Celiac Plexus
Just mailed in my hemeoccult card, and semen sample.

Ahhh... you've just been wasting it in a tissue anyway.

mike

 

[Hotsauce21]

lol, you too?
i think that i need a college education to complete all the forms i was sent. not only are there no less than 20 forms to sign and fill out, but i was actually provided with a 20 page booklet on how to complete the forms. this is ridiculous!

Originally posted by Celiac Plexus
Just mailed in my hemeoccult card, and semen sample.

 

[UI2003]

I like how my program *JUST THIS WEEK* got my forms to me and then had the nerve to insist that I send them right back within 2 weeks - nice.

 

[Scrubbs]

Originally posted by UI2003
I like how my program *JUST THIS WEEK* got my forms to me and then had the nerve to insist that I send them right back within 2 weeks - nice.

My program beat your program... Just TODAY I finally got my forms and crazy paperwork... and I only have 10 days to return it all. Can someone explain to me why it took them 3 weeks to send the stuff? Like they didn't realize that there would be new residents who needed forms after match?

Oh, and I definately wish I had an instruction manual. 20 years of education and a professional degree did not prepare me to fill out this stuff!

 

[Annette]

Mine want pictures for some unkown reason! Sheesh! And, there isn't a photo booth within miles.😛

 

[scaredapplicant]

... my state licensing fee are outrageous (i am still living off Financial Aid here)
... i had to fill out a criminal history form... (but no fingerprinting)

... no UDS yet... but my ? is should i expect this on day #1?

 

[Celiac Plexus]

Originally posted by scaredapplicant
...
... no UDS yet... but my ? is should i expect this on day #1?

Why don't you call them and ask?

Golden Seal baby.... er...so I've been told.

 

[mikecwru]

Originally posted by Scrubbs
Oh, and I definately wish I had an instruction manual. 20 years of education and a professional degree did not prepare me to fill out this stuff!

What do you guys have to fill out that was so bad? The longest form I've had so far was the training license app, which wasn't that bad. Had you not been a brand new graduate, it would have been more of a pain in the ass, but I just checked "not applicable" for a lot of stuff.

The biggest pain I've heard of so far is that they want a notarized copy of the MD diploma (common) but also a notarized copy of my college diploma... I have to pull it out of the frame, etc.

Annette: I think they want the pics for a sort of resident facebook that they probably hand out to all incoming residents.

mike

 

[triathlete411]

I have had to fill out insurance forms, a medical license application, get stuff notarized, be fingerprinted, photographed, submit a urine sample, and even take several scantron tests on things such as risk management, conscious sedation protocols, and HIPAA.

 

[dobonedoc]

HIPPA, Blood-borne pathogens, and some ohter scantron quiz.

Physical exam, UDS, & polaroid.

TONS of government -"Can I research your life?" and "R U a Criminal" forms.

W-4 forms, Social Security, deductions, and more.

An APPLICATION to work at my program! The one I would fill out if I wanted to be a scrub tech or a lab rat! I loved the part that asked me to list my most current work experiences!

Temp license forms. Had to be notarized.

Diplomas from medical school, college, and high school.

The good part is they foot the bill for everything, including the 5 prepaid envelopes that they expected me to shove about 50 pages of information into.

Glad it is in the mail.

 

[painres]

Originally posted by dobonedoc
HIPPA, Blood-borne pathogens, and some ohter scantron quiz.

Physical exam, UDS, & polaroid.

TONS of government -"Can I research your life?" and "R U a Criminal" forms.

W-4 forms, Social Security, deductions, and more.

An APPLICATION to work at my program! The one I would fill out if I wanted to be a scrub tech or a lab rat! I loved the part that asked me to list my most current work experiences!

Temp license forms. Had to be notarized.

Diplomas from medical school, college, and high school.

The good part is they foot the bill for everything, including the 5 prepaid envelopes that they expected me to shove about 50 pages of information into.

Glad it is in the mail.

Thats rediculous, and I thought mine sucked😱

 

[Scrubbs]

Originally posted by dobonedoc
An APPLICATION to work at my program! The one I would fill out if I wanted to be a scrub tech or a lab rat! I loved the part that asked me to list my most current work experiences!

I have the same thing... think I can just submit my CV and write "see attached"? Absolutely ridiculous! Or how about writing: I matched, please deem me worthy of "hiring" me... or please see ERAS for details.

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,

Had about 20 different forms to fill out and had to have a urine test done at a special center. I had to submit to a police background check too. Be sure to get and keep a copy of your social security card. That turned out to be a big hassle because my father got social security numbers when we were infants. I had never seen my social security card. Also keep your passport handy and birth certificate. Since I have two passports (hold dual citizenship), it makes for some interesting shuffling and checking.

njbmd 😕

 

[Celiac Plexus]

Does everyone else have to fill out that long background check crap for working at the VA? The one where you put down people who know you, THEIR addresses, jobs over the last five years and such?

The problem is that I am a hermit. I live a quiet life in a small apartment. I have no friends to speak of, and I always avoid the other tenants in my building. In fact, there is not a single classmate who knows my name.

Furthermore, I do all of my shopping/banking over the internet. Groceries, clothes etc. I have everything delivered to my door and then slide the tip under the door.

In the end, I had to put down SDNers as my references... SomeFakeName, and Riri, and Garibaldo... If you guys get a PM from the FBI asking about me, please tell them that I am not a Communist or a drug user. Thank you. Good night.

 

[njbmd]

Originally posted by Celiac Plexus
Does everyone else have to fill out that long background check crap for working at the VA? The one where you put down people who know you, THEIR addresses, jobs over the last five years and such?

The problem is that I am a hermit. I live a quiet life in a small apartment. I have no friends to speak of, and I always avoid the other tenants in my building. In fact, there is not a single classmate who knows my name.

Furthermore, I do all of my shopping/banking over the internet. Groceries, clothes etc. I have everything delivered to my door and then slide the tip under the door.

In the end, I had to put down SDNers as my references... SomeFakeName, and Riri, and Garibaldo... If you guys get a PM from the FBI asking about me, please tell them that I am not a Communist or a drug user. Thank you. Good night.

Hi there,
At UVa, everyone is required to fill out all the forms and undergo a police background check. It was interesting how they were able to delve into my background pretty well. I was surprised when some of my former neighbors were asked to comment about me as I tend to socialize with my fiance and school mates only.

Four of my fellow residents were not hired as the background checks did not pan out properly for UVa. The VA Hospital had an even more stringent form that I was able to pass since I had tons of ID with me. They put your paycheck on hold if you papers are not in order.

I guess that after September 11, we are all tapping the iceburg of living in a police state.

njbmd

I am not a communist but I play one on TV😱

 

[propofol1]

Anyone who filled out the VA forms know how long it takes to fill them out. My program still hasn't sent them to me and we have orientation in a few weeks. Do you really have to have addresses for all jobs in last five years and how many people and addresses do you have to put down? It seems like it could take a while to get all that stuff together.

Thanks

 

[jashanley]

You now have a job. Stop whining.......save it for when your paycheck comes and you realize that you could have made double for half the hours is business........that's the one that keeps most people up at night.
Despite it all it is worth every measly penny, and every year it gets better.