Personal medical history & Residency

[lucazwim]

So I'm a recent med school grad. A few weeks back when I submitted my training license application, the application asked about mental health issues I might have had in the past. I have been treated in the past for mild anxiety that never seriously impaired me in any way. The way the licensing application was worded, I felt comfortable checking "No." Now I'm filling out employment paperwork for my hospital and it includes a form asking for a complete, detailed medical and psych history, with no explanation as to why or how the information is going to be used, as if it's totally normal for an employer to ask those questions. It even asks questions about stupid minutiae like hyperlipidemia and history of bone fractures, and of course ANY mental health issues.

Is this normal? Or is my hospital unusual? I really feel like it's none of their business. I mean, taking the form literally, someone would be obligated to report taking sildenafil for ED, which is ridiculous.

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[hmockingbird]

So I'm a recent med school grad. A few weeks back when I submitted my training license application, the application asked about mental health issues I might have had in the past. I have been treated in the past for mild anxiety that never seriously impaired me in any way. The way the licensing application was worded, I felt comfortable checking "No." Now I'm filling out employment paperwork for my hospital and it includes a form asking for a complete, detailed medical and psych history, with no explanation as to why or how the information is going to be used, as if it's totally normal for an employer to ask those questions. It even asks questions about stupid minutiae like hyperlipidemia and history of bone fractures, and of course ANY mental health issues.

Is this normal? Or is my hospital unusual? I really feel like it's none of their business. I mean, taking the form literally, someone would be obligated to report taking sildenafil for ED, which is ridiculous.

Yeah it's normal. It's for employee health and your program should not have access. If I understand right, it's so you can't claim workers comp for an injury/illness you had coming into the job and legal stuff like that.

You may also have to have a physical (which for me was vitals plus maybe the NP listened to my heart/lungs, I honestly don't remember bc it was so short).

 

[lucazwim]

Yeah it's normal. It's for employee health and your program should not have access. If I understand right, it's so you can't claim workers comp for an injury/illness you had coming into the job and legal stuff like that.

You may also have to have a physical (which for me was vitals plus maybe the NP listened to my heart/lungs, I honestly don't remember bc it was so short).

That makes me feel better. I guess I'll just go ahead a be honest (which I was going to do anyway.) I am curious though... that excuse should apply to all employers. Not just hospitals. If you work at, say, a restaurant I don't think they get ask you for a pmhx just in case you decide to file a fraudulent workman's comp claim someday.

 

[hmockingbird]

That makes me feel better. I guess I'll just go ahead a be honest (which I was going to do anyway.) I am curious though... that excuse should apply to all employers. Not just hospitals. If you work at, say, a restaurant I don't think they get ask you for a pmhx just in case you decide to file a fraudulent workman's comp claim someday.

Oh yeah totally agree! If it makes you feel better, when I was rotating on family I had some patients come in who needed a work physical and didn't work in hospitals so there are other employers requiring it. I guess it being a hospital they do need a record of stuff like TB testing/vaccines/etc. The whole process of the employee H&P actually really freaked me out too but once I got through the physical and talked to the NP about it, I felt better that they weren't trying to disqualify me or anything. (She did have to sign I was ok to work but that was basically that I passed the drug test.)

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Hospitals also feel an increased level of responsibility for ensuring that their employees are healthy enough to rpovide their services. So, similar to airline pilots and bus drivers, they want to make sure that if you have some chronic problem, medical or psychiatric, that it's under good control. As mentioned, this info should be reviewed separately and only by Occ Med -- usually the form will be sent directly to them, not to the program.