Employment Physical

I had a medical check-up before starting a new job. I had to go to my general practitioner to get a medical record. Then I went to the employee doctor with this short statement and a form for medical exam. The first part of the examination was just with a nurse, she measured my blood pressure, checked my hearing and eyes. The doctor was in the other room and was not there for this part of the examination. She then went over the administration, did a Covid test and asked if I had any current health problems. I was fully dressed the whole time. Then she told me that in a moment I would go to the other room where the doctor was and the medical check-up would take place and that I should take the form and the medical record with me.

I only waited a few minutes, then the door opened and the doctor came out, an older man who looked like he was already of retirement age. He told me to go further into the surgery. At the same time, the previous patient also left the surgery with all the forms he had in his hand.

The doctor told me that there was a chair in the corner where I should put down all my clothes including underwear and then when I came closer to him. After I did so, he first said that my blood pressure was fine, and that the result of the vision and hearing check was also good. He asked me if I had any health problems, if I was taking any medications regularly. Then he told me to go stand on the scale and that he also needed to know my height to calculate the BMI index.

After measuring and weighing me, he told me to "open your mouth and say A", put your head up, down, right, left. Swallow. Any pain?

Then he took a stethoscope, first placed it on my chest then on my stomach, told me to breathe deeply. Then turn around and briefly placed it on my back. He told me to put my arms across me, forearms, put hands above head, bend forward and put your hands on the toes of your feet. Do you feel any pain?

After I was told to take a few steps forward, backward, stand on my toes, on my heels, do a squat. Lift my left leg, lift my right leg. He told me to sit on the corner of the exam table, and tapped my knees on my feet. The next instruction was to lie on the exam table on my back and relax.

The doctor also put on the examination rubber gloves. I was again supposed to put my hands above my head, first he felt my armpits. Then he had me put my hands back down. He put the stethoscope back on and had me breathe deeply and put it on my chest and stomach a few times again. He palpable my stomach, asking me if it hurt or not. I am very sensitive in this area, so I started to have an erection, the more I tried not to have one, the harder it was. While my penis was erect, the doctor just said that nothing was wrong and to relax and calm down. Then I was supposed to step forward with my right leg and bring it towards me, then my left leg towards me.

Then the doctor asked me – can you pull the foreskin over your glans freely? First he felt my testicles, I had an erection the whole time. Then he told me to pull the foreskin over the glans as much as possible. I did it, he said one more time and more. So I pulled it even more. The doctor then said that it should be like this. He continued to palpable my penis. Then he pulled the foreskin over glans again once more. As I had an erection, I started to ejaculate. The doctor just said that it was a natural reaction of the body and that it could be seen that I am very sensitive in this area. You don't have to be ashamed, you are neither the first nor the last person to whom this has happened. Here is a napkin, clean yourself.

Then he told me to get up from the exam table and stand in front of him. He said, come closer to me. My penis was still erect, I had to cough twice during the hernia check. Then once more, doctor pull the foreskin properly over the glans. Doctor told me to turn around, lean forward, spread your halves with your hands. Breathe deeply and put his finger in my anus. After a while, that everything was fine, turn back.

Then he said he would check the skin properly, to stand up straight, arms along the body and then to gradually turn around and that it was also fine. At the end, he said the examination is over, I will fill out a form for you, that you are fit for the job, you have no health restrictions. You can go and get dressed in the meantime.

For my first job aged 19 I had to see a doctor for my pre employment exam. He told me to take off all my clothes including my underwear right at the start. That was totally unexpected, it made me very nervous so it took me quite a while before I managed to undress due to my shaking hands. The doctor waiting for me in the exam room became inpatient and urged me to hurry up. That made me feel shameful and embarrassed. During the exam he made me bend over and spread my cheeks, also totally unexpected. That had never happened before to me.

I didn't know what to expect at my first medical, but thought it would probably be quite basic. It wasn't at all it was very thorough, and ended with a look down my knickers.

Never had any medical exams as a pre-employment requirement

The only two work related medicals I had were when I joined the navy, and years later when I worked for Marks and Spenser in the UK. Navy medical was fairly thorough, including spreading of the cheeks to inspect the anus. No penetration though.

The Marks and Spenser one was carried out by their nurse. Fairly perfunctory, no removal of clothing, but the one thing I did find odd was I had to roll my pants up above my knees while she inspected the backs. The only reason I could think that was for was either checking for varicose veins, or needle marks, although I don't think drug use was that rampant. Not like it is now. This was back in the early 70s. Who knows.

Is this really a thing now? Medical exams for employment?

I can understand armed forces or police, but any other job? I had number of employments last 15 years and only 'exams' I undergo were background checks, some pretty extensive to get officla security clearance. But never medical.

Is this really a thing now? Medical exams for employment? .

It was the thing about 35-40 years ago. It seems all they've cared about in the past 10 years or so was a urine drug screen.

Companies had their own Health Services department. Staffed with nurses that could always provide first aid to employees, while a doctor kept designated hours to be at the company. Employees could spare themselves having to make doctor's appointments outside of work.

Although what was the pre-employment medical saying. You want to work here, earn money here, enjoy the benefits here, then you're going to have to surrender your body to a dominant doctor who will conduct a physical as the company sees fit to determine whether or not you are healthy enough to work. Which would include being checked to make sure you don't have a hernia. And whatever else the company may want to see fit.

I worked in the transportation industry for three decades and we had company physicals every three years which included random drug/alcohol testing. About 12 years ago, into my third company all that stopped. Random drug testing, of course, still continued. I have to say all the company physicals and "randoms" were pretty standard. Always the hernia check and DRE. Never directly observed peeing in the cup for the randoms except for the stall door required to be open. The company physicals were at different locations each time. The only out of the ordinary one involved providing the required urine sample. Apparently they were behind schedule, so the wait got long. You couldn't leave to use the bathroom once registered. It got to the point I was going to burst and I strongly pointed out that if we don't do the random right now, I'll be relieving myself in the waiting room's potted artificial fiscus plant! Was soon ushered in and that part of the physical was done!

I had one before I was hired for a municipal job. The first part included a hearing test, eye exam and peeing in a cup for a drug screen. The actual physical exam started out in the Xray room. They had me strip to underwear and put on a exam gown. Then the took some back and chest x-rays. Then they had me grab my shoes, pants and shirt and walk down the hall to the exam room. It was a little awkward carrying everything. It was a physical was pretty normal. The doctor had me stand up and pull up my gown and lower my underwear to check me for a hernia. It was a quick turn your head and cough. It was probably my most complete physical since they had the hearing exam and I had to lift 50 lbs to prove I could do the job. Also the first exam where I wore a exam gown. All my previous physicals were just in my underwear when i was a kid. The only other one I had as a Adult, the doctor just asked me to remove my shirt at the beginning and lower my pants and underwear for the genital exam.

I worked in retail, and only had one employee physical exam. It was for a publisher, which had a chain of bookstores. The exam was scheduled for late in the afternoon in my city. Only a nurse, and an older doctor were there, no patients, perhaps after office hours. The nurse took me into the exam room. She took height, weight, vital signs, and told me to take everything off except my underwear. I waited quite a while for an unknown reason. It gave me time to imagine the only other male employee having his exam, seated on the table. The exam was standard then. Eyes, ears, mouth, heart, lungs, lie back for stething, palpating, feeling organs, sit, then stand for a hernia check. Again, the only reason that it was memorable was because of the other, male employee having had it.