potential employer wants me to disclose any medical conditions, including migraines, depression, eczema, and more

by Alison Green on April 2, 2025

A reader writes:

I recently interviewed for an admin role, essentially front reception, for a private hospital. The job is entirely non-clinical.

After the interview, the hiring manager emailed me to say that they would like to progress my application to the next stage. In the email they included a link for me to complete some pre-employment checks. Some were standard, such as proof of identity, criminal history record check, etc. But the first step is a “pre-employment health questionnaire,” which asks me to disclose my medical history, in the form of answering yes/no to a long list of ailments, including but not limited to:
• epilepsy, fits, blackouts, fainting turns, or dizzy spells
• any injury or condition involving the neck, back, shoulders, limbs, etc.
• any skin condition including eczema, psoriasis, or dermatitis
• any heart condition
• any lung condition including asthma
• migraines or frequent headaches
• hay fever (?????)
• mental illness or nervous conditions, including anxiety, depression, phobia, psychosis, or nervous breakdown

None of these are relevant to the requirements of the role. I was already unsure about going further in the recruitment process due to some additional information I gleaned during the interview, but this has me feeling especially uneasy. To be clear, I have not yet received a job offer.

Every person I’ve approached for an opinion has questioned the legality of it all, and frankly I’m in the same boat. I intend to email the hiring manager to withdraw my candidacy, for various reasons, but is this “health questionnaire” reason enough?

Holy hell, yes. This is flagrantly illegal.

(Also, eczema? Why?!)

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits employers from asking job candidates medical questions unless they are specifically related to the job and “consistent with business necessity.”

Some employers do require a pre-employment physical (which I’d argue is a huge overstep for most jobs, and an outdated relic from the past). But even then, that can’t happen before they’ve offered you the job and they can’t reject you because of information revealed by the exam, unless the reasons for the rejection are “job-related and consistent with business necessity.”

Oddly, the exam itself doesn’t have to be job-related and consistent with business necessity. They can ask about mental illness, STDs, hay fever, anything they want during it. They just can’t reject you over it unless they can show there’s a legitimate job-related reason to do so. (If you are thinking this is bizarre and inappropriately invasive … yes.) Also, generally the only thing from the exam that can be disclosed directly to the employer is the examiner’s conclusions about whether or not you can work with or without accommodations or restrictions. The exam results, including any medical history taken from it, needed to be treated as confidential and kept separate from other employment-related records.

But you’re not even at that point. You don’t have a job offer. You’re a job candidate, not an employee or a new hire. So this is just illegal, plain and simple.

It sounds like you’re planning to withdraw from their hiring process regardless. When you do, free to tell them that part of your reason was this invasive and illegal medical questionnaire. You can also report their violation of the law to the EEOC, and here’s info on how to do that.

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{ 322 comments }

{ 322 comments… read them below or add one }

  1. Just a Pile of Oranges*

    I just don’t understand what companies hope to gain by doing something so blatantly illegal. Do they really think they’re never going to get called on it, or?

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    1. Eldritch Office Worker*

      A lot have been doing it for decades and never gotten called on it, so yeah more or less. They do it for all the reasons it’s illegal – to determine if you’re going to be a liability in one way or another.

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      1. Steve*

        The term ‘nervous breakdown’ feels like it is from decades ago so it makes me wonder if this has been ongoing for a long time.

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        1. I Super Believe In You, Tad Cooper*

          Yeah, and it’s been years since I heard anyone use the term hay fever, too.

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            2. UKDancer*

              Yeah, I say I have hay fever and as you say it’s fairly common in the UK. I mean I’d probably say something like allergic rhinitis to my GP but hay fever to my friends.

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          2. the Viking Diva*

            it’s a pretty normal term for seasonal allergies in grassy parts of the US… physicians wouldn’t call it this but regular folks do

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            2. I Super Believe In You, Tad Cooper*

              Aha, then I rescind that comment–come to think of it I stopped hearing the term about the time I moved away from the Midwest. So that’s just me.

              Still very odd to have it as its own line item on a disclosure form from a hospital.

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          3. Selina Luna*

            I can’t speak to everywhere, but every doctor I’ve ever been to has asked if I experience hay fever.
            The answer is a resounding “yes.” Freaking pollen b***s***.

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          4. 2 Cents*

            I say hay fever, as a sufferer. I also say “seasonal allergies” (even though “every day” is the season).

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            1. Impending Heat Dome*

              I feel like the all-season “allergies” has dominated as the term du jour. “Do you have a cold?” “No, just allergies.”

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              1. Goldfeesh*

                I work with a mother and daughter at a restaurant. Mother had been sneezing, daughter sneezes, “Mom, I am think I caught your allergies.”

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              2. cat in cardboard box*

                between climate change, decades of selective tree planting practices, and various other factors, the severity, length, and percentage of people affected by various pollen seasons is in fact increasing every year, at least in most areas of the US

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            2. iglwif*

              I sometimes do, too.

              From a social science and market research perspective: if people who might be filling out the form use a term, they’re going to put it on the form even if it’s not “correct” or “scientific”.

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          5. Clisby*

            Oh, I think it’s pretty common in the US. Any time doctors have asked me about allergies, I say something like “nothing but hay fever” and they seem to understand I mean allergies to pollen, plants, dust, etc. – no drug/food allergies.

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            1. Dahlia*

              It’s an older term for seizures (“epileptic fits”) that I personally think is pretty offensive.

              Reply ↓
              1. Emily Byrd Starr*

                It is offensive, because (unlike a toddler who can be taught to control themself rather than throw fits) it’s out of the epileptic person’s control.

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        3. Reading Rainbow*

          I can comment on someone who used to make patient-directed paperwork a lot, we often include unusual colloquial terms rather than just clinical ones because a lot of people won’t know what we mean otherwise. “Nerves” and nervous breakdown are in a lot more common usage than you might imagine.

          The selection of terms here does still feel kind of haphazard though, I feel like some commonly understood things are not in there while more unusual ones are. It might be regional, though, I guess.

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      2. Can't get the hang of Thursdays*

        since it’s a medical office, it makes me wonder if it is there new patient medical history paperwork – but yep, still super illegal!

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      3. OMG, Bees!*

        So many companies like this rely on people not knowing laws/rights and just going with it. Or those that do, simply backing out, because it’s not worth the fight.

        If I were LW, I would write back that I am withdrawing my candidacy and say that this questionnaire is illegal (link the EEOV above) and bounce. Best case, whoever made the questionnaire didn’t know and corrects it

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    2. Whoopsie*

      I mean, when all the big corporations keep getting away with flagrant employee abuse with little more than a wag of the finger, then of course smaller companies will do the same. Employee protections are a joke in this country.

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    3. Artemesia*

      We are no longer a nation of law. Who is going to enforce action against illegal corporations like this? Apparently they are now counting on that.

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    4. a trans person*

      I mean, the rule of law has already ended in the US. They’re just getting ahead of the curve in preparing for their new company town and scrip (no doctors, doctors are expensive).

      Reply ↓
    5. Johnny Slick*

      Lots and lots of places do s-tests on their employees. This one I guess has decided to skip the line and start s-testing potential employees. I wish I could be surprised by this but I’m not…

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    6. Recently Promoted Cog*

      Well, its blatantly illegal, but as someone who works in the field? They’re dismantling the entire structure for enforcing the laws that make it illegal.
      https://askearn.org/page/medical-inquiries

      I cannot tell you how many reports we get of just egregiously awful interview/application/pre-hire stuff happens around disability.

      And I cannot even get into the fact that medical information is supposed to be treated confidentially, separate from other personnel records, with very few people having access to the information.

      Since you’re only supposed to be able to ask medical questions AFTER a formal offer and you don’t care about burning bridges, I might reply with “Thank you! This is so exciting! Since it is illegal to ask these questions prior to a job offer, this must mean you are offering me the job!”

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    7. n.m.*

      I wonder if there’s any possibility they just copied and pasted this questionnaire from a job position where these conditions are relevant? But maybe I’m giving too much benefit of the doubt. It’s just so weird.

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    1. RIP Pillowfort*

      Also they don’t have any way of verifying the answers on the questionnaire. So it seems even more dumb on top of being illegal.

      “Yes we are going to ask you to disclose all possible health ailments before hiring. HOWEVER, you must adhere to the honor system and not lie about any of this to us!”

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      1. Eldritch Office Worker*

        “I’ve never been sick a day in my life!”

        *shoves medical records down the trash chute*

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        1. Meowy Cat Queen*

          LOL exactly!! To echo the above comment, it’s not only illegal, it’s also ridiculously short-sighted.

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        2. Hey, I'm Wohrking Heah!*

          I am robot. Need joints oiled and battery recharged monthly. Otherwise will work 24/7 for free. Happy now HOSPITAL?!?

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          1. LaminarFlow*

            This was 100000% my reaction to that letter! Just what in the actual F?!

            I would be really tempted to check all of the boxes as “yes”. I might also add a few more if there is an “other” box, but I can’t decide if I would call out things that would make it impossible to be alive like “loss of all organs”, or if I would go with things that are incredibly random like “life threatening allergy to water smell, ingestion, and contact”. Maybe a little of both.

            I wonder if reporting this practice to the EEOC would actually make a difference at this point in the US. Sigh.

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            1. Oniya*

              ‘I have a dependency on dihydrogen monoxide. Unfortunately, an overdose can also have fatal consequences, so I have to be careful to maintain the proper levels.’

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            2. Cats Ate My Croissant*

              “I have mild lycanthropy but am generally only aggressive to people wearing silver jewellery.”

              “Allergic to garlic, would prefer evening / night shifts, uncomfortable around wooden fences.”

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            3. Elizabeth West*

              “I am allergic to illegal and unethical employment and hiring practices. Therefore I must withdraw my candidacy because hell to the no.”

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      2. Sloanicota*

        That was my first thought … if you actually had some of these issues surely you could just lie if you needed this job.

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        1. Sloanicota*

          I actually had the same question when Alison was describing the “pre-employment physical” – is it illegal to lie during those? If my future boss’s doctor wanted to know if I had an STD I would probably lie if I did. None of their business. Sure, they can do tests but they can’t test for everything all the time, surely.

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          1. Hey, I'm Wohrking Heah!*

            BIL who is a semi driver as to do one every year, that makes sense but for an office job they seem pointless.

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              1. DJ Abbott*

                I have heard of that and my understanding is, it’s a physical to make sure the driver doesn’t have any conditions that would make them pass out at the wheel. So cardio, epilepsy, narcolepsy, stuff like that.
                Not STDs. That would be inappropriate. I’ve never heard of an STD that makes people pass out.

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            2. AngryOctopus*

              I had a pre-employment physical when I took an internship at the chemical plant where my dad worked (I was 19, and it was paid :) ). They did a chest xray and hearing and vision tests–the plant floor is loud and has fumes, so it’s really for a baseline of comparison in case you do get sick. That’s where I think it makes sense (and for a semi-driver or pilot or bus driver, positions like that).

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              1. AceInPlainSight*

                This makes total sense to me- it’s still invasive, but at least it lets you sue/ hold the company responsible if you get acutely sick working there (no comment on cancer age 55). I can’t claim worker’s comp for the carpal tunnel I’m developing because it’s happened over the course of three jobs and can partly be linked to hobbies

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              2. Quill*

                Yeah, I have done respirator fitness tests, etc. POST job offer. I have never disclosed the fact that I have an intermittent limp, my mental health, etc. during the hiring process.

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          2. Nightengale*

            I don’t think it’s illegal to lie (it’s not illegal to lie to your employer in general) but I wonder if it might be legal to fire someone over having lied if discovered.

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            1. Marion Ravenwood*

              In my experience (in the UK) it’s quite common to have something in your contract that says if the employer finds out you lied about something in your work history or your abilities etc during the job application process, then they can terminate your employment. I’ve never worked in a job that I had to have a physical for before I could start it, but I’d imagine that falls under the same category.

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        2. Irish Teacher.*

          Just occurred to me to wonder if it could be a way of discouraging people from seeking accommodations. If you lie and say you don’t have it on the form, you can’t very well then ask for accommodations.

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          1. Elizabeth West*

            There is generally a box you can tick that says “Prefer not to answer,” but I expect that to be removed before long if it hasn’t been already.

            FWIW my company basically sent an email that said (indirectly) that we are not changing anything DEI-related. I hope they hold to that.

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      3. NoIWontFixYourComputer*

        I suspect that they hold on to this so that they can use “You lied on your application” as a cause for termination.

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        1. RIP Pillowfort*

          Sure they could do that. But how are they going to prove that? If you have something very non-visible like anxiety and it’s not impeding your work, short of them having unrestricted medical record access or workplace required physicals/drug testing there isn’t a real legal way for them to know unless you tell them.

          And really it’s not even necessary with at-will employment! You could fire them because you didn’t feel they were the right fit for the job.

          That’s why I’m calling it short sighted. They’re digging this hole that will potentially land them in trouble. They’ll fire someone for having undiagnosed cancer and then act all surprised when their lawyers freak out when they find out what they were doing.

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        2. VioletsandIrises*

          Maybe, and that’s also ridiculous because people’s health changes over time.

          I didn’t start getting migraines until 2018. If someone had asked me about it in 2017 and I said “no, I don’t get migraines” that wouldn’t mean I had lied. It was the truth at that time.

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          1. Lenora Rose*

            I have a coworker I am 100% certain has a medical-grade anxiety disorder (having been around multiple other people with one — and she has no idea how to mask), and I am equally certain she’s never been diagnosed or assessed for one. She wouldn’t be lying if it came up later.

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        3. The Gollux, Not a Mere Device*

          Sure, but they could also fire you with a nonsense “reason” like “my husband cheated with someone who shares your first name” or “I don’t like Mondays.”

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      4. Curious*

        But if they later find out that you lied about (not) having the condition, they could fire you — not for having the condition, no, perish the thought, but for lying.

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        1. Sloanicota*

          I’m confused why it would ever come up in an employee had an STD. I don’t think this is like a firefighter/pilot thing, where the company-sponsored insurance “tells” on you to your employer if you’re unfit? I get that you couldn’t later take sick leave with a cause you said wasn’t applicable to you later, but that doesn’t seem fool-proof. If someone didn’t have an STD at employment, and now does, and needs time off for it, then tough beans, company.

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      5. Hroethvitnir*

        Many, many people are deeply uncomfortable with actively lying. It is probably an effective selection tool against people with disabilities (and for people who are desperate, since it’s SO invasive).

        When people suggest that surely everyone would just lie, it would be interesting to know if they would be comfortable doing so. There’s no “prefer not to say” as an option, you have to state “no”.

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    2. Juicebox Hero*

      Then lock eyes with the interviewer, and make with the best Jack Nicholson in “The Shining” grin.

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    3. Rex Libris*

      Given that I’d be withdrawing my candidacy anyway, I’d absolutely respond with “The voices said to tell you no.”

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      2. metadata minion*

        Bear in mind when you make jokes like this that there are actual people who have psychosis and are reading this. People with the “scarier” mental illnesses have to put up with enough crap already.

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        1. Statler von Waldorf*

          As somebody who has been involuntarily hospitalized for mental health issues, I laughed at what was clearly a joke and not at all a shot at people with mental health issues.

          Speaking only for myself, I’d rather deal with a bad joke or two than a patronizing white knight who wants to remove my agency in the name of protecting me. Dealing with mental health issues, I already get plenty of that. I don’t need or want you to get offended on my behalf. It diminishes my worth when you presume to know how I feel by the virtue of your own preconceived notions.

          If you are offended by that joke, own that offense for yourself. Do not try to hide it behind the guise of empathy.

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          1. DJ Abbott*

            Wow, I have never seen this so clearly articulated. I’m generally not a white knight or around people who are but if I’m ever in that situation, this will really inform me. Thank you.

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          2. Hroethvitnir*

            Many people with psychosis absolutely have a problem with being constantly used as a boogieman. The impacts of how psychotic people are dehumanised are measurable and severe.

            My mental illnesses are not highly stigmatised (but severe enough that I think often they would be if people had a better understanding of what it really looks like).

            I definitely see plenty of “white knighting” (that phrase is so poisoned to me, but it’ll do I guess), and IMO overly precious word policing online, but I think not using incredibly stigmatised disorders as a joke is… a good idea.

            My emotional response is more along the lines of “distasteful” than “horribly offensive”, but it’s not not a real objection just because some people with mental illnesses (even actual psychosis) think it’s OK.

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    4. Dinwar*

      I’ve seen it. The reason was that it was medically necessary. Dude was working in the South in the summer in a physically demanding job, and the medications he took caused dehydration as a side-effect. Easy enough to deal with if he was careful, but it could easily get away from him.

      He was good people (as long as he was on his meds). And his openness about the issue was a point in his favor. He was aware of the issue, was actively managing it, and was open and frank about it.

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      1. MigraineMonth*

        Yes, once you’ve received an offer and are asking for accommodations, or if there’s a need to disclose for a certain accommodation (such as “if I seem really paranoid it might be an issue with my meds, so please call my spouse”), that makes perfect sense. Before even an offer? In response to a blatantly illegal question? Hell no.

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    5. HannahS*

      I mean, people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia (and several other illnesses) might experience psychosis as part of their illness and this doesn’t preclude them from being your friends/employees/coworkers/community members. So yeah, someone definitely could put that. Psychosis is a symptom. It’s not a curse or a thing to be ashamed of. People with psychosis are mostly just regular people. Lots of people with those illnesses have regular jobs.

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      1. MigraineMonth*

        Yes. One of my close friends has psychosis with paranoia, and while it took a wrecking ball to her relationships when it first developed, now she manages it quite well with medication and therapy just like how I manage my depression.

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        1. JustCuz*

          My father in law has schizophrenia with paranoia and my husband has some other form of paranoia inducing issue. Both are fine and well controlled on their medication. I would never advise either one of them to disclose.

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      2. Keymaster of Gozer (she/her)*

        Lots of people with those illnesses have regular jobs.

        And even marriages and driving licenses too! And I know I’m lucky that I respond very well to medication and therapies where people like my grandmother did not.

        Only my doctors, husband and best friend know about this. I just cannot trust anyone else and it’s a balancing act to decide what is reasonable caution and my paranoia coming in hot.

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        1. HannahS*

          Yeah, absolutely. I don’t intend to overstep, but YOU’RE a valued member of THIS community (such as it is) and I don’t like seeing people talk about psychosis like it’s, I don’t know, lycanthropy! You (and everyone else reading along) deserve better.

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          1. Irish Teacher.*

            Yes, Keymaster is one of the people here whose contributions I always value, especially in discussions like this one where they offer really insightful commentary.

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        2. DJ Abbott*

          I luckily don’t have any mental illnesses, but I also sometimes wonder if I’m too cautious or paranoid.

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    6. anon for this*

      OK, I’m going to be That Person.

      I know you are making a point about how ridiculous the questionnaire is, but:

      People with psychosis are capable of working, especially if their illness is well controlled with medication.

      Untreated/poorly managed psychosis is scary, mostly for the person who has it.

      Psychosis describes symptoms, it is not itself an illness, although people with psychosis may have a mental illness. People without a mental illness can indeed have psychosis due to other caues (sleep deprivation, medication/drug side effect, etc)

      I have a close family member who suffers from psychotic symptoms. They take medication. They are able to do everything that the rest of us can do, and unless you knew you would not be able to tell.

      **Like anyone would respond to this with “yes, I have psychosis”???**
      This sort of statement is stigmatizing. Please just stop and think next time.

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      1. sulky-anne*

        I agree with all of this, but also: because of social stigma, it is very understandable that anyone would be reluctant to disclose this to an employer.

        I wouldn’t want to disclose any kind of mental health symptom or condition in a questionnaire like this, even something as widespread as anxiety, because it’s hard to imagine it won’t bias employers against you.

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      2. Lexi Vipond*

        I took Who knows as saying that no one is blithely going to say Yes to it *because* of the stigma, not that it’s impossible for it to be true.

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        1. Arrietty*

          I read it that way too – like how the UK visa waiver scheme for entry to the USA used to ask whether you were planning to carry out acts of terrorism while in the USA. Sure, people do plan to do that – but surely they don’t declare it to the border control?

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          1. Media Monkey*

            i was just about to mention that! always used to make me laugh. the visa application (my dad was a green card holder and we had family visas) had a lot of questions about whther you were a member of the communist party as well.

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  3. ChurchOfDietCoke*

    Does the private hospital reception have an abundantly large amount of floral displays or plants?! Otherwise why the heck would they even care about hay fever?

    (TBH, I’d mess with them. Tick yes to EVERYTHING, even the really bad stuff.)

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    1. Slow Gin Lizz*

      Maybe they don’t want their receptionist sneezing every time a visitor brings flowers for their patients.

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    2. Julie*

      I suspy they want the appearance that they offer such good medical care that the staff has no visible health issues. Hay fever’s symptoms are visible, as are the skin conditions mentioned. Even back and neck issues might appear visible on the person’s movement.

      Super illegal, super stupid, but I could see some idiot thinking it’s good marketing if the staff looks like all of their health conditions have been “cured.”

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      1. Bird names*

        Well, I certainly hadn’t considered that angle, but I guess that takes the mindset of some boundary-challenged employers to its logical conclusion.

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      2. SaltyRN*

        Hospitals ironically have draconian sick/call off policies and its likely due to that. They don’t want humans being humans and calling off.

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      1. Elle*

        I’m glad I’m not the only one. I would definitely have a perverse temptation to select all of them. In my case, some would be true. Good luck guessing which!

        (Obviously I do not think this is funny to someone searching for a job. This is awful, and I’m glad it’s illegal)

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    5. OddyHD*

      In the interest of malicious compliance, I could check off 7/8 items on this list. The fun part is, several of these are connected. At the risk of being pedantic, here we go:

      • epilepsy, fits, blackouts, fainting turns, or dizzy spells– migraines can cause severe dizzy spells
      • any injury or condition involving the neck, back, shoulders, limbs, etc.- linked in some cases to connective tissue diseases that can cause blackouts or dizziness
      • any skin condition including eczema, psoriasis, or dermatitis- usually eczema/dermatitis are linked to allergies
      • any heart condition- can cause fainting spells
      • any lung condition including asthma- also linked to allergies/asthma, and heart conditions
      • migraines or frequent headaches- see above
      • hay fever (?????)- allergies, asthma, eczema all linked to this
      • mental illness or nervous conditions, including anxiety, depression, phobia, psychosis, or nervous breakdown- anxiety & depression are linked to most of the stuff above

      Not only is this list illegal, it’s a terrible list of questions for learning anything meaningful about applicants. They’re going to have a bunch of people who check off at least half the items on this list, maybe all of them. Unless the real issue is that the hospital doesn’t want to hire anybody at all…

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    6. Kuddel Daddeldu*

      In my industry, a pre-employment medical is not only common but a legal requirement for some jobs by international law. Everyone working on a seagoing ship or offshore installation must have a valid medical, to be renewed every two years. However, the employer only sees the certificate of fitness, no diagnosis.

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      2. Daria Grace*

        In that instance it makes sense. If you have a medical emergency on a ship or rig with limited facilities a long way from shore you’re in serious trouble so it makes sense to have checked people’s risk factors. A reception desk at a hospital is just about the safest place you could be in a medical emergency.

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  4. Steve*

    I’m feeling unusually cynical and grumpy these days, and I hope OP reports them to the EEOC.

    I don’t expect it, because it’s extra work and that shouldn’t fall on someone who is already doing the extra work of job searching and going to interviews, but if OP does make the effort then please let us know so that we can take pleasure in your efforts.

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    1. Midwest MJ*

      I had the same thought. Until the hospital has to respond to the EEOC or they get an HR dDirector with actual professional level knowledge of the law they’ll keep doing it.

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    2. Ian R.*

      I’d also hope they report it to their state’s equivalent of the EEOC (assuming their state has an anti-disability discrimination law), because reporting anything to the federal government is probably shouting into the void at the moment.

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      1. Bluenyx*

        Yeah, check local and state remedies.

        And if none exist, that’s something worth bringing up to your local and state government reps as needing to be fixed given the dismantling of federal agencies lately. A phone call to your state representative has a surprising amount of weight since a state district is so small and so many fewer people pay attention to state-level politics than federal.

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    3. Transatlantic*

      Has the EEOC been defunded yet? Sadly, it’s a genuine question. If there are state or local agencies, definitely bring them in as well.

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  5. Oldsbone*

    I would say if you plan on reporting them, don’t tip off that you know what they did is illegal. That just gives them time to come up with a lie and obfuscate the issue (although an emailed questionnaire is pretty damning).

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    1. Zelda*

      “A link for me to complete some pre-employment checks” may mean that it’s via a website, to which the LW will lose access upon withdrawing their candidacy. They’ll probably have to take some screenshots pretty soon in order to have evidence. Not having that doesn’t preclude reporting the company, but as you say it makes it much easier for the company to dodge.

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  6. Athenae*

    Did the last person who had this role abuse their sick time or PTO, or die on the job from one of these things? Jeez.

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    1. Juicebox Hero*

      “It was horrible, Larry! They found her with a bunch of ragweed stuffed up her nose and she had the reddest, dryest hands the coroner had ever seen! I told her to wear gloves when she washed dishes but she wouldn’t listen!”

      Reply ↓
      1. PegS*

        BWAH! Even if it weren’t illegal, there is no conceivable reason why they’d ask such a broad array of health questions. Unless they’re concerned the LW will use the job to raid their entire medicine cabinet or steal scripts.

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    2. Georgia*

      I had an employer ask me if I had any serious health issues prior to the ACA because one of her staff members had MS and she couldn’t afford to provide insurance for sick people. Considering the staff had SIX PEOPLE it wasn’t hard to figure it out. She ended up doing and asking for some things I wasn’t comfortable with before making the job offer she said I was getting and just ghosted me which was a bullet dodged.

      Reply ↓
    1. Mouse named Anon*

      If they do they would get tons and tons of heavy fees and fines to pay. Most organizations are incredibly strict with HIPAA stuff bc of these fines they can pay. Of course maybe they don’t care. Ask any health care worker (admin too) about joint commission days. ::shudder::

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    2. couldn't tell you*

      To me it’s the other way around: The fact that it’s a hospital doing this makes me think there might be a good reason for it.

      Reply ↓
      1. Dinwar*

        That was my initial thought. Frankly a hospital is one place where I would expect this sort of questionnaire to be justifiable, as by definition you’re dealing with sick and fragile people. If they have patients that are badly immunocompromised, or had other issues that would be exacerbated by some of these issues, it would make sense to screen potential hires for them. If you have someone with epilepsy handling an IV or a fragile patient or something, that’s obviously dangerous. And so on.

        Same with pre-employment screening. We were discussing OSHA requirements as they apply to the medical field in today’s earlier post, and if you’re dealing with hazmat (including medical waste and materials that can be contaminated by bodily fluids) OSHA requires a pre-employment screening. It’s illegal NOT to have one. The reason is that the company and OSHA need to know if the stuff the company is exposing you to is killing you. If you’ve got medical issues coming in, that matters for that assessment. Like, some of the stuff I work with can cause heart issues, so knowing that I had a heart issue before I was exposed to that stuff does matter.

        That this is an administrative role makes this less justifiable. I wonder if they use a generic format, though. It’s more understandable–still not legal, but it’s a pretty typical sort of mistake. Lazy, and certainly not GOOD, but not mustache-twirly maliciously evil.

        Reply ↓
        1. Keymaster of Gozer (she/her)*

          If you have someone with epilepsy handling an IV or a fragile patient or something, that’s obviously dangerous.

          This is untrue. I have epilepsy (and schizophrenia) and I’m perfectly able to do things that require precision and attention and care. They even let me drive!

          Reply ↓
          2. Annie Non*

            My good friend of several decades has epilepsy since childhood and has been driving since she was a teenager.

            She, like everyone else, knows that if she does not feel well enough to drive, just doesn’t drive. It’s not the diagnosis that controls, it’s how you manage your health condition that matters.

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        2. Butterfly Counter*

          I worked in a hospital for years. I worked mainly with the ER, but was involved on every single floor and department in the hospital in some way.

          The only requirement was that I was up-to-date on vaccines and that I’d had a recent TB test.

          For real, if they’re excluding people based on minor mental health issues… you’re going to lose a lot of hospital staff. If not initially, then at least by a year in. (I kid. But not really.)

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        3. Guacamole Bob*

          No one is disputing that there are medical conditions that can impact a person’s ability to provide appropriate patient care. The way to handle those issues is a pre-employment physical conducted according to established law, not a questionnaire, especially for a non-clinical job. Even if the OP were applying for a clinical job, checking a box for “epilepsy” or whatever doesn’t actually tell the employer what they need to know about whether OP could do the job since there are many forms, frequency of symptoms, etc.

          Regulators in a variety of industries have thought about how to handle legitimate medical issues – my industry isn’t health care but it has pretty extensive federal regulations for “safety sensitive” positions. Any halfway competent HR would know how this is supposed to work and shouldn’t be making up their own processes.

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        4. sulky-anne*

          But you would think that medical professionals would understand that a yes/no answer to these questions doesn’t necessarily tell you much about how those conditions might affect any given individual’s work life. You would also hope that they have an appreciation for medical privacy and only ask the questions that are relevant to the job, with context about why it is relevant, at a much later stage in the process. Why would anyone want to collect a bunch of random medical data from potentially hundreds of job applicants.

          Reply ↓
          1. metadata minion*

            Hospitals are kind of notoriously terrible for being ableist to their employees, unfortunately :-/

            Reply ↓
            1. Reading Rainbow*

              Absolutely, a large part of why I stopped working in healthcare was because I developed a chronic illness and got treated like a monster for it no matter where I worked.

              I will specifically never forget when I told a supervisor what was going on right after my diagnosis and she said “you’re too young to have something like that” and started broadly accusing me of malingering. We worked in a children’s hospital. She told some other folks my diagnosis and one approached me to tell me she knew I was faking being sick because it included the word “syndrome” which she apparently believed meant “psychosomatic” (which is also still real, but like,) and when I tried to explain to her why that was incorrect she said I was lying and made out that I was trying to scam the hospital somehow. I wasn’t even asking for anything, I was just trying to tell them why I’d been at the doctor so much.

              So people’s expectation that healthcare employers should be broadly better with this stuff due to a technical understanding has always struck me as rather funny.

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        5. JSPA*

          That’s now how life works; not how ability works; and not how hospital hiring works. Exactly zero of these broad categories line up with ability to do the job described. Or (for that matter) “being a doctor,” “emptying bedpans,” “facilities maintenance,” or any other hospital role.

          I give you that a small number of the items might be sub-ideal for an EMT, on the face of things; but even then, there will be specific cases where someone who ticks that box is nevertheless extremely suited to the job.

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        6. Observer*

          If you have someone with epilepsy handling an IV or a fragile patient or something, that’s obviously dangerous.

          Assuming that’s correct, it still does not matter. Because the position the LW is applying for does *not* do things like place IV lines. They are applying for a *reception* position. If the hospital is having a receptionist do *any* patient care, they need to be shut down stat.

          On top of which, some of the conditions mentioned here simply don’t have the potential for any sort of danger for any sort of position. There is simply no way they actually need the answers to these questions.

          Same for the OSHA screening. Even in a position that needs an OSHA screening, it’s just not the case that the screen for any and all conditions. They screen for *relevant* ones. And you simply cannot make the argument that *all* of these are relevant. And this is not even an OSHA relevant position. Again, it’s *reception* position!

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        7. Calamity Janine*

          tbh, if there are serious considerations for a hospital receptionist, just a form isn’t going to cut it. people are always going to misremember or forget things. sometimes people’s own immune systems are doing the forgetting independent of their knowledge and control, lol! if there was a true and serious need that was appropriate to ask about, they’d be doing more than just asking – they’d want confirmation. (so, y’know, you don’t just trust “i don’t think i’ve ever had tuberculosis”, you screen them by actually testing their immune system’s reaction.)

          similarly, for those super serious “we need to know to make sure these chemicals aren’t killing you”… a baseline from just the patient’s best guess on a form is how to set people up for failure, *and* against the company’s interests. you just need better data! you need to be sure of what you’re actually dealing with instead of just assuming, because assuming could end up with the company on the hook for something that they don’t actually have liability for if you had an omniscient view, but since they can’t prove anything to the contrary, they get pegged as the most likely cause and have to pay for it. that’s a big part of the physicals – if it’s important enough to actually know, it’s important enough to actually *know*.

          the lack of doing that does kinda polevault into the mustache-twirling for me, y’know? if they’re looking at anything that is an actual and definite real big problem – like “hey, please don’t have tuberculosis thanks, you don’t need to be spreading that around as receptionist” – pretending that you’ve done due diligence when you’ve half-assed it is negligent, and that negligence could be deadly. deciding you’re too lazy to do an important thing to keep people safe? that’s an intentional turn towards some true nastiness.

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        8. Grim*

          For the record, I’m a nurse on a pretty busy hospital ward, I have several of the listed conditions, and my workplace doesn’t know about any of them, because they don’t NEED to know about any of them. They don’t impact my ability to do my job, so it’s not really anybody’s business except mine.

          The appropriate way to handle this is to list the minimum requirements of the job, and ask the person to agree that they have no conditions that would prevent them from fulfilling these requirements. Not to list a bunch of specific conditions and ask a job applicant to disclose whether they have them or not, with no regard for how those conditions present or whether they’re controlled/managed! That’s a massive and unnecessary invasion of privacy! And while some of the listed conditions might (MIGHT) be relevant for clinical staff such as nurses or doctors, I don’t see why it’s in any way necessary to know in advance for admin staff. If somebody working at a hospital does have one of these conditions and would need an accommodation (like different PPE that doesn’t set off their eczema, or an ergonomic chair) then they can raise that subject and ask for it, but it’s very weird for the hospital to be pre-emptively inquiring.

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      2. Nightengale*

        I don’t.

        I’m a physician. I’m disabled – including a mobility impairment and several neurodivergences. I’m diabetic. I have hay fever even! Several of our staff members also have chronic medical problems or disabilities.

        There are medical problems and disabilities that would prevent some people from doing some jobs in health care. For example, some people in health care need to be able to lift patients. I would not be able to hold one of those positions. But the idea that all potential employees should be asked all these questions, rather than have a specific conversation about essential functions of a specific job and the possible need for accommodation doesn’t fly, even in health care.

        Sadly, health care can be an extremely ableist place. I’ve definitely experienced more discrimination and problems from medical practitioners than ever from any patient.

        Reply ↓
        1. PurplePeopleEater*

          When I dragged a (as-yet-to-be-diagnosed) broken foot into urgent care saying “it doesn’t look bad, but I should get it checked out”, I was asked if I worked in healthcare.
          Apparently displaying astonishingly little insight into the severity of an injury is a healthcare worker thing? It made me worried on y’all’s behalf.

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          1. What in the Microwave*

            Judging by my mother-in-law, who completed the remaining 7 hours of an 8 hour surgery after falling and breaking her hip, and two decades of working on the administrative side of health care, most healthcare workers will try to walk off any injury, at least if they’re not actively creating a biohazard.

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      3. Observer*

        to me it’s the other way around: The fact that it’s a hospital doing this makes me think there might be a good reason for it.

        No. There is no good reason, assuming “good” includes sensible, legal, and ethical.

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      1. Ally McBeal*

        I think they’re saying that if they’re willing to so blatantly violate the ADA then they may not have much respect for HIPAA either.

        Reply ↓
  8. Lexi Vipond*

    Eczema is pretty relevant to a hospital because of the possible effects of constant handwashing, and then of open cracks in the skin. Not really at the front desk, though.

    Reply ↓
    2. MPerera*

      I’ve worked in three hospital laboratories so far and I’ve never had an interview question that involved eczema, let alone all those other conditions.

      Reply ↓
    3. ReallyBadPerson*

      But isn’t it up to the adult working there to decide if they are okay with this? Most people with chronic conditions figure out what works for them and can decide whether a job might or might not exacerbate a medical problem.

      Reply ↓
      1. Lexi Vipond*

        Well, as long as it can’t cause any risk to patients, which seems unlikely in general, but which I don’t know enough to know for sure.

        But I don’t find the bare idea of needing accommodations for eczema as weird in a hospital (ward) setting as it would be in an office one – the whole idea of sending the list at that stage is ridiculous, but I don’t find asking about eczema MORE ridiculous than the rest.

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    4. DEEngineer*

      Also because protective gloves can aggravate eczema and a good employer will supply PPE that works for an employee’s skin condition.

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    6. Jay (no, the other one)*

      That was my thought – they use the same questionnaire for every hire including patient care personnel. Open lesions on skin are a risk for infection both for the employee and the patient. I’m a doc and I’ve never had to answer that specific a question – I have had to verify that I could wear appropriate PPE including gloves when necessary.

      Some kind of mental health question is also standard for anyone with patient care responsibilities. This is an example of how *not* to do that. For my current job, I was asked if I had any history of mental illness. Since I don’t need the money, I decided to answer honestly – I have depression which is treated and controlled. No one said anything. After I started I was asked for feedback on the process and I suggested they rephrase that to the same wording our licensing uses: mental illness that would interfere with my ability to provide care. I do wonder, still, who would say “yes” but at least it’s a less invasive way to ask.

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    7. Snudance Prooter*

      I know several nurses with eczema, including on their hands. They just cover it up using the many methods available to us and go on their day.

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    8. Area Woman*

      There is no reason to steel-man any of this. It is illegal and not relevant to a job. This is why it is illegal, because people use the information wrongly more often than not. We do not need to excuse any of it!

      Reply ↓
  9. Chairman of the Bored*

    I’ve received several “pre-employment physicals” as part of site work at specific job sites where I was doing work for a few days or weeks.

    In every case they have evaluated for many things unrelated to the specific job, such as lung function, mental health screening, and skin irritations etc. One of them included a gait analysis!

    They were explicit that they were establishing a “health baseline” for me that they would use in court later if I attempted to claim that I had developed a health problem as a result of chemical exposure etc at the site.

    Reply ↓
    1. amoeba*

      Yeah, it’s pretty normal in the chemical industry – as long as you do it for actual employees only and keep it confidential (unless you’re actually unfit for the job, in which case they will of course communicate that to the employer), I’m honestly fine with it! But this is pretty different than that…

      Reply ↓
    2. Judge Judy and Executioner*

      Only one organization in my career ever required a pre-employment physical. I’ve worked office jobs my whole career, but this organization handled toxic chemicals and was a defense contractor. They had the same reasoning for why a physical was needed, which scared me. I did the physical but did not end up working for the company.

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    3. Sloanicota*

      That is an interesting angle. But it seems like it could just as equally work against them, no? Assuming they are transparent about their determined health baseline and you get a copy at the time, you can use it to prove your issues were not pre-determined just as easily as they can try to claim they are.

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      1. Nina*

        Honestly I wish one of the companies I used to work for had introduced pre-employment physicals before I, y’know, started working there. One of the chemicals I’ve worked with is what’s called a ‘respiratory sensitizer’, and closely related to one of the compounds in my usual brand of hair dye – which means I’ve had my natural colour for nearly five years because the acquired sensitivity to the work chemical made using the hair dye bring on something like an asthma attack. It sucks, and I can’t do shit about it.

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      2. amoeba*

        I mean, yes, this is how it should work in a responsible company? (Also, pretty sure it’s actually the law here in Europe…) They do generally care about the safety of the employees.

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  10. Polaris*

    I might be able to shed a little light on “why eczema”, and its not pretty.

    I’ve had “just about bad enough to consider regular IV infusion treatment and/or chemotherapy related drugs” eczema my entire life. Just about.

    As a teenager working retail in the 1990s, a “very concerned church lady” asked not me, not my department assistant manager nor department manager, but the store general manager via mail, why on earth he hired a woman with a contagious disease like leprosy. Verbatim. With a description of me including what I was wearing and the date and time. It was anonymous but signed “A Very Concerned Church Lady”, in case you’re wondering where I pulled that from.

    I know about it because the SGM wanted to make sure that this absolutely horrid human being had not approached or harassed me during my shift, and he made sure that security and management kept their eyeballs on my department for anyone giving any of us, but especially me, any grief. He suspected by sight that it was simply bad eczema (it looks NOTHING like leprosy), and assured me that any member of the public who addressed me or him about it, he would handle, and handling it would be a polite “grow up”.

    I dislike the entire list that the LW provides, for the record. But that one? It touched home a bit.

    Reply ↓
    1. TinkerTailorSolderDye*

      Truly, that ‘lady’ was a horrible human, but I’m very glad that your store manager was such an incredible boss. You should have never had to deal with that, but the fact that he made a point of making sure that you felt safe, secure, and cared about, and that he personally would handle the situation. Three cheers to you, for being kind enough to share, and three cheers to him for being a good human.

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    2. Slow Gin Lizz*

      My mom has pretty severe eczema too and when she was a kid she had one teacher who was convinced it was something contagious and sent her to the nurse every time Mom’s face was red from her eczema. Teacher wouldn’t believe her that eczema is absolutely not contagious. Now, to be fair, this was the 1950s when there were still some pretty awful and very contagious diseases that didn’t have vaccines yet, so I guess teacher’s concern wasn’t too unwarranted. But still….what a dope. And how awful for you, I’m so glad your boss had your back on that.

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      1. Irish Teacher.*

        I think the fact that it was the 1950s made it understandable the first time, but doing it repeatedly…nope.

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    3. DEEngineer*

      I have another take on eczema. I marked “yes” on my pre-employment questionnaire for a research position at a chemical company (after I accepted the job offer), and the company nurse reached out to me to ask if I had any limitations on PPE I could wear, specifically gloves. They were ready to accommodate me.

      It sounds to me like they gave her the questionnaire intended for employees who might regularly wear protective gloves. Still illegal though.

      Reply ↓
    5. Adereterial*

      I have psoriasis, and during one particularly bad flare it was all down both arms, and legs. In the height of a very British (read incredibly humid) summer. It was angry looking but it was far, far too hot and sticky to be covered up and anyway, sunlight helps (to a point), and I also had to work.

      Someone on the train asked me why I felt it appropriate to be outside with a ‘contagious skin condition’ and asked the conductor if I could be told to get off at the next stop. Fortunately he and other passengers shut her down pretty quick but I was mortified, and cried when I got home.

      Reply ↓
      2. UKDancer*

        Some people should mind their own business and follow the London underground etiquette of pretending the other people in the tube carriage don’t exist and ignoring them unless they need help.

        How awful for you. I’m glad the conductor and passengers told nosy lady where to put herself.

        Reply ↓
      3. Ellis Bell*

        There’s an online support group I found when I was dealing with my first bad psoriasis flare up, and a woman told me a member of cabin crew tried to stop her getting on a plane in case she infected other passengers. This was after two weeks of Spanish sun had improved her skin, and she’d felt a little more confident about wearing short sleeves. I will never forget her advice to be prepared and to not worry about being aggressive when shutting people down: “You think people will be too polite to say anything, but they’re not.” I do think most people are better than that, but it only takes one eejit.

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      4. Hroethvitnir*

        Holy crap, that’s horrendous. I have a friend with mostly not very visible psoriasis, and it’s so hard to feel comfortable in public without dealing with awful time travellers (something is going terribly wrong with our average level of biology education, clearly).

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    6. Another Kristin*

      Yeah, wasn’t there a letter on here about someone whose colleague was disgusted that they came to work with a cold sore, because they thought it was an STI? People can be very ignorant about skin conditions.

      (I also have eczema, but it’s pretty mild and not usually in visible places – though I did get an outbreak on my face last year! It was horrible).

      Reply ↓
    7. Hey, I'm Wohrking Heah!*

      Leprosy? Also consumption because you’d been teleported to India on the 1850s? Also sorry this happened. Not nearly as bad but you reminded me that at an elite East Coast college in the 90s I was asked if I had electricity growing up in Denver. Some people’s children.

      Reply ↓
      1. metadata minion*

        Leprosy does still exist! But it’s both curable now and actually extremely difficult to catch – it requires extended close contact.

        Reply ↓
        1. Bella Ridley*

          Similarly, tuberculosis (formerly known as consumption), not only still exists but is a significant medical threat in many parts of the world. TB testing is incredibly common in industries that deal with at-risk populations.

          Reply ↓
      2. London Lass*

        I have had consumption (TB) and I was not born in the 19th century. I was diagnosed in London in 2008. Fortunately antibiotics did the job.

        Reply ↓
        2. ReallyBadPerson*

          Yep. Two of my daughter’s friends caught TB in recent years. One was living in the US, the other in the Netherlands.

          Reply ↓
      3. PurplePeopleEater*

        Both Hansen disease and tuberculosis are still serious conditions that people do in fact get.

        Reply ↓
    8. Observer*

      I might be able to shed a little light on “why eczema”, and its not pretty.

      This is where I would like an emoji. The crying one. Because that was a TERRIBLE thing to happen. I’m so glad that at least your manager had your back!

      Even without your experience my mind went where yours did. Like “Oh, they clearly only want people who look a certain way.”

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    9. allathian*

      I’m sorry that the customer was so horrid but it was heartening to read about your SGM who was a great boss and a decent human. Given how often we read about horrible retail bosses, it was great to hear a different story for a change.

      Now my occasional facial eczema’s cleared up for a change, but when it’s bad I’m essentially housebound because going outside hurts my face so much. I’m atopic but it’s only in my 50s that I’ve had eczema on my face. Yay perimenopause…

      Luckily I can WFH when it gets really bad and nobody at work’s commented on it, never mind given me any grief over it.

      Reply ↓
      1. Polaris*

        (Thank you to everyone. Even putting it on paper, its horrible and ridiculous isn’t it?)

        My experience here definitely shows the difference between having a good, solid, decent human being as a boss in your teenage years, vs. not. Because if I got a pre-employment health screening that looked like this today as a full grown @$$ adult? I’d likely reply with “LOL, No.” because it was ingrained in my teen years that “this is NOT normal, its laughably not normal except its not funny, handle with extreme prejudice”. I thank my lucky stars that I had a fantastic crew of management at that retail job – because we all know it absolutely could’ve been hellish!!

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    10. Hroethvitnir*

      I’m sorry someone did that – but glad management had your back!

      It’s always super gross to be reminded a non-zero number of people hold archaic levels of disgust and ideas about contagion/moral worth of imperfect skin. From cystic acne = hygiene to, well, this. Sigh.

      Reply ↓
  11. Mouse named Anon*

    This is odd, I wonder if it’s a health insurance thing?

    I worked somewhere that required a physical. Mainly it was to see if you had any previous injuries prior to employment. There were positions (mine wasn’t one of them) that worked in psychiatric resident facilities. Sometimes patients could get physical and hurt staff. They didn’t want someone suing for a “new injury” when there was evidence of it in the past. We also had to get a TB test since there was a residential facility on campus.

    Reply ↓
    1. Eldritch Office Worker*

      I’ve also had to do a physical and a TB test for work before – this is not the legal way to collect that information

      Reply ↓
      1. not like a regular teacher*

        Yep, I’ve had to do the same but it was after accepting the job offer – not part of the interview process.

        Reply ↓
    2. Kuddel Daddeldu*

      In my industry, a pre-employment medical is not only common but a legal requirement for some jobs by international law. Everyone working on a seagoing ship or offshore installation must have a valid medical, to be renewed every two years. However, the employer only sees the certificate of fitness, no diagnosis.s

      Reply ↓
  12. Productivity Pigeon*

    Surely a hospital should know this is illegal?

    Is it some sort of ”we need to track demographics on an aggregate level”-shenanigan gone wrong?

    Reply ↓
  13. Jaymz Julian*

    Honestly, if you’re in a situation where you don’t _need_ the job, I’d take this as a red flag to run away – I’m a wheelchair user, and I actually tell people during the initial application process because I figure that it’s better to filter out people who are going to be hostile earlier, and not waste my time. Of course, I didn’t do that earlier in my career when I needed the work more, and in truth in the current environment I might be less likely to do that than I was 3 years ago when the market was hotter.

    Reply ↓
    1. Eldritch Office Worker*

      I also typically disclose disability somewhere in the interview process – either because I have to, because in-person, or to get the vibe. It’s an odd kind of privilege to be in a position to screen employers, and there are definitely people who need a job badly enough to put up with crap like this, but I would encourage anyone who is able to flag these people to the proper authorities, as well as withdrawing themselves.

      Reply ↓
      1. Taketombo*

        During my last round of job searching I disclosed that I had a disabled kid and that I would be keeping to standard work hours and using my PTO for his care.

        If it was a place that was going to fire me for that, I didn’t want to start in the first place.

        Reply ↓
  14. Cj*

    so many times people write to Alison asking if something is illegal, and it’s not. this time it actually is!

    Reply ↓
  15. Don't You Call Me Lady*

    The term “nervous breakdown” makes it sound like this is some old form that was never updated. Though I’m not a doctor – do they still call it that?

    Anyway it sounds like you didn’t want to pursue the role even besides this questionnaire

    Reply ↓
    1. HailRobonia*

      Do you suffer from any of the following conditions:

      Dropsy
      Pleursy
      Biliousness
      Grippe
      Ague
      Milliner’s Knee
      The French Disease
      Heebie Jeebies
      Jeebie Heebies
      The Screaming Fits
      Exasperated Bile
      Saint Joseph’s Fever
      Horrors
      Street Sweeper’s Elbow
      Street Urchinitis

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      5. Lovely and Coughing Blood Diamond of the First Water*

        dying

        of street urchinitis

        /swoons onto nearby chaise lounge/ I was already weak with Jeebie Heebies. I should’ve never allowed my butler to come into contact with that street urchin he was sweeping out my path…I thought it was just the screaming fits and horrors!

        Reply ↓
      12. Abe Froman*

        Take your blue pill, mercury, antimony, and black draught and call me in the morning (if you aren’t dead).

        Reply ↓
        1. Nightengale*

          rhinitis is definitely in legitimate contemporary use

          allergic rhinitis is basically runny nose from allergies. . . dare I say, hay fever?

          Reply ↓
      16. Opaline*

        Pleurisy’s still a thing, I’ve had it and it sucks! It got brought on by bronchitis and felt like I was being stabbed in the ribs. Though the doctor did explain pleurisy is more a symptom than a disease, so I wouldn’t think I’d caught something horrific.

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    2. Nightengale*

      I am a doctor – no. Although sometimes it is helpful to use more well known terms for conditions that are not always the official ones. (that doesn’t make any of this list or form or protocol OK. It’s not OK.)

      Reply ↓
  16. I used to have a username*

    This list of health conditions sounds very much like the standard list of possible disabilities that are in the standard language of online job applications that ask if you have a disability. The standard language gives a list of some examples of possible disabilities and then you are asked to indicate an overall yes or no about whether you have a disability. Many companies use the question of whether applicants have a disability or not to track the percentages of how many employees with disabilities they have, and/or applicants with disabilities. HOWEVER, it sounds like this hospital took that waaaaay too far and decided to make it a checklist. Nope. Not allowed.

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    1. Eldritch Office Worker*

      No it doesn’t. No current list of disabilities is going to include “nervous breakdown”

      Reply ↓
      1. Guacamole Bob*

        And “any heart condition”? I have a heart murmur that means I am more likely to need heart valve surgery in my 70’s but it has no impacts or restrictions on my life now other than needing an echocardiogram every few years to make sure it’s stable. It doesn’t qualify as a disability, but it would need to be disclosed under the wording of this form.

        Reply ↓
        1. Nightengale*

          yes many of the things on this list are unlikely to rise to the level of a disability – like hay fever – or hugely vary in whether they would be considered disabilities.

          Reply ↓
    2. Keymaster of Gozer (she/her)*

      That’s a tad daft. You don’t ask people if they have a disability by providing them a list of checkboxes – in fact I’d argue they don’t need to know the exact details at all. Do you have a disability that might affect the job? Yes/No.

      Reply ↓
      1. Guacamole Bob*

        And this is where employers often indicate the physical requirements of the job. When I fil out forms to create a new job description, I have to check boxes about the role’s requirements: lift X amount frequently or occasionally, sit for long periods, use a computer for X hours per day, use tools requiring manual dexterity, listen to spoken material, etc. That will help candidates know whether they can do the job without disclosing the disability, can probably do the job but will need to ask for accommodation, or whether it’s probably not a good fit.

        But employers need to identify the physical requirements of the job, not identify medical conditions that might keep someone from being able to meet those requirements.

        Reply ↓
    3. Observer*

      This list of health conditions sounds very much like the standard list of possible disabilities that are in the standard language of online job applications that ask if you have a disability

      No it’s not. Many of these items are not disabilities. Not in the legal nor the colloquial sense of the word.

      And that’s aside from the fact that this was not part of the eeoc questions that larger companies need to maintain – separately from the application materials! This was part of the “pre-employment check” which included screening of various sorts.

      Reply ↓
    4. Color me Surprised*

      I came to the comment section searching for someone to say this. I see a list like this quite often under the disability disclosure section of online apps (and yes nervous breakdown/ suicidal thoughts/ mental health issues have shown up in a few lists I’ve seen – separated on the list from depression and anxiety). The only difference in the apps is that you usually have the option to choose not to disclose and/or skip the question.

      To be completely honest I’ve started to think this is “normal” and that I’m the odd one out because every time I’ve seen this in an online app I raise my eyebrows and regret spending so much time on the application because this part often shows up on the last page right before hitting submit. Glad to know I’m not the one off base here.

      Reply ↓
  17. BlueCactus*

    I wonder if they have a form they use for all employees, and didn’t realize they needed to remove the medical questions they ask clinical employees? Regardless it’s totally inappropriate and illegal.

    I’m starting my medical residency soon and my employer has asked me for quite a bit of medical information, but for me questions about whether I frequently get migraines are actually relevant from a coverage safety perspective (as well as, obviously, my vaccine records and history of things like a TB exposure).

    Reply ↓
  18. HR is exhausting*

    Hospitals are regulated to have a pre employment health assessment and physical on file for employees every so many years. How this hospital is doing the pre employment health assessment is illegal. Also, the health questions and physical can be very generic, not detailed like this. Also, for those referencing HIPAA, that is incorrect. HIPAA applies to patient information. This applicant is not a patient. Again, this process is still very messed up and illegal. I just wanted to clarify as a healthcare HR person.

    Reply ↓
    2. Ginger Cat Lady*

      Huh. I’ve worked in a non-clinical hospital role like the one in question since 2002 and have never had to do any of that. Not before hire, and never on an ongoing basis.
      What regulation, specifically, requires the physical on file?

      Reply ↓
  19. Cass*

    Absolutely report them, however, odds are nothing useful will come of it given the current climate in the U.S.

    Reply ↓
  20. Lady Lessa*

    Ironically, that kind of questionnaire would not have prevent us from hiring (and having to let go) a production worker who was sensitive to a number of the chemicals they worked with.

    I feel sorry for him and our production manager because we are in a hiring freeze.

    Reply ↓
  21. Just Here for the Cake*

    I wonder if this has to do with working in a hospital. Even though I am non-clinical and don’t interact with patients that often, I’ve still had to provide my current medications, and my full history of vaccines and medical diagnoses to the internal Employee Health department when I was hired at my last two jobs in a hospital system. They do this for everyone who will be in the hospital regularly to make sure nothing contagious is passed on to patients (like TB), you aren’t exposed to something by a patient, and that you are medically able to do you’re job. From asking around, its the norm (and possibly legally required) for hospitals in my area to ask this of all new hires.

    Still very weird (and illegal) that they are asking for it before hiring though.

    Reply ↓
  22. Spends Too Much Time In Hospitals*

    There are some things on this list I could see being a safety issue for a hospital receptionist who interacts with infectious patients; that maybe includes eczema in some cases because it’s sometimes due to an autoimmune condition. And the inverse, that they’re concerned about any sneeze-inducing condition because of the optics to immunocompromised patients. But the overall list is still way too broad and any medical exams should be happening later in the hiring process, so this feels like a company that’s taken a small exemption as an excuse to do everything they ever wanted.

    Reply ↓
  23. Cube Farm for One*

    As a nurse, even for a non-clinical (no direct patient care) role, I’ve been drug tested including hair sampling, blood and urine. I’ve been strapped to a machine and forced to do repetitive bending and twisting. They called it the Back 2000. I’ve had to squat and carry a 50# bucket across the room. I’ve been required to pick up a 100# dummy and transfer it to a wheelchair. I’ve been forced to undergo an audiogram and an EKG.

    All of this was before a job offer. For a non-patient care role. So yes, abuses are out there and they are egregious.

    Reply ↓
  24. Llellayena*

    I can see the hospital shoving this into the packet of questions they give to everyone just because they’re a hospital and are used to asking for this from PATIENTS (where it’s relevant). They may not have considered that outside of the PATIENT relationship, this info is irrelevant and illegal (though they should have). My initial response to this (if I still wanted the job) would be to send the packet back with this part of it NOT filled out and stating that my private health information will not be provided unless I become a PATIENT of the hospital and not as an employee. If they write back asking for it anyway I would request info on why based on “business need” it was required and ask how the information would be stored and used with references to HIPAA. If they don’t get alarmed by then, I’d drop out and report them.

    Reply ↓
    1. HR is Exhausting*

      It is a regulation by CMS. That is why they do this. Though in this scenario, they are not doing it correctly and are way too specific.

      Reply ↓
      1. I'm just here for the cats!!*

        Yeah, I’m thinking someone messed up and thinks this should be done before interviews when it should be done at offer stage.

        Reply ↓
      2. Llellayena*

        I’m sure they have a need to collect some of this info, but it seems like the specific form they’re using in tho one they use to ask for patient info, where it needs to be this detailed so they can treat someone. Hopefully, flagging the “business need” will make them realize it’s the wrong form or that something is wrong with their process.

        Reply ↓
  25. dulcinea47*

    At one job I had to do situps and drug testing to prove I’m qualified to sit at a desk all day, with the knowledge that my job offer could be rescinded if I couldn’t do enough situps or whatever.

    Reply ↓
    1. Retired Vulcan Raises 1 Grey Eyebrow*

      I’ve learned from this site that the US loves drug-testing, but what have situps to do with an office job – unless maybe for the US Marines?

      Reply ↓
      1. Bird names*

        Provided outdated, non-ergonomic chairs only, so that employees needed to be in top-health to deal with it?
        No chairs, so they had to be able to get up from the floor?
        Fitness-center is disguise with job-switcheroo? Dulcinea, were you perhaps also asked to act as a fitness instructor unexpectedly?

        Reply ↓
  26. Festively Dressed Earl*

    I suspect they want someone up front who will always seem perky and/or calm with no “unsightly” problems, so no skin conditions or mental illnesses that could break that Disney facade. To save time, y’all can just insert my sarcastic snarky thoughts about that [here], [here], aaannnndd [here].

    Reply ↓
    1. Retired Vulcan Raises 1 Grey Eyebrow*

      and of course no disability or chronic conditions, because they wouldn’t be perky at all.

      Reply ↓
      1. Nightengale*

        I’m disabled and perky. Well sometimes perky. Sometimes snarky.

        What is interesting is my experiences being visibly disabled working in health care. I had deans and professors in medical school being Very Concerned. My experience with actual patients and their families has ranged from neutral to positive. I hear similar comments from other disabled health care providers.

        For awhile I had a toy elephant attached to my cane. (this was because using a cane as a medical student was “the elephant in the room” that everyone stared at, not a statement on US politics.) My Dean thought it looked unprofessional. Patients in the elevators LOVED it. I started saying he – the elephant – was a good judge of character.

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  27. Antigone*

    I recently started a job as a hospital employee – fully remote, in another state, I’ll never get near patients and may set foot on hospital grounds once or twice a year. I still had to do a fairly extensive health screening before my hire was final, and it was along these lines, although I’ve forgotten the exact questions at this point. It seemed pretty clear to me that someone in the higher-ups had decided it was better to have the same screening for all employees, rather than try to parse out who you ask what questions of based on their expected job duties. Annoying, but not entirely out of the norm for a healthcare job they’re actually offering you. But if I’d been asked to do it without an offer already on the table, negotiated, and agreeable to both parties pending this and other new-hire paperwork stuff, I’d have walked. WAY too much chance of this sort of information affecting who gets an offer.

    Reply ↓
    1. I'm just here for the cats!!*

      I almost wonder if there was some miscommunication somewhere and now HR or whoever is sending this beforehand when it was always supposed to be part of the paperwork once a person has an offer. Years ago I interviewed and shadowed at my local hospital for a office job and I did have to fill out something but it was more a liability thing, stating that I could come into contact with person’s with illness. I think there was a spot to put if you wanted accommodations. But I don’t remember anything like this!

      Reply ↓
  28. Ex-Teacher*

    >You can also report their violation of the law to the EEOC,

    Don’t forget your state department of labor (or applicable agency). If LW’s state is one which has parallel or stronger protections than Federal law, then reporting to the state (or in some cases, the city) is also a recommended option. Especially with the tenuous state of the federal government, the state may have more timely and enforceable consequences.

    Reply ↓
  29. Kai*

    Actually, eczema can be very serious.
    It’s not always just a rash like condition, it can be all over with blisters & bleeding/cracking skin.

    Any conditions that break skin are potentially very serious for infection.

    It can also be extremely painful even just confined to hands, arms. Showers are painful, clothing is excruciating.

    Doesn’t excuse this ridiculous questionnaire but eczema isn’t just a run of the mill condition.

    Reply ↓
    1. Observer*

      That’s not the point, though. The issue is that it simply is not relevant. Even in a patient care position. Because it is neither contagious, nor does it affect the things that patient caring positions do.

      Reply ↓
  30. HonorBox*

    I understand that doing something beyond telling them that you’re withdrawing takes time and energy that you don’t need to devote to solving this. But OP, I’d encourage you to consider investing a bit of time. You’ll force this company to make a change, and in doing so, you’ll likely make life better for others who are applying in the future.

    Let the company know why you’re withdrawing your application. Use the words “illegal hiring practices” when you do.

    File a report with the EEOC.

    Mention something to the Department of Labor.

    Depending on profile of the clinic, you might get some traction with a well-placed tip to the local media.

    Asking these questions sucks. And these questions don’t actually help the company because no one will be truthful.

    Reply ↓
  32. Hey, I'm Wohrking Heah!*

    I’d be so tempted to say yes on hay fever, get a second interview, snort a few dandilions and go sneeze volcanically in their faces.

    Reply ↓
  33. Keymaster of Gozer (she/her)*

    Whoever sent that questionaire obviously doesn’t use their head for anything other than storing their teeth.

    That’s incredibly offensive. It’s basically saying ‘if you’ve got anything chronic wrong with you we have to know so we can judge you accordingly and decide whether you’re worth bringing in’.

    And as someone with more mental illnesses than limbs it’s taken a long time to fight against the perception that disabled people with psychotic disorders should be locked away out of sight and not working with others.

    Reply ↓
  34. Retired Vulcan Raises 1 Grey Eyebrow*

    I haven’t heard of any job in UK/W Europe that required a physical (or drug testing), either before or after starting work (excluding the armed forces, police etc)
    Maybe it’s because US employers provide health insurance, instead of the state, so intrusive health screening is to exclude people they think will actually use the insurance and raise costs.

    I’m glad to hear it’s illegal – and the hospital really should know this – so I hope the OP can withdraw her application and report these violations. In the current US political climate, would this likely result in a swingeing fine, or just finger-wagging?

    Reply ↓
    1. Cordelia*

      Actually you would need to provide pretty much all this information for a job in the NHS, including a patient-facing admin role. But the difference is that it is provided once you’ve had the job offer, and it goes directly to Occupational Health. Your hiring manager doesn’t ever see it, all they see is whether you have been passed fit for work, and any accommodations you might need.

      Reply ↓
    2. UKDancer*

      I think some of the train companies and Transport for London in the UK might do for people driving trains to ensure they’ve not got any medical conditions that would affect their ability to drive trains, but I am not sure about this. I know TfL staff have drug tests (all staff) but am not sure how often.

      I know we require lorry and bus drivers to have a vocational licence and that involves some form of health check and sight test to ensure they’re able to do so but that’s more about establishing they don’t have anything that will make them become suddenly unable to drive while moving a large vehicle rather than wanting to know about skin conditions or hay fever or mental health.

      Reply ↓
      1. Keymaster of Gozer (She/Her)*

        Because of the unions (RMT etc) we have to do a lot of the same tests for office staff as say a signaller would have. Drug and alcohol tests basically – and they can test us on the spot too.
        I had to go through a test to see if I’d be safe to go trackside and basically mine is ‘with an escort when the line is shut down’.

        Reply ↓
      2. Media Monkey*

        i seem to remember a new story a few years ago (think it was in glasgow?) about a bus driver who lied about a heart condition, had a heart attack at the wheel and the bus drove into a group of people on the pavement. so i guess there’s certain jobs you might want to check (but not before the offer)

        Reply ↓
    3. name (required)*

      This is actually pretty common in W Europe — I know someone who had a job offer pulled as a result. Honestly, my assumption is that this person is a US American applying for a job in some other country. Factoring these kinds of questions into employment eligibility absolutely IS a very bad idea in the US (your views on the US health insurance system notwithstanding), but the ADA provides unusually strong protections compared to much of the rest of the world.

      Reply ↓
      1. Retired Vulcan Raises 1 Grey Eyebrow*

        Common? I worked 40+ years in the Uk, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands and never heard of health questionaires or exams (or drug tests) except in very specific fields as pp mentioned above. I worked for manufacturing / engineering / consulting firms plus earlier non-professional jobs during uni vacations.

        I know some European countries don’t require such extensive accommodation as the US for disabilities, especially mh ones, that may actually affect job duties, but I’ve not heard of a checklist of things that don’t, or of health questionaires so early in the application process.

        There are several comments from people in the US who have experienced intrusive health questions for admin jobs and USians working abroad normally say so. So it sounds like another employer ignoring the laws.
        US employers have all the same “reasons”/prejudices that European employers have to exclude anyone with health conditions, plus the extra one of health insurance costs.

        Reply ↓
  35. Strive to Excel*

    Did…did they just put a regular health screening form in as part of their hiring process? This sounds like the sort of thing I’d fill out before having a medical checkup with a new doc. Which is relevant for a medical checkup, but not a job! Did they just decide they didn’t want to go through the effort of drawing up a separate employee list and just pinched the patient one?

    Reply ↓
  36. I'm great at doing stuff*

    All I can think of is in the British version of The Office when David was trying to get Keith to admit a weakness, and he finally says “eczema.” So funny.

    But in all seriousness, that employer is wack.

    Reply ↓
    1. Strive to Excel*

      Worst hiring practices.

      Yesterday’s letter about requiring a current supervisor reference would qualify; so would the one from the other day with the Good Old Boys sharing salary info.

      Reply ↓
  38. Chaos organizer*

    My former employer was a municipal government and they required a pre employment physical and drug test. In part because some employees were police or firefighters. I was not those, I was a librarian (not a shelver— this is relevant). I showed up in a walking cast as I was dealing with some foot problems. The Dr refused to “clear me for employment” unless I had a note about the cast from my treating physician because he didn’t think I could shelve books in my cast. I did look into a lawyer for that one.

    Reply ↓
  39. chellieroo*

    During Covid, the local hospital recruited for people who would be willing to help out in long term care facilities (because they were so hurting for staff). I was relatively low risk and know how important that care is, so thought I’d be willing to do that 8-10 hours a week. It was a paid gig, which makes sense because it’s easier to manage than volunteers, but it involved wading through their neverending application system. I got almost to the end when it asked me to SIGN A RELEASE OF MY MEDICAL RECORDS! All of them!
    I ultimately spoke with the person coordinating this program, saying that this was a total overreach and a dealbreaker for me. All they had to say was that “no one’s going to look at your medical records”. At the time I thought “well, I guess if you’ve been drinking the kool aid…”
    I have to admit that applicants just accepting that level of intrusion seems more sinister now. But reading the comments I remember working in a hospital many years ago and their deep commitment to exploiting workers, which seems to be updated for the times.

    Reply ↓
  40. kiwi*

    This is wild to the point where I’m wondering if they somehow sent you new patient forms by mistake, as this is clearly not ok and a place that deals with patient info should know it.

    My husband and I both have jobs that do require physical/medical monitoring, and they’re both done by third parties, with the only thing our employers receiving being “cleared/not cleared.” This level of detail is so not ok

    Reply ↓
  41. cardozolaw*

    Oh my the advice here is terrible. Do not withdraw your application. Simply decline to fill out their medical evaluation and if you want to point out that it is illegal. You can also report them to the appropriate agencies. But I voluntarily withdrawing your application you may restrict any legal remedies that you have. If you decline to fill out their questionnaire you maintain all of your legal remedies which could include suing them for damages when they don’t hire you due to their illegal hiring practices. You really should seek the advice of an employment labor attorney as well.

    Reply ↓
    1. Sharon*

      I agree. At most you just answer “I do not have any medical conditions that are expected to materially impact my ability to do the job for which I am applying or for which accommodations are expected to be necessary.”

      Reply ↓
    2. Hroethvitnir*

      What? The LW was thinking of withdrawing anyway. If they can get a screenshot of the questionnaire they can absolutely report it and withdraw – they can anyway, but evidence is helpful.

      Why would withdrawing mean you can’t report a company for illegal hiring processes?

      Reply ↓
  43. WillowSunstar*

    Yeah, this seems like they just want to discriminate against people for a lot of what are fairly normal things people have, too. Companies, you’re never going to get an employee who is never ever out sick. We’re all human. We all have something (or will get it eventually). I didn’t get diagnosed with hypothyroidism until my late 20’s. Probaby had it much earlier, just undiagnosed and untreated.

    Reply ↓
  44. Letter-Writer*

    Letter-Writer here! I think the general consensus is that this list is bonkers. I didn’t actually include every ailment in my letter for brevity, so for anyone interested, here is the full list of conditions verbatim:

    – epilepsy, fits, blackouts, fainting turns or dizzy spells
    – eyesight or vision problems (beyond requiring glasses or contact lenses)
    – hearing loss, tinnitus, deafness or recurrent ear infections
    – co-ordination abnormality, tremor or clumsiness
    – any injury or condition involving the neck, back, shoulder/s, limbs, handsm leg, feet or joints (please specify area of injury in the comments section)
    – reaction to or difficulty wearing personal protective equipment, including safety shoes, glasses, gloves, ear protection or any other form of PPE
    – any skin condition including eczema, psoriasis or dermatitis
    – any heart condition including heart attack, heart murmurs or irregular heart beat
    – hay fever
    – any lung conditions including asthma, pneumonia, chronic or recurrent bronchitis, wheezing, breathlessness or persistent cough
    – arthritis or any joint condition
    – migraines or frequent or severe headaches
    – tuberculosis or other infection disease
    – mental illness or nervous condition including anxiety, depression, phobia, psychosis or nervous breakdown

    They were so kind as to provide a printable version of this form, which I have downloaded as a PDF. So I may take this further.

    Reply ↓
      1. Calamity Janine*

        with regret that it’s april second instead of april first so this foolishness is coming a day late:

        that’s a clear case of discrimination against the quirky protagonists of rom-coms and cheesy YA lit if i’ve ever seen one. the clumsiness is part of the charm! next thing you know, they’ll be outlawing the concept of makeovers (that are just taking off glasses and putting hair down instead of a ponytail)! oh the humanity…!

        Reply ↓
      2. Irish Teacher.*

        I was wondering how they even define that. I mean clumsiness isn’t an all-or-nothing thing. Everybody is probably clumsy in some situations or to some degree. Is it only if you have a condition that causes clumsiness or does it count if you are just generally awkward?

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    2. Rogue Slime Mold*

      #5 lists all body parts except the head. So tennis elbow should be reported, but if you kept all trauma above the chin it’s okay?

      Reply ↓
    3. Hlao-roo*

      reaction to or difficulty wearing personal protective equipment, including safety shoes, glasses, gloves, ear protection or any other form of PPE

      This one (but just this one!) seems somewhat reasonable to me. Everything else–bonkers. Thanks for sharing the full list, and good luck with your job search!

      Reply ↓
      1. Observer*

        Yeah. They managed to get ONE item right. Even as a receptionist, I think it’s a good idea to be sure that you can use the PPE on hand.

        So, one out of 13 bullet points makes sense. And some of those bullet points are multiple items. Which means that about 2% of that list makes any sense. Which makes me think that it got added to the list by mistake.

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    5. Retired Vulcan Raises 1 Grey Eyebrow*

      “Mental illness … incl anxiety, depression” – bloody hell. Plus all the rest, except the PPE one.

      Reply ↓
    6. London Calling*

      I tick six. And I regard myself as generally healthy day to day. If I include what looks like arthritis in a couple of finger joints (getting older, such fun) then seven.

      Ironically I have two conditions for which medication IS taken that aren’t on that list at all.

      Reply ↓
    7. Anon for this one*

      What’s equally weird is that a lot of more serious conditions are not listed. You need to disclose migraines but not cancer? Hay fever but not kidney failure?

      Reply ↓
      1. London Calling*

        I have one condition that every three months requires me to have a blood test and a consultant appointment. That is a cancer that as you say, isn’t even on the list, and yet I guarantee I’ve spent more time off dealing with it than all the other stuff I tick, that generally causes me no issues at all (apart from the sodding GAD but I’ve never had time off for that nor needed medical treatment).

        Reply ↓
      2. Irish Teacher.*

        Yup, I’ve had cancer and am on medication due to my lack of a thyroid and…I would be ticking precisely nothing here, with the possible exception of clumsiness or a skin condition (I have some rash on my forehead).

        Not that having had thyroid cancer has any great effect on my life but I still find it a little odd that this asks for information about such minor things and yet I can technically be a cancer survivor and be missing a vital organ and yet this would still show me as completely healthy.

        It’s just so random.

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      3. Nightengale*

        yeah any list that would catch my environmental allergies (hay fever) but miss my Type 1 diabetes is not doing it’s job. Not that screening out medical conditions this way is a job we ever want employers to do.

        In the US the magic words are quite simple, “are you able to perform the essential job functions, with or without reasonable accommodation”

        Reply ↓
    8. Hroethvitnir*

      Yay! Not super optimistic about consequences given the situation over there, but hell yeah being on a PDF. Records existing of them flagrantly (and ridiculously) breaking the law is valuable no matter what imo.

      Reply ↓
  45. iglwif*

    Honestly it is kind of a relief to me at this point to hear that something is still illegal.

    If I were LW I think I would very much not want to work for this company. But having recently been unemployed for a while I am fully aware that sometimes you do in fact have to take jobs at places you would rather not, because people need paycheques and health insurance.

    Reply ↓
  46. RLC*

    That list is nearly identical to “pre existing conditions” lists from decades ago as used by health insurers to set rates or even to deny coverage. Interesting.

    Reply ↓
    1. Anon for this one*

      Not really – it’s missing a lot of serious conditions that would have been on those lists.

      Reply ↓
  48. Tea Monk*

    I always grumble at companies trying to screen out mentally ill people as many of us need jobs to get the medication we need to hold jobs ( yes there’s not a good way to divide ” people with mental health that requires meds” and people who can muddle through unmedicated”)

    Reply ↓
  49. Coverage Associate*

    2 thoughts I don’t see mentioned

    1. Is medical underwriting of employee life insurance allowed? I haven’t heard of it, unless the employee is requesting extra insurance for themselves or an eligible family member, but I would imagine that key man insurance is medically underwritten. There is life insurance that employers take out on employees, usually just executives (“key men”) whose sudden deaths would disrupt operations, but some employers take it out more broadly. The paperwork should be at onboarding though. But the old fashioned terminology might be explained by being for life insurance, as it’s a less regulated industry often targeting older people than a general medical questionnaire.

    2. In a hospital context, who decides what medical conditions are relevant to the job duties? I know a surgeon who had to disclose all the medications she was on and any non preventative healthcare she was receiving, to get privileges at a hospital. Even though she was a doctor herself, a different group of doctors decided what was disqualifying.

    Still, yes, a questionnaire too early in the hiring process, but I can see healthcare jobs inquiring about more health conditions than, eg truck driving.

    Reply ↓
    1. Bella Ridley*

      Odd choice of examples, since truck drivers as CDL holders do actually need to pass a medical screening.

      Reply ↓
  51. Nonprofit ED*

    I have to say I do wish I could ask those types of questions. My organizations works in healthcare and I hired someone that did not tell me that flashing emergency lights trigger seizures because of a brain injury she had even though she knew she had to work onsite in a hospital. Well an emergency happened in the hospital where they had the flashing lights and the loud sirens and it caused her to have a seizure. She ended up quitting after the incident and told me that her doctor told her not to take the job when she told him she would have to work inside the hospital. She decided not to listen to her doctor’s advice because she wanted the job. I probably would not have hired her for that position because that particular hospital has alarms and sirens going off all day long!

    Reply ↓
    1. Calamity Janine*

      that does sound frustrating, but if someone is already deciding to disregard their medical team and conceal a condition that they were told would be a problem… i’m not sure why you’d expect them to be honest when you ask them about it, right? so the questions wouldn’t have saved you anything here – just been a way to punish people who were honest, even when able to do all tasks the job requires. no fix, just more ableism. :( not very worth wishing for.

      Reply ↓
    3. Annie*

      I think for that one, the application can ask something along the lines of, “Can you work effectively and efficiently in an environment with sights/sounds/smells X, Y, Z, etc. in it, with or without reasonable accommodation?”

      Reply ↓
    4. Hroethvitnir*

      A post-offer discussion of actually relevant issues is very different to an intrusive questionnaire (of very weird disorders/symptoms) before an offer.

      Blinking lights need to be tolerated within the scope of your duties = need to not have seizures due to blinking lights (for yourself, significantly!). This is certainly not that.

      Reply ↓
  52. Calamity Janine*

    if it wasn’t actually labeled “pre-employment checklist”, i would seriously begin to wonder if you got the new patient intake form instead!

    and i have to admit that the evil part of me would be very tempted to just answer Yes to absolutely everything, even and especially the things that were demonstrably untrue and cannot be true for you… then turn in the form with a helpful printout from relevant agencies pointing out that discrimination against disability is still illegal, and your doctor has cleared you for doing work as a receptionist without any needed accommodations at this current time. (as you are simultaneously a thirtysomething cis woman who has checked the boxes to declare you are totally a geriatric testicular cancer survivor with bone degeneration related to being an astronaut in orbit for an extended period of time and also you have had rabies for the last fifty-three-and-a-half years.) (and you just write in a couple more completely fictional things. it’s fine, it’s a pdf, you can photoshop a couple more in there. you’ve got a terrible case of e pluribus unum mumps, hawaiian cat flu, and cutie pox thanks to that trip you took to equestria, oh and you may have trouble with your lycanthropy on a monthly basis or so…)

    …the better malicious compliance would be to simply turn in a printout from the appropriate agency, especially if there’s an FAQ that addresses “can we ask our employees for all this medical info?” with a clear answer of “lmao no way”. that is however being very generous to this employer. it’s pointed critique but gives them a way to save face by simply pretending that of course you sent the right form in and what they actually asked you never happened. i’m not sure they deserve that amount of grace, to be honest.

    i will even be generous enough to say: at a hospital, i’m sure there ARE some things where genuinely there is a need to have that medical information. to draw on my own experience here for some college work-study, before being officially hired, i was asked some medical questions and sent for a certain test. …but one. for very good reason. (when someone’s going to be in the same large building as long-running primate experiments where tuberculosis would, if it got there, literally wipe out decades of scientific progress, you need to really really make sure nobody is carrying it. even if all i was going to do was walk through a lobby and then to another building to sit in a back room sorting through boxes of stored printouts.) but it was extremely limited for a very specific purpose.

    and crucially for me, they didn’t just take it as only a questionnaire. it was something that they needed a very definite answer for, *not* my best guess or my attempt to accurately self-report. instead i got to have an itchy time being tested for tuberculosis exposure directly.

    the fact that they’re not bringing up those more direct measures makes me suspicious that… these aren’t really requirements, and they know it. if it actually is a super serious life-or-death measure where the disclosure of your medical history in this way would be very relevant and important to know… they’d want to know for sure! they’d want more than just “i think i’m good”. i mean, it’s healthcare. just hang around any of the intake nurses and hear their tales and you’ll end up just as cynical as Dr. “patients always lie” House. and sometimes biology throws wildcards into things, too! so you can have someone with all their vaccines in order and whose immune system is having a hipster moment and has declared some antibodies for something it’s important to have antibodies for as a hospital receptionist, so you can’t be a repository of passing it on to others, to be passe due to being too popular. so people will end up having vaccine boosters repeated, or having bloodwork done directly to check if the needed stuff is there, if it is indeed that important to worry about. if it’s justifiable to ask about, they need an actual definite answer. the fact that they’re asking for wide swaths of information at the level of “idk do your best to remember” is showing they’re not actually serious enough about it to have good reasons to ask! yes, some conditions can’t be so easily tested for than “has your immune system ever seen an entire tuberculosis before”, and every single ask for physical tasks is not actually automatically reasonable. but the fact they aren’t taking this seriously in this way really demonstrates that these aren’t serious requirements at all, and they know it

    a worry that i would now have is:

    is this your local hospital? have you been seen here? do you have a patient file in their system? (after all, many hospitals are now becoming mega-conglomerates buying up doctor’s offices and similar medical services beyond just the one hospital.)

    while i’m not entirely sure what you’d do about it, or even know, i would be extremely wary of people who thought that these were reasonable questions to ask… because if they have this idea of how much medical history they can demand when the law says no, i would not trust them to pay attention to other laws. such as those protecting your medical privacy. if the hospital corporation has bought up much of the healthcare around you, it may be basically impossible to get medical care you need outside of their influence. but if you can go elsewhere, especially if you end up employed by them, i probably would be inclined towards that. there’s not hard proof here – there’s just vibes – but i would not be surprised if you went into this workplace and one day find your boss or a coworker casually browsing your private medical records, patient privacy laws be damned. it’s not that this is breaking HIPAA, but casual indifference towards patient privacy laws in the terms of “hey you can’t be asking that stuff” makes it much more likely that the same casual indifference will continue in an adjacent subject.

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  53. DJ*

    Another problem with this is in Aust employee records including medical information isn’t protected by privacy legislation so once this hit employers hands it can be legally leaked anywhere.
    There are anti discrimination laws protections on using this to discriminate on the basis of disability.
    Even if you have to provide some medical information eg medical restrictions/fitness for work after illness or injury it’s best to ask the employee to supply a list of relevant questions to be answered.

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  54. Raida*

    I’d continue with the hiring process but “let them know” I won’t provide the medical history because it isn’t legal to ask for it.

    So uh, guys, psst, you gotta remove that from your process. And you obviously will want the smallest number of *received* medical information from applicants.

    You’re welcome, oh I know you didn’t realise and you didn’t want to overreach and you’re just using the forms provided! It’s not your fault mate! But, sorry, but now that you do know you are probably required by the company’s Code Of Conduct to inform legal of the Business Risk the hiring process has created. Sorry, I can’t do that, I don’t work there – I know it sucks to suddenly be *the guy* who has to bear bad news. Sorry about that mate.

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  55. SaltyRN*

    In my experience, hospitals seem to push legal boundaries (and sometimes enthusiastically bulldoze through them.) HR called me after my baby was stillborn and I was out on approved FMLA to see if I could come back early since “you don’t have a baby at home to take care of or breastfeed and the unit was left very short. Your coworkers are having to work extra.” It had been 5 days after I delivered my son. So I’m not at all surprised to read this. They have a great dislike of employees being human and needing time to deal with being sick, family deaths, and evidently childbirth. Most places have draconian attendance policies. I’ve worked for two facilities that your 3rd sick day in a rolling year results in formal discipline. this is more than likely an attendance thing.

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  56. Kimberly*

    Reminded me of a funny story. My cousin, a nurse, was sent a questionnaire in early 2002 that had a bunch of questions about not only her medical history, but some about family members. Then one that really stood out. She called me about that one. Her calling me about family medical history was odd because 1 she is my 2nd cousin, and 2 she is adopted (never hidden we knew her “coming home story” just like every other cousin in the family).

    The question: Does anyone in your family or close friends have eczema or atopic dermatitis? She called me to double-check my skin condition (atopic). I immediately asked – Why are they considering vaccinating y’all for small pox? People with atopic can’t get the vaccination.

    I know this because it was still required when I entered Kinder. My parents had to get 3 letters from my pediatrician, pediatric dermatologist and an immunologist to allow me to start school without the smallpox vax. I found them in a file years ago the dermatologist and an immunologist were very dry, polite, and medical. The one from my pediatrician was I refuse to give Full name the small pox vaccination BECAUSE IT WILL KILL HER. (caps his). But this is the same doctor who wrote a “letter” to my teachers each year titled “How to NOT kill (Full Name). This after my PK teachers nearly killed me by forcing me to make a peanut butter and pine cone bird feeder.

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  57. Call Any Vegetable*

    Why eczema? Because, in the US, most creams and ointments for eczema are insanely expensive. Other skin conditions are similar. (Last year, my psoriasis cream cost $330 US for a 60 gram tube – and that’s with “good” insurance.)

    This list seems very much like they’re trying to find out how much you’ll cost them to be added to their employee health coverage.

    OP, please name and shame this terrible place!

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  59. Pan Troglodytes*

    Does anyone know what the legality of this would be in the UK?

    I had a similar form asking whether I had a long list of specific illnesses, but also asking if I have had a doctor’s appointment in the last year or have any undiagnosed chronic conditions.

    It definitely raised an alarm bell for me but ultimately I completed it and started the new job. But it has been on the back of my mind ever since!

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  60. Elizabeth West*

    Oh hell no.

    Front desk sits in a chair and handles incoming patients and phone calls. They do not need to know anything specific about any medical condition even if you need an accommodation. At most, I would expect them to require you to be vaccinated for Covid-19 — even non-medical companies were insisting on this for a while, and I’ve seen flu-shot requirements for healthcare workers for a long time before the pandemic.

    This is absolute bullshit.

    Reply ↓

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