Job Discussion Forums

[Englishpal]

I am having to get this medical thing done in order for the school to proceed applying for the foreign expert thing-amabob. I am cutting it close with the processing of all my stuff to get things going in time for my Feb. start. A little nervous as I do not want to have to redo something............which leads me to ask- Can I go to my general physician to have him do the medical check? Will he have a'stamp' that will suffice? Recruiter was mentioning something about a hospital but I would not know where to start, and hoping for some expediency. I would be submitting the completed form for the school to do their stuff for the foriegn expert certificate, and then also using it at the Houston consulate to try and get the z visa. Thought? Is the chest x-ray mandatory, or can the doc just write not needed?

[roadwalker]

The last time I did it for the San Francisco consulate, in 2011, I went to a doc-in-a-box clinic and was examined by a physicians' assistant (P.A.) and skipped the x-ray. The consulate only wanted the Chinese form and maybe the letterhead of the clinic. No problems. The year before, the same consulate wanted all of the backing reports, such as the blood tests. Also no x-ray and no problems. You will likely have to go through similar procedures in China after arrival anyway. Have your doctor fill out the form and yes, their rubber stamp or whatever they have that looks official should be sufficient.

Unless anything has changed since summer of 2011, or unless your province is stricter.

[Non Sequitur]

You will have to go through much the same (but if anything tougher) exam once in China.
The form your home doctor needs to fill out can be confusing and my guy wrote 'normal' where there was ambiguity.
A tip: Take your x ray films with you to China. They will likely accept them and you can avoid a needless x ray exposure.

[Miajiayou]

Where are you living? I got everything, including the X-ray and EKG, done at a walk-in clinic in the USA for a couple hundred bucks (roughly, don't even remember because it was so little) I asked them to use their address stamp on it as much as possible. In china, I only had to repeat the HIV test.

[Non Sequitur]

There was no EKG requirement on the form or pelvic ultrasound so these were done in China (Qingdao).
I think your experience Mia, underlines that if you have a film or printout from your home exam, then take it with you.
My home country has social medicine, so less than US$50 all up including x ray for the items on the form plus a couple of boosters for hep and tetanus, I recall.
The Qingdao set up was a batch of about 50 FTs being processed at one time. Apart from the x ray I went with the flow, even though there was probably duplication.
Just a note to OP though: Any problem identified in the Chinese medical is an exclusion if you take out local medical insurance eg PICC.
My ultrasound identified 'fatty deposit on liver' and there was some uptake of that on my PICC documentation.
On a visit home I asked my GP if had he been required to take a pelvic ultrasound he would have been concerned about the fatty deposit?
His answer 'not really for someone of your age and BMI'.

[scot47]

"fatty deposit on liver"

Time to go on the wagon ?

[Non Sequitur]

The Dr was a Belgian - trail biker type, thin as a pencil.
To him, anyone not in the same mould had a BMI out of wack.
Thankfully, he has been replaced by a charming Englishwoman who smiles and does what's expected - medically that is.
I haven't used her for a China visa form yet and will be interested next time I need one, as I'll bring up the fatty liver.
Interestingly another FT from my school who smoked and drank a lot but was very thin in stature also got pinged on fatty liver on the same day and by the same Chinese examiner.

[Ariadne]

Lots of FTs get that 'fatty liver' comment. Why is that? Aside from any connections to overuse of alcohol, why are FTs livers so 'fatty'? Is it because foreigners are often fatter all over than Chinese? I don't know much about livers, just curious. Any wannabe or used to be docs out there who know?


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[johntpartee]

Fat body, fat liver. Excessive alcohol consumption will do it, too.

[choudoufu]

from the googles, fatty liver doesn't appear to be a serious problem,
or even signs of other serious common problems. maybe they list
it on the results because they can, otherwise you'd be a perfect
laowai specimen.

nurse: oh, doctor, that last patient was gorgeous!
doctor: mmfph....
nurse: i just love foreigners, don't you? soooo handsome!
doctor: hmph.
nurse: so high, and that tall nose.....and those dreamy green eyes!
doctor: yeah, but he had a fatty liver!

[johntpartee]

Fatty liver CAN be pre-cancerous. Not always, but it is cause for concern.

[rogerwilco]

I was told that I have a fatty liver, and almost every other FT that I know was told the same.

Maybe our livers are bigger only because we are not 50 kilo Chinese guys ?

[xiguagua]

Like others have said, you gotta do it when you get to China anyway. What I did this year was just fill it out myself. I just did a medical in China, in January, then in September my new school wanted another one from America, then another one in China. So whatever, I filled it out myself, got it signed and notarized from a legal notary that I know and shipped it off. Illegal? Yes. But I have no trouble sleeping at night.

[Non Sequitur]

WOW!
Did you add your Dr registration number/State Board or whatever is used in home country?
A plea in mitigation before sentencing could be that you had no intention to deceive as the full Monty would be repeated in China.
Best