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KME0050
Joined: 02 Jun 2010
Posts: 87
Location: U.S.
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 Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 4:49 am Post subject: |
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I had a few weird challenges with the medical tests and I am curious to know if anyone else had my experience.
For one, the form that included my doctor's medical license number was supposed to be certified by either the Department of Health or some state authority. I called my county health department and was told that this is not a function they can perform. I called several State government offices looking for anyone that had some sort of oversight of the licensing of physicians and no one I spoke to had any kind of stamp or seal for this form (or felt that they could/should certify anything for anyone).
At long last, I tried the hospital where my doctor has privileges and called a number of different departments asking if anyone, anywhere, had ANY sort of stamp or seal that could be added to this document. A secretary went on a search for me and found a dusty old seal that is no longer in use in an old file cabinet. I pleaded with her to just stamp the stupid form even though it meant absolutely nothing. She eventually did it.
Next, after I submitted everything, I was told that I had to come up with an actual copy of my doctor's medical license! I called my doctor's office and the office manager was pretty incredulous. She asked if she was supposed to take the thing out of the frame that was hanging on the wall and photocopy it. I said I was afraid so. She spoke to the doctor who said that she had provided her medical license number and that would suffice anywhere else in the world. She was not going to photocopy her license for me.
So I was stuck. The Saudi Cultural Mission wouldn't accept my medical report without a copy of my doctor's medical license (this is not required in writing anywhere) and my doctor wasn't going to cooperate. I called a Saudi friend living in the U.S. and learned he had enough wasta to help me. I can't really go into any detail, but I had my visa 2 days later.
What I want to know is 1). which agency did everyone else in the U.S. have stamp this form, and 2). was anyone else asked to supply a copy of their doctor's medical license???
Last edited by KME0050 on Thu Aug 02, 2012 7:11 am; edited 1 time in total |
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AbeCross
Joined: 21 Jun 2012
Posts: 191
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 7:05 am Post subject: County health office for stamps |
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Last time I had my county health office put stamps on the reports. They obliged and there was no problem.
Bottom line: the Saudi medical form and the required tests cause a great deal of hardship and stress and uncertainty for American teachers planning to teach in the KSA.
In addition, the visa applicant spends a considerable amount of his/her money and time and may not even get a work visa.
The whole process engenders some hostility toward the country as well. We all expect to deal with red tape when we work abroad, but there are limits, aren't there! |
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cmp45
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 1475
Location: KSA
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 8:27 am Post subject: |
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The doctor's licence number is all that is required on your medical forms...no need to have it certified! Asking to photocopy the doctor's degree is bogus BS asinine request. It is NOT a requirement of getting your visa.
Sounds strange and odd...but then again maybe not  |
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KME0050
Joined: 02 Jun 2010
Posts: 87
Location: U.S.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 8:55 am Post subject: |
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| cmp45 wrote: |
| The doctor's licence number is all that is required on your medical forms...no need to have it certified! Asking to photocopy the doctor's degree is bogus BS asinine request. It is NOT a requirement of getting your visa. |
My Saudi friend said that the moron on the phone who was holding my file hostage with this ridiculous demand was probably feeling small and insignificant that day and making an American jump through (his) outrageous hoops made him feel rather powerful.
Given that accountability in this culture is a pretty underdeveloped concept, this guy could get away with this behavior. After all of the money I spent on exams, tests, and the whole visa application process, I almost didn't get my visa. If I didn't know someone who knew someone from the Saudi Embassy who could get my file out of this guy's hands, I would have been seriously screwed . . . |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:55 am Post subject: |
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| KME0050 wrote: |
For one, the form that included my doctor's medical license number was supposed to be certified by either the Department of Health or some state authority. I called my county health department and was told that this is not a function they can perform. I called several State government offices looking for anyone that had some sort of oversight of the licensing of physicians and no one I spoke to had any kind of stamp or seal for this form (or felt that they could/should certify anything for anyone).
What I want to know is 1). which agency did everyone else in the U.S. have stamp this form, and 2). was anyone else asked to supply a copy of their doctor's medical license??? |
For those who haven't seen the Saudi med form, there's a section at the bottom of the document requiring attestation of the doc's licensure by either the state's Dept. of Health or College of Physicians. Specifically, the form requires an official ink stamp from one of these entities.
My state's dept. of regulatory agencies has a website that allows anyone to go online and verify a doctor's license number, status, and standing; however, a printout of this info isn't official and wouldn't suffice. So I contacted the regulatory agency's dept. of med licensing directly and asked for written verification (in triplicate) of the doc's license to practice. No problem. They provided three letters with this info---each letter on their letterhead with the regulatory agency's official embossed stamp and the agency representative's original signature on it. I picked up the letters from the department's reception desk the next day and then stapled one to each of the three Saudi medical forms.
The Saudi med form, and others like them, are meant to be generic, which means the instructions or requirements may not exactly fit your situation. For instance, instead of following the form's instructions to a T and trying to get an inked stamp on the form, I saw that I really only needed some sort of official attestation of the doc's license number. And that's all that's needed---nothing on the Saudi med form about submitting a photocopy of the doc's physical medical license. So KME0050, I'm not sure where/who you got those instructions from. Perhaps you initially weren't able to find the contact info for your state's medical licensing board, which is the department or agency that oversees this information. |
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KME0050
Joined: 02 Jun 2010
Posts: 87
Location: U.S.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 10:36 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| So KME0050, I'm not sure where/who you got those instructions from. Perhaps you initially weren't able to find the contact info for your state's medical licensing board, which is the department or agency that oversees this information. |
The instructions to get a copy of my doctor's medical license came from my contact at the SACM. Unfortunately, no one I spoke with at the state level could/would provide me with any sort of verification. What I recall hearing was something like, "That's not a service we offer." : ( |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 10:50 am Post subject: |
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| KME0050 wrote: |
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| So KME0050, I'm not sure where/who you got those instructions from. Perhaps you initially weren't able to find the contact info for your state's medical licensing board, which is the department or agency that oversees this information. |
The instructions to get a copy of my doctor's medical license came from my contact at the SACM. Unfortunately, no one I spoke with at the state level could/would provide me with any sort of verification. What I recall hearing was something like, "That's not a service we offer." : ( |
Odd. What state was this? |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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uzurisoul
Joined: 27 May 2012
Posts: 28
Location: Dammam
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 2:15 pm Post subject: |
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Nomad�.was it really that easy???.. OOH my�there is no way I�m going to get to the kingdom anytime this month with all the hurdles I have to jump through ��
I've spent all morning calling about the stamp and seal.... The Health Department kept sending me to their immigration office  The individual at the College of Physicians is out until next week.  I finally called the FL Dept of Health and it's $25.00 for each letter stating that my doctor is licensed to practice medicine.
The phone rep at the Dept of Health was really nice but here�s how it plays out�.
I could pay $25 for each original copy bringing the total to $75.00  All three copies would have the stamp and seal.
or
Pay $25.00 --- The 1st original would have the stamp and seal - The 2nd and 3rd copy of the original would not have the stamp and seal. She would stamp them with the word �copy� and place them in a sealed envelope.
I�ve haven�t been able to get through to the Saudi Embassy to see if that would be okay�  |
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readytotravel
Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Posts: 77
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 2:24 pm Post subject: |
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| I called my state's Board of Licensure in Medicine and they said I could bring the med forms in and they would stamp them. |
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uzurisoul
Joined: 27 May 2012
Posts: 28
Location: Dammam
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 2:54 pm Post subject: |
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KME0050.....Wow! You have a contact at SACM...before yesterday I had never gotten through to anyone at SACM.....Yesterday I started calling different departments just for the hell of it......I found out that Mr. Otaibi in Degree Verifications no longer works there.....That makes sense because he has never returned my emails and/or calls.
| KME0050 wrote: |
| The instructions to get a copy of my doctor's medical license came from my contact at the SACM. |
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uzurisoul
Joined: 27 May 2012
Posts: 28
Location: Dammam
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks to Nomad's post I did the same thing. It has to be mailed to me so it's going to take 7-10 days.... sucks that I had to pay for it... but on the bright side of things....that's one hurdle completed....
| readytotravel wrote: |
| I called my state's Board of Licensure in Medicine and they said I could bring the med forms in and they would stamp them. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 3:23 pm Post subject: |
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| uzurisoul wrote: |
Nomad�.was it really that easy???.. OOH my�there is no way I�m going to get to the kingdom anytime this month with all the hurdles I have to jump through ��
I've spent all morning calling about the stamp and seal.... The Health Department kept sending me to their immigration office The individual at the College of Physicians is out until next week. I finally called the FL Dept of Health and it's $25.00 for each letter stating that my doctor is licensed to practice medicine. |
| and wrote: |
| Thanks to Nomad's post I did the same thing. It has to be mailed to me so it's going to take 7-10 days.... sucks that I had to pay for it... but on the bright side of things....that's one hurdle completed.... |
I didn't have to pay a cent for the verification letters, but then, I don't live in Florida. Each state is different. In my situation, I specifically requested written verification because the licensing folks use an embossed seal (squeeze type) and not an inked stamp; embossed seals don't show up well on photocopies. Anyway, I think you're trying to complicate things, especially since you believe you need a stamp and some sort of seal. You probably could have waited to have the individual at the College of Physicians stamp the forms if that's a service they provide. But it's done. Now take a deep breath... |
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uzurisoul
Joined: 27 May 2012
Posts: 28
Location: Dammam
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 3:45 pm Post subject: |
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Nomad.....I'm trying to remain "sane"....  I have to go back to work in a few days so I have to get everything done before then....I didn't want to take a chance at her telling me if wasn't something that their office handled.... |
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AbeCross
Joined: 21 Jun 2012
Posts: 191
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| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 1:23 am Post subject: Stool sample needed? |
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Nomad did not provide a stool sample and there was no problem in getting the work visa. Has anyone else gotten away with this? (This is not not a joke.) I am just trying to save time and money.  |
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