Job Discussion Forums

[GlobalTeacherGuy]

Hello Everyone,

I need to do the medical in the USA for my Saudi Employment Visa.

Does anyone know of any clinic in California that specialise in medicals for visas, perhaps specifically Saudi Visa Medicals?

I want to make sure the doctor knows what to do, has the rubber stamp, and perhaps won't charge me an arm and a leg to do everything.

GlobalTeacherGuy

[nomad soul]

No referrals, but you might find this thread, "Low-cost US med tests & exam for employment visa," useful (http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=95008). All of my lab tests and the med exam cost me less than $250.

[plumpy nut]

I don't see how you're going to get out of paying high costs for the lab work. It's going to run you around $1000 US. As far as the doctor, see if you can't use a public health clinic that your state runs. Also University Medical Schools usually provide free clinics using Medical Students. If those won't work or aren't available Osteopaths generally are a little less expensive than MD's. To give you an example of the fees, the Osteopath I went to charged $300 US. He would have charged a lot more but his office didn't realize how extensive it was when I asked what they would charge. The chest x-ray cost me $300. I couldn't believe that, I really couldn't believe it. The other extensive lab tests ran $700. The total was a whopping $1300 dollars. The problem is that most of the stuff that they test for are usually not done in the US for low wage earners (except for HIV or Hepatitis), because most people don't need them.

Frankly, unless you are in Saudi Arabia to stay for several years, the visa process isn't worth it. Other things to consider are obtaining a teaching license in your country if you can spend an extra year and teach at a public school in Taiwan. Or teach in Korea if you can land a public school job there, they don't require licensure.

[Sirens of Cyprus]

You can save money by ordering your own lab tests. I found it fun and intersesting to figure out what tests to order to satisfy the form.

http://www.privatemdlabs.com/

[abayababy]

I had all my tests done at an "outside" lab and the cost ran under $300. The chest x-ray was done at the hospital where I had the physical and they quoted me a price of $380 plus radiologist fee of about $80. I guess the insurance company considered it part of my annual preventative care, which they have to cover under the new Obamacare laws, because they footed the bill for it (not the blood test and stool sample) as well as the extensive physical which cost over $200. All in all, I got out of it pretty cheaply. It turned out to be much less expensive than I had feared. Had I had the bloodwork done at the hospital, it would have cost over $1000.

I have heard a lot of talk here about clueless doctors, but I have to say the physician's assistant who conducted my physical and ordered the labs was very thorough and had no problems with the form. I live in a small town in a rural state and I was quite impressed with how it all was handled. Of course, you yourself need to be aware of what you need so you can communicate this to the medical professionals. The process went a lot smoother than I thought it would, right down to getting the stamp from the medical licensing board. Do your homework first so you know exactly what is required.

[abayababy]

[AbeCross]

[abayababy]

You will save yourself a lot of time and frustration if you do your homework first so you know exactly what is required. You're the one going to Saudi, not the doctor. In a perfect world, a doctor would be all-knowing. In the real world, they can not be expected to understand the Saudi visa requirements. There's a lot of information on this forum that helped me work through the process.