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garykasparov
Joined: 27 May 2007
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 Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 3:38 pm Post subject: Korea Times > Medical Exam for E-2 Visa Applicants |
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12-27-2007 15:13
Medical Exam for E-2 Visa Applicants
By Mark A. Grubbs
As the parameters of the new E-2 visa medical exam are defined, I urge caution and serious, careful deliberation of potentially unforeseen consequences of this exam. I want to highlight a few of these, and urge lawmakers, educators, and other involved officials to consider these as they clarify exactly what the exam will entail.
First, I have a few questions. Will this exam be a cursory ``visit the doctor, fill out a form, and be done with it,'' or will be an actual, complete, physical exam including a blood test and a chest x-ray? Will it be somewhere in between? Who will pay for this exam? And, most importantly to me, is how private will be the medical data that is obtained? Privacy is a huge issue for potential and existing American immigrant English teachers, and perhaps for teachers of other nationalities as well.
I am concerned about teachers' personal, private health information remaining private. Whatever the Korean doctor will finally examine, the information obtained from the exam will be viewed by Korean Immigration, an arm of the government. It will also, I assume, be viewed by the employer. In either case, who would have access to the medical records? I am concerned about what the Korean government and the hiring institution will do with the medical information they will have. Will it be available on a public government database? Will Korean Immigration seal it in some way? Will it be destroyed after the visa is granted or denied? Would it be available for other-country governments to see? These are vital issues to be resolved.
I do not know if, or how, Korean law protects a patient's medical privacy, but I do know that requiring a medical examination for a visa, and providing the data to a government institution (Korean Immigration) would give the Korean government access to it. I am not comfortable with this. In the USA, only the patient, and his/her next of kin can see his/her medical records. The government can only view them by a court order. If the Korean government held this data in any way other than in this sort of level of privacy, I would think Americans would have a big problem accepting this.
My second great concern about this medical evaluation regards exactly who would decide what specific health conditions would be reasons to deny an E-2 visa. Would the Ministry of Justice, the hiring school, and/or Immigration make this judgment? How clear and specific would this judgment be? Would it be based on clearly defined criteria? Or, would it be a judgment call, on a case-by-case basis by some agency or office? I foresee many potential problems for the potential immigrant EFL teacher here. Again, here also, is an issue of concern. When the criteria are specific and known, then the person who was denied a visa based on the medical check would automatically be suspect in a number of vague health areas. This could even have repercussions for the applicant when returning to his/her home country.
I also wonder how mental health issues would be evaluated. What treatable conditions would be allowed and which ones would not? Examinations could reveal learning disabilities, dyslexia, ADHD, and others, that many have, and have overcome through treatment, and teach quite well. Korean social stigmas attached to people with mental health issues in Korea are archaic, compared to developed countries, and could potentially block a perfectly qualified teacher from ever working in Korea. In addition, there are psychological and psychiatric disorders that are now easily treated, even in Korea, which, if flagged, could also prevent good teachers from working in Korea.
While this is done in primary and secondary education, university professors are not put under this sort of health scrutiny. Why? University teachers teach adults, not kids. An adult is assumed able to attend to one's own safety. Interestingly, in university violence in American universities, and violence in lower level schools, the teacher and students are in more danger from ``medically un-examined'' students, than they are from university teachers. One might recall the Columbine student killing students in a Colorado high school, as well as the tragic shooting of students and teachers by a student, at universities, including the tragic case at my undergraduate university, Virginia Tech. It is interesting how the student is often more dangerous than the teacher. Both in America, and here, I would think that if university teachers were to be scrutinized in mental health, then it would only be logical to submit the university student to the same testing as the teacher, since both are adults. In a university, even without guns, students can potentially harm the foreign university teacher as much as the foreign teacher can potentially harm the student.
I offer these questions, concerns, and thoughts for consideration by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education, Korean Immigration, and other educational and government agencies for consideration in determining policies regarding the medical exam required for applying for the E-2 visa for foreign English teachers. If the above issues are not very clearly defined, or even if they were clearly defined, but in a sufficiently threatening way to the foreign teacher, Korea could easily see a mass exodus of potential foreign English teachers.
Mark A. Grubbs is a full-time lecturer at Hanyang University. He has been teaching EFL in universities in Korea for 7.5 years. He can be reached at [email protected]
The Korea Times has started a Readers� Forum on major issues. Articles should not be longer than 600 words. They are subject to editing. Our readers are encouraged to send their articles to [email protected].
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/nation_view.asp?newsIdx=16254&categoryCode=235 |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 3:47 pm Post subject: Medical Exam |
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| My understanding, is that a blood test (for AIDS / Hepatitis), & Chest XRay (for TB), are now mandatory. I'm not sure about urine tests for drugs? I also had blood pressure tested, (normal), a cursory dental inspection, & height / weight checked. |
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Boodleheimer
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
Location: working undercover for the Man
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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| good for them, testing dirty foreigners for TB. why not also test for polio, malaria, cholera, and the black plague, which are equally prevalent in our countries? |
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Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 4:39 pm Post subject: |
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-kickedout_27dec27,1,366914.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
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Colleges take hard line on psychological problems
Critics see harm; officials cite court rulings, Virginia Tech
By Bonnie Miller Rubin and Megan Twohey | Tribune staff reporters
December 27, 2007
Jill Manges was in her French history class at Eastern Illinois University, when she felt the symptoms -- the waves of nausea, the tightness in the throat -- that signaled an impending flashback.
Threading her way through the row of desks that September afternoon, Manges -- who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder -- willed herself to the door, blacking out just outside her classroom.
Twelve days later, the school gave her two options: Take a medical leave or we'll kick you out.
That same month, Michelle Pomerleau, a student at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin, faced a similar fate when she overdosed on prescription drugs.
"I am concerned for your well-being, Michelle, but your behavior is impacting other students in a negative manner," wrote a school vice president in a letter delivered while the Lake Zurich native was still in the hospital.
From large public institutions to small, private colleges, a growing number of schools are taking punitive action against students who display mental illness, ranging from bipolar disorder to eating disorders, experts say.
With better mental health services in younger grades, more youth with mental illness are arriving on college campuses than ever before. At the same time, courts have indicated that schools can be held legally responsible if students harm themselves or others.
Administrators, mindful of the safety of the larger community, say they need to be proactive.
But critics call it overreactive. They say schools are discriminating against those who have a medical condition, deterring students from seeking help and driving dangerous behavior underground.
"The message is that we only want people here who don't have physical or mental impairments," said Karen Bower, an attorney with the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. "And if you have one, you'd better have it under control at all times."
The Washington-based organization represents students who were removed from campus. Bower used to get one call a month; now, she says, she's getting one a week.
A turning point was 2002, when a state court held that officials at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology could be sued for failing to prevent the suicide of a student. Then came the Virginia Tech shootings last April, a wake-up call that today's counseling centers are dealing with much more than angst over failing grades or bad break-ups. Administrators say it doesn't take a violent episode to disrupt a campus.
St. Norbert would not take action against students who quietly battle their own demons, said Jay Fostner, a vice president at the school. But it would move against students who repeatedly pull classmates or faculty into their suffering.
"It is not about suicide attempts or mental health issues," said Fostner, who, like all administrators in this story, cited privacy laws in declining to comment on specific cases such as Pomerleau's. "It's about behavior."
Pomerleau said she displayed a suicidal gesture last year -- taking nearly 20 painkillers, anti-anxiety pills and muscle relaxers one night in an attempt to self-medicate manic symptoms -- before she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and placed on medication. Months later, she took a medical leave when her best friend committed suicide.
There were times, she acknowledges, when she was crying loudly in her room and leaning on classmates for support. After swallowing dozens of pills in September, she called a friend and paramedics had to carry her out of the dorm on a stretcher.
But Pomerleau said her grades were good and she had been commended by the college for performing community service. Her suicide attempt in September followed a change in medication, which, according to her doctor, has since been corrected.
"It felt like they were dismissing me strictly for my mental health," said Pomerleau, who opted for a medical leave because it allowed her to get a tuition refund.
Manges of Grayslake believes she was on EIU's radar -- even though her behavior was not life-threatening.
After her episode, which, according to the university, included screams and "sobbing uncontrollably," two classes were canceled and one was moved. She said she was told the behavior was "traumatic" to others who witnessed it. She had not kept her disorder a secret. On her residence hall application, for example, she wrote: "Diagnosed with severe PTSD and would strongly prefer a suite rather than a communal bathroom."
"It doesn't happen that often," she said of the flashbacks, "but when they do come, I just deal with it. ... It's just part of me," she explained in a restaurant on Charleston's main drag, because she is prohibited from being on campus.
In fighting the eviction, Manges didn't lack for allies -- including the professor of the French history class she was in at the time. Her Buffalo Grove-based therapist also lobbied on her behalf, citing her "solid set of coping strategies."
But it was not enough to change the verdict of the judicial board. Sandra Cox, head of EIU's counseling center, emphasized there's much more to the story.
"There has to be significant concern for someone to reach out to judicial affairs," she said.
In letters from school officials both Manges and Pomerleau were told they could come back to campus in 2008, but only if they signed a contract. They also would have to produce proof that they could keep their illness under control.
Instead, both young women have opted to go elsewhere -- Manges is relocating to Boston. Pomerleau, back at home, has been taking classes at a community college while applying to four-year schools in the area.
Dan Nadler, an EIU vice president for student affairs, said such contracts are used in a variety of situations -- from aggressive students with a penchant for punching walls to those prone to binge drinking -- and should not be viewed as punitive. The pacts, he said, are a way to keep students on campus, not oust them.
"If that was our philosophy, we wouldn't bother," Nadler said. "Our first goal is to ask: How can a student stay in the environment? How do we help them be successful academically and personally?"
The colleges, though, are walking a fine line.
Federal law permits a school to remove a mentally ill student for disruptive behavior, but only if the institution would act against other students for similar conduct, according to the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education.
Colleges can also move against those who pose a "direct threat" to themselves or others. But in order to do that, they must first perform a comprehensive assessment, consider making accommodations and finally, give students an opportunity to defend themselves and appeal any decision.The civil rights office has ruled against schools that have not followed these procedures.
EIU and St. Norbert said they follow federal law when removing students from campus. Manges and Pomerleau say they felt like they were not given a real voice in the process.
Legal issues aside, suspending students for mental illness is poor policy, said Keith Anderson, a psychologist chairman of an American College Health Association mental health task force. Not only does school provide structure, routine and friendship -- all part of the healing process -- but sending them packing, he says, unleashes a whole new set of problems, such as: What am I going to do? Where am I going to live?
Some students who remain on campus, such as Nichole D'Antonio, have become afraid to seek treatment. When D'Antonio sought help at the EIU's counseling center for bulimia in 2004, she ended up on medical leave instead.
"I was told that I was too much of a liability," she explained. She returned to Charleston the next semester, after participating in an eating disorders program. But when she relapsed a month later and confided in a counselor, she was asked to leave campus again, she said.
"They said that I should have come back 100 percent better," explained D'Antonio, who graduated this month. Only because a professor intervened was she able to stay in school, providing she signed a behavior contract, she said.
Alexian had taught her that it was essential to be honest about her self-harming behaviors and to reach out for help; Eastern sent a different message, she said.
"That's what makes me so mad," D'Antonio said. "I was doing the right thing, and I was punished for it." |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:57 pm Post subject: |
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The Busan EPIK Medical Examin Report asks the physician to check for the following under Past History:
TB
Malaria
Other communicable disease
Epilepsy
Renal Disease
Cardiac disease
Diabetes
Drug Allergy
Psychosis
Functional Disorder in extremities
Others. If yes, please specify.
The blood test covers the following:
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
CBC
ALT/AST
VDRL
HIV
The chest x-ray is for the following:
Lung: normal/impaired
Cordiomegaly: normal/impaired
Describe the condition of the applicant's lung.
Drug screening is for the following:
TBPE
Canivinoid
Alos requested is:
Date of birth
Age
Gender
Height in centimeters
Weight in kilograms
Bllod pressure
Pulse rate
Eyesight with and without glasses/contacts
Color blindness: normal/impaired
Hearing: normal/impaired
Speech: normal/impaired
Finally, the doctor is asked, "In view of the applicant's history and the above findings, is it your observation his/her halth status is adquate to go abroad to participate in the EPIK?" The permitted answers are: Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor.
I just got my renewal contract packate today on my way out the door after everyone was dismissed on the last day of school. That's actually better prior planning than last year. The school secretary had to call me while I was on vacation in Texas just a couple of days before everything was due! I got the information above from the medical report form included in that package.
I have no idea what the following mean:
CBC
VDRL
ALT/AST
Canivinoid
Also, there is one type of Hepatitis that almost everyone in the world has, the one that causes fever blisters. |
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Boodleheimer
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
Location: working undercover for the Man
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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canavinoid has got to be cannabinoids, right?
edit: cuz i don't think anyone is canavinoid-positive. it's like being askjharoiuhc-positive. |
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bombenhagen
Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Location: NL
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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The chest x-ray is for the following:
Lung: normal/impaired
Cordiomegaly: normal/impaired
Describe the condition of the applicant's lung.
Jazus H Jazus. Does anyone who has spent a year or more in Korea have clean lungs? |
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twg
Joined: 02 Nov 2006
Location: Getting some fresh air...
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 7:39 pm Post subject: |
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| CentralCali wrote: |
The Busan EPIK Medical Examin Report asks the physician to check for the following under Past History:
TB
Malaria
Other communicable disease
Epilepsy
Renal Disease
Cardiac disease
Diabetes
Drug Allergy
Psychosis
Functional Disorder in extremities
Others. If yes, please specify.
The blood test covers the following:
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
CBC
ALT/AST
VDRL
HIV
The chest x-ray is for the following:
Lung: normal/impaired
Cordiomegaly: normal/impaired
Describe the condition of the applicant's lung. |
Is it just me or are most of these something you'd be more likely to get from living here in Korea? |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 8:08 pm Post subject: Medical |
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CBC = Complete Blood Count (blood test)
ALT = alanine aminotransferase (aka ALT, aka SGPT): an enzyme produced by the liver. Abnormally high blood levels of ALT are released during liver inflammation, and may indicate liver disease or damage. ALT levels are monitored to gauge drug-related liver toxicity; a normal level is below about 50 IU/L.
AST = Aspartate Aminotransferase. "An enzyme that catalyzes the reversible transfer of an amino group,,, concentration is elevated when damage to tissue cells, especially of the heart and liver, causes a release of the enzyme. AST values are also increased in some muscle diseases, such as enzootic muscular dystrophy."
VDRL = Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (blood testing for syphilis)
Cannabinoid: A chemical compound in cannabis. or marijuana. Tetrahydrocannabinol is one of the cannabinoids.
A good summary from CentralCali, that also jogged my memory. I also had to fill out a questionarre & tick boxes for "have you ever suffered from any of the following", (as per Cali's list), & there was a clause at the end, that "fraudulent responses could result in dismissal" & cancellation of my E2 visa. |
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sojourner1
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Location: Where meggi swim and 2 wheeled tractors go sput put chug alugg pug pug
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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| KWhitehead wrote: |
canavinoid has got to be cannabinoids, right?
edit: cuz i don't think anyone is canavinoid-positive. it's like being askjharoiuhc-positive. |
Yes, I am sure you're right about this one.
The problem I am having that was not mentioned is that the cannabis test is not available in most places within Korea nor do most Koreans know what this is. I have been going to numerous hospitals and several local clinics to find I can't get the service I need in order to get a job through EPIK.
This is something that should be in the newspaper so I am emailing Mark Grubbs to see what he knows or says about this issue with the medical exam in Korea. Maybe we all have to travel to Seoul to get the drug test in Korea? Maybe local hospitals will special order the urine test strips when we put them in touch with the folks up in Seoul. I already put several doctors in touch with them via phone and still couldn't get my drug test including cannabis, but only amphetamines. Yes, Korea only drug tests for amphetamines since this is the one illegal drug available in Korea. |
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Roch
Joined: 24 Apr 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:55 pm Post subject: |
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| bombenhagen wrote: |
The chest x-ray is for the following:
Lung: normal/impaired
Cordiomegaly: normal/impaired
Describe the condition of the applicant's lung.
Jazus H Jazus. Does anyone who has spent a year or more in Korea have clean lungs? |
Mine, though they imbibe the legal sort of smoke on the weekends and most other days, passed with grey colours last May.
God knows that my sidekick, Bullwinkle, is gettin' sick of this place - even though we can tune out to Robin Trower on www.icebergradio.com
R |
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PGF
Joined: 27 Nov 2006
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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| CentralCali wrote: |
Also, there is one type of Hepatitis that almost everyone in the world has, the one that causes fever blisters. |
Dude, you're thinking of HERPES. Herpes virus causes fever blisters/ cold sores. |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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| PGF wrote: |
| CentralCali wrote: |
Also, there is one type of Hepatitis that almost everyone in the world has, the one that causes fever blisters. |
Dude, you're thinking of HERPES. Herpes virus causes fever blisters/ cold sores. |
Thanks! That's right. The form I had to complete two years ago required a check for herpes and one type was the fever blister. |
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soju pizza
Joined: 21 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 4:27 am Post subject: |
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| MODS! Make this a sticky! |
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Draz
Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Location: Land of Morning Clam
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| Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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| CentralCali wrote: |
Also, there is one type of [Herpes] that almost everyone in the world has, the one that causes fever blisters. |
I don't have it. *crosses arms* |
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