Korean Job Discussion Forums

Sapa · Joined: 05 Nov 2007

My school tried explaining to me about my medical exam tomorrow morning at 10am. He said that we would not be able to eat or drink anything from 10pm. It doesn't matter about food but no drinking water? How will I even be able to do the pee test!
Surely he has it wrong?

esetters21 · Joined: 30 Apr 2006 Location: Seoul

Katchafire · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:29 am Post subject:

The complete opposite .. no food .. but of COURSE, water.

crusher_of_heads · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:15 am Post subject:

Water is permissible-go the 12 hours with nothing else.

CrikeyKorea · Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Location: Heogi, Seoul

if u are having a blood test to find out ur blood sugars i.e. diabetes or something similar, u need to fast from midnight, but for the med test here, its not needed as far as i know, i just rocked up, no one told me nor asked if i had fasted...

Ut videam · Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Location: Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do

A friend of mine was told to come back the next day by Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital because she hadn't fasted.

A fairly extensive panel of blood work (CBC, I think) seems to be part of the standard recruitment health exam that they do. Of course they test the blood for AIDS, but my report also included my hematocrit, cholesterol, hepatitis antibody test, etc. etc.

Since they're doing all that blood work, SOP is to have you fast. If you don't, and they find out, you may end up with a wasted trip.

Bottom line: if they told you to fast, then fast.

Bibbitybop · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

Mine was only water for 8 hours. I drank a bottle of wine before I went in, though, it made the exam more fun. I've been denied a new visa for failing my medical exam. Laughing

ChinaBoy · Joined: 17 Feb 2007

I always eat some crackers before. Something to eat at least, and doesn't seem to throw anything off. I suppose downing a chocolate bar or other largely sugar item would affect the tests more.

Flash Ipanema · Joined: 29 Sep 2006 Location: Seoul

My test is tomorrow and no one said anything to me about fasting. I'm not normally a breakfast person anyway, but how bad would my morning coffee be (with milk and sugar)?

ds_fan · Joined: 07 Apr 2008

i went to mine straight after lunch, read green tea is good for tests saying no more so i drank abiout 8 bottles of it, the piss i handed in was bright green, but they had no quibbles

big_fella1 · Joined: 08 Dec 2005

Drinking a lot of water doesn't affect the result, but it can make the taking of blood easier for people with bad circulation. I had a 'make sure' test back in Australia and they said fast but drink plenty of water.

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

Why do you have to go through all that? All you have to do is go to a medical clinic without worrying about fasting and the like. Pay maybe 20 bucks or something. Chest X-ray, urine, and blood. That's it.

KoreanAmbition · Joined: 03 Feb 2008

icicle · Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Location: Gyeonggi do Korea

Drinking water is definitely a good idea ... But usually nothing else for at least 8 hours before the test. Drinking the water is good both for making it easier to get the blood for the blood test (especially if like me it is normally hard to get blood from us) and for doing the urine test.

From the earlier comments (and from what I have otherwise heard) depending on where people have gone for their test some do and some don't need a fasting blood test ... And unless you want to go back again it will prevent any problems if you do fast before the blood test.

Flash Ipanema · Joined: 29 Sep 2006 Location: Seoul

I just finished by test and the urine test was a JOKE. They handed me a paper cup, like the kind you use for drinking water. No lid, and it'll probably soak through by the time anyone picks it up. And I left it on a tray with three other people's samples. Just cups of piss sitting out in the hallway. Gross AND unsanitary.