The Importance of a Pre-Employment Physical

If you live in the Sacramento County area, you can consider American River Urgent Care your one-stop medical practice for all your family’s physical exam needs. Located in in Orangevale, California, our experienced team of family medicine experts routinely conduct:

• Annual pediatric wellness exams
• Annual men’s health checkups 
• Annual well-woman physicals 
• Sports, camp, and school exams
• Pre-employment medical physicals 

If you’ve been asked to have a pre-employment exam as part of the hiring process for a new job, you may be wondering why it’s required. Here, we explore why pre-employment physicals are a key part of the new-hire process for many companies, organizations, municipalities, and school districts, and explain what you can expect at your appointment.

What is a pre-employment physical?

A pre-employment physical exam is a comprehensive medical assessment that must be completed by a qualified physician before a prospective employer can make a hiring decision on an individual job candidate. 

The health data obtained from this evaluation is a core piece of information for the hiring managers to consider, alongside all the other candidate details obtained during the employee recruitment and interview process.

Elements of a pre-hire medical checkup

Every pre-employment checkup includes a comprehensive physical exam and health history that covers your prior medical history, as well as key aspects of your current physical and mental health. This includes:

• Height, body weight, and BMI measurements
• Standard vital sign screenings (i.e., blood pressure)
• Complete heart and lung examinations
• Abdomen health check (i.e., liver functionality)

Most pre-employment physicals also require a range of lab tests. We can readily process these tests and others at our on-site lab:

• Urinalysis (urine test)
• Complete blood count
• Basic metabolic panel (glucose test)
• Lipoprotein panel (cholesterol test)

The prospective employer and job type determine which additional tests or evaluations round out a pre-hire physical exam. These assessments typically help the employer ascertain whether the candidate is fit enough to perform the duties of the specific job. 

Hearing and vision screenings, drug and alcohol testing, and physical fitness testing are a few of the most common job-specific components of many pre-employment physicals.

Importance of a pre-employment checkup 

Pre-hire medical exams are a fundamental part of the new-hire process for many industries, companies, organizations, municipalities, and school districts, and for good reason: They mitigate risk and help protect the health and safety of all employees and in some jobs, the public at large. 

All pre-employment physicals have three key objectives:

1. To determine whether a job candidate is medically fit (physically and mentally) to perform the required tasks of the prospective role 
2. To identify whether placing the candidate in the intended role could worsen a known health condition and compromise the candidate’s health and safety, or the health and safety of others (i.e., firefighter, paramedic, elder care worker)
3. To ensure a candidate’s health status conforms to specific industry standards or legislated guidelines (i.e., commercial airline pilot, police officer)
4. To establish a baseline for the candidate’s health prior to employment

Pre-hire physicals elevate health and safety standards across every occupation that uses them; they also help reduce absenteeism and lost productivity. Establishing a health baseline for each incoming employee can also help inform an employer’s full workers’ compensation exposure for any future on-the-job injury or illness claims.

If you need a pre-employment exam, we can help. Give us a call at 916-238-5469 today, stop by our walk-in clinic at your convenience, or click online to book an appointment at American River Urgent Care, in Orangevale, California, any time.