# hiv and employment



## Mark Conway (Feb 25, 2015)

Can you go into the emt feild if you have hiv?


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## SandpitMedic (Feb 25, 2015)

No


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## SandpitMedic (Feb 25, 2015)

Furthermore, why would you want to expose your immunocompromised self to all the buggers out there?


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## DesertMedic66 (Feb 25, 2015)

Yes. We have an EMT who is also employeed as a nurse in the ED that has HIV.


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## Angel (Feb 26, 2015)

technically yes...jobs cant discriminate...but....


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## JosephDurham (Feb 26, 2015)

Yes, unfortunately I do not believe that any department would be willing to take one on due to the high risk.  I could be very wrong.  It would be huge risk to the pt, department, as well as the employee. 

Just my opinion. 

Joseph


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## DesertMedic66 (Feb 26, 2015)

I've never seen an application ask do you have HIV/AIDS? And have never heard of an employment physical asking about it. 

I work in an area where a lot of people have HIV/AIDS. We actually have several clinics and housing communities where their sole purpose is to test for and help treat HIV/AIDS. Our hospital also does free HIV/AIDS testing on all patients they draw blood from if the patient says it's OK.


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## cprted (Feb 26, 2015)

To all the people in this thread stating that it is too great a risk to our patients to have an HIV+ EMT/Paramedic ... I have to ask, are you familiar with how HIV is transmitted?  What exactly is the risk here?  An EMT with the flu poses a greater risk to an immunocomprimised patient than one with HIV.


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## DesertMedic66 (Feb 26, 2015)

cprted said:


> To all the people in this thread stating that it is too great a risk to our patients to have an HIV+ EMT/Paramedic ... I have to ask, are you familiar with how HIV is transmitted?  What exactly is the risk here?  An EMT with the flu poses a greater risk to an immunocomprimised patient than one with HIV.


I think they are not stating the provider will be a risk to the patient but vice versa. It's probably not the smartest idea to put a provider who is immunocompromised with sick patients


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## RocketMedic (Feb 26, 2015)

As a paramedic, I don't care if my partner has HIV. I'm not going to be having sex with them or trading blood or needles. However, I think that the potential risks to that EMT or paramedic from the environment we work in are remarkably high and place both our patients and them at risk.


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## gotbeerz001 (Feb 26, 2015)

It won't come up unless you bring it up.


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## akflightmedic (Feb 26, 2015)

DesertEMT66 said:


> I've never seen an application ask do you have HIV/AIDS? And have never heard of an employment physical asking about it.



Unless you are taking a contractor job overseas as you must be tested for HIV and you are DQ'd if positive. And if you test positive for it after deployment, you are sent home.


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## Brandon O (Feb 26, 2015)

HIV is not AIDS and does not necessarily involve immunocompromise.


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## NomadicMedic (Feb 26, 2015)

My last service had a pre-employment physical which included blood testing. HIV was a DQ.


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## TransportJockey (Feb 26, 2015)

Both hospitals I have worked at it was a dq. It was tested for prior to hire along with the normal blood tests.


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## Angel (Feb 26, 2015)

i never understood why jobs needed a blood test...just seems invasive


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## TransportJockey (Feb 26, 2015)

Angel said:


> i never understood why jobs needed a blood test...just seems invasive


Usually for vaccine titers.


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## akflightmedic (Feb 26, 2015)

Angel said:


> i never understood why jobs needed a blood test...just seems invasive



It also protects you !!!

Let's say you contract Hepatitis C...do you know how long it could remain undetected? Decades! Many of the older generation folks who worked early on in the pre-PPE days are battling this. How can you claim work related illness if you cannot prove when you got it?

Bloodwork establishes a base line...it says on this date you did NOT have X, Y or Z. If you contract those later, it possibly could have been a result of your work. Very important when you are needing expensive medications, treatments or whatever...


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## NomadicMedic (Feb 26, 2015)

^^^ Very important baseline, especially for needlesticks. The agency wants to be sure you're not infected with HIV or Hep before you come to work...


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## MonkeyArrow (Feb 26, 2015)

But then why is HIV a DQ? If you already have DQ, then the company doesn't have to pay for your treatments but I don't understand why you are not allowed to work because of it?


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## NomadicMedic (Feb 26, 2015)

Maybe because the department doesn't want to assume any additional risk? Imagine what would happen if you were on the scene of an MVC, got cut on a piece of sharp metal and a patient ended up infected. Even if you had NOTHING to do with it, it would be a HUGE liability for the department.


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## MonkeyArrow (Feb 26, 2015)

DEmedic said:


> Maybe because the department doesn't want to assume any additional risk? Imagine what would happen if you were on the scene of an MVC, got cut on a piece of sharp metal and a patient ended up infected. Even if you had NOTHING to do with it, it would be a HUGE liability for the department.


Right. But if we start going down the roads of what ifs, what if the provider is a carrier of MRSA and infects the patient? Or the provider comes to work with a cold? That would be a much more common occurrence, passing on the flu to your pt. than HIV.

Also, the transmission rates for HIV is somewhere around 0.3% (from body fluid exposure, as in getting it into eyes/ears/nose/mouth/open cut) whereas the transmission for HepC is somewhere around 50% (this is also taking into account needle sticks, which is a far more likely way to get infected). Anyways, is HepC also a DQ?


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## NomadicMedic (Feb 26, 2015)

Good question, and a valid point. I don't know for sure what the reasoning is...


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## Brandon O (Feb 26, 2015)

Yeah, seems sketchy. Wonder if there's legal precedent on this. Seems discriminatory.


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## SandpitMedic (Feb 26, 2015)

Brandon O said:


> Seems discriminatory.



Seems like common sense... Something all of these discussions seem to be lacking lately.


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## MonkeyArrow (Feb 26, 2015)

SandpitMedic said:


> Seems like common sense... Something all of these discussions seem to be lacking lately.


How does having a bloodborne pathology only transmittable by exchanging bodily fluids impair your ability as a provider to do your job or endanger your patients? Are you going to be sharing needles with them? Are you injured and bleeding from open wounds or are they?


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## SandpitMedic (Feb 26, 2015)

**** happens.


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## SandpitMedic (Feb 26, 2015)

You're right, I change my mind. Look at Magic Johnson...he slept with all those girls and they KNEW he had AIDS.

You can do anything you put your mind to. Who cares about anyone else, so long as you get yours.


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## gotbeerz001 (Feb 26, 2015)

So is Hep C a disqualifier, too?

http://consumer.healthday.com/senio...now-kills-more-americans-than-hiv-661965.html


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## SandpitMedic (Feb 26, 2015)

Seriously though. You should be allowed to. My position has changed, and you should not be discriminated against. So long as you are capable of doing the job at the time of hire and into the foreseeable future.

I still say, why would you want to expose yourself? Then who is liable if you pick up a bug and become super ill... Is that a workers comp case? Does the employer bear the burden for your medical bills, lost time, FMLA days, the cost of having another employee to "replace" you when  you're inevitably absent?

Where is @looker  on this one? Mr. Cost effective business owner. It's an ADA violation to not hire them.

Do you tell your colleagues? Your patients? Does your skin get dry and crack?


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## Mark Conway (Feb 26, 2015)

Well magic mike is a bit different along with having sex with someone then wanting to help someone who needs it. Im on meds and have been and am currently undetectable. Further more if it was about sex someone would have a less chance of contracting hiv from me vs having sex with a complete stranger. I know my disease and i already am vigilant in making sure i protect people around me.
Thank you everyone for the comments and the information. I will continue to research this. Be great today!


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## Brandon O (Feb 26, 2015)

HIV carrier status with a good CD4 count has no particularly higher risk of catching a bug than you or I.

I suppose they might take TB precautions more seriously, but we should probably be doing that too...


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## Brandon O (Feb 26, 2015)

I admit this is all a bit surprising. I didn't realize there was still this level of stigma attached. (No offense meant to anyone, I know it's not a character flaw; it's a matter of awareness and understanding is all.)


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