How Will My Past Medical History Affect Job Opportunities?

[UCDingo7]

Hey everyone, in advance--I know it's a long post but I really need some insight, any feedback is greatly appreciated.

I'm currently a sophomore in college(19YO), studying to be a paramedic firefighter. Freshman year I obtained my NR-EMT, and passed all my courses--everything was going as planned. I started noticing knee pain sophomore year in high school after a football related injury and it progressively got worse, so when I returned home for the summer I got an arthroscopic knee surgery. The surgery had more complications than expected, so I had to take a semester off and attend multiple physical therapy sessions a week. Since then, it's been healing well, however, as I haven't been able to attend school and lost my main job at home--this and family-related reasons had me feeling really down. Long story short, my doctor prescribed me Zoloft and it has indeed helped with my issues.

So all in all, I have 1 knee surgery(maybe another in the near future), I'm on Zoloft, and I have a thyroid condition. Other than that, I'm extremely healthy, lift weights, eat clean and regular cardiovascular exercise. I have a clean criminal record and will have plenty of certs (technical rope/water rescue, search and rescue, EMT-A, hopefully Paramedic etc...) when I'm done with school.

After all considered, am I at risk for not being eligible for hire? I still have awhile until I start applying and what not. But I want to know before I spend thousands of dollars and hours on achieving my dream job if I can't even qualify for it.

Thanks,

Troy

 

[gotbeerz001]

Sure, you are at risk for not getting hired. It all depends on the department/company and their elimination criteria. Best thing you can do is have an answer to any issues that they may have.

If you have concerns about a medical issue, have a specialist write you a letter. The letter should clearly state that the doctor has read the job/task analysis of the position you are applying for and that you have no restrictions. Keep the letter in a file if you ever need it.

I don't think you'll have a problem getting a job in the privates, however, some fire departments will x-ray your back, knees, lungs etc to head off potential problems before they arise. As you probably know, knees and backs are the top orthopedic reasons firefighters go out on disability.

Do not volunteer the information prior to a conditional offer of employment. Civil service rules do not allow them to ask about medical issues prior to a conditional offer. If you volunteer the information, they could eliminate you without the need to justify why. If the knee issue comes up during your pre-employment medical, provide the letter. The opinion of a specialist can trump that of a GP.