Medical Exam: Don't schedule for Monday

[llamagatekeeper]

Oh god. Why did no one warn me about the #$%^ show that was the medical exam on Monday. Got there at 7:10-7:15 and line was already from one door to the other in that small hallway. It gradually gets more packed people can't even get off the elevators. They open the doors and of course all the Chinese wanting to immigrate to the US and adopt cultural values of the US rush the doors and ignore the line that was made. Then you have the Chinese who formed a line yelling at those who tried and budge, but get then they themselves try and budge/cut in line when they get the chance. What do you know...the people with terrible medical issues and all the reasons for denial are the ones who cut in line and rushed to the front so the number calling takes forever. Didn't finish the entire process until 11:15.

 

Positive side: Doctor immediately said that only shot you could do while pregnant is the flu shot and every single exam the first question was always "are you pregnant". X-Ray is of course required, but they do make sure you have protection/shielding for everything. All the nurses/doctors were very pleasant and even more so for having to deal with the type of people that are coming through this process.

 

Be prepared for lots of yelling and pushing and waiting.

 

So, just don't go on Monday and you should be fine.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention that they require 8 photos now.

[dnoblett]

Yes, the medical centers can be like a Chinese Fire Drill after a couple days closed. When we went through there 8 years ago we had the misfortune of having the interview set for the monday after Spring Festival, the medical centers were closed and reopened sunday the day before the scheduled interview, it was a zoo.

[jwdoetsch]

What's the turnaround time on medical results? How fast did you get them, llamagatekeeper?

 

We've got an appointment next Thursday and are (were) planning to go Monday morning. Ugh. This sounds just a bit discouraging. If we went on Tuesday would it be possible to get the documents by Wednesday afternoon?

 

By the way are spouses permitted to accompany the patient during the examination?

[dnoblett]

I would deal with the busy center on Monday to give you that extra day of processing.

I accompanied my wife, however had to wait in wiring areas while she was checked for various things, it was quite a show to watch.

[llamagatekeeper]

Turnaround time was the following afternoon. We didn't request morning or inquire about anything as our interview was Wednesday. Pick-up time is the time they start calling names. You can actually drop off the slip prior to your time, but not sure it's worth worrying about too much. TBH, the medical was the hardest part of the whole ordeal. You just get in line and wait and wait and wait. There are chairs to sit in, but they go fast and the grandmas and grandpas will have bags with them to save seats of people in their party who won't be back. I'd suggest grabbing some food or drink from family mart so your wife/husband can get some fluids and sugar in their body immediately after giving blood. Everyone was complaining about being lightheaded and super hungry.

 

Good luck and just be patient!

 

We passed interview on Wednesday (4/15) and visa has already been issued as of tonight. I'll write another post with more details though.

Edited April 16, 2015 by llamagatekeeper (see edit history)

[jwdoetsch]

Turnaround time was the following afternoon. We didn't request morning or inquire about anything as our interview was Wednesday. Pick-up time is the time they start calling names. You can actually drop off the slip prior to your time, but not sure it's worth worrying about too much. TBH, the medical was the hardest part of the whole ordeal. You just get in line and wait and wait and wait. There are chairs to sit in, but they go fast and the grandmas and grandpas will have bags with them to save seats of people in their party who won't be back. I'd suggest grabbing some food or drink from family mart so your wife/husband can get some fluids and sugar in their body immediately after giving blood. Everyone was complaining about being lightheaded and super hungry.

 

Good luck and just be patient!

 

We passed interview on Wednesday (4/15) and visa has already been issued as of tonight. I'll write another post with more details though.

 

Congratulations on the issuance! And thanks a bunch for the advice :-)

[jwdoetsch]

Here are some mentionable items from our experience:

 

- The health-check place in GZ is north of and immediately across the street from the consulate. Take exit B2 and walk right. Take the entrance to the second large building (the Poly building) and find the elevator in the middle of the bottom floor, adjacent to Mr Bean coffee. The place is on the 5th floor and if you arrive early then you will be waiting in the elevator waiting area. It isn't air conditioned (or at least wasn't at the end of April) and there are no seats.

- There are probably going to be a few people that appear to be employees and are sharing information openly with people while waiting in this line/area right by the elevators before the doors to the clinic open and they are freely answering questions. They aren't workers though, they're agents. And, as we found, the information they broadcast isn't accurate most of the time.

- Get there early! We arrived at 0715 and were 17th in line. We left at 1000. Save yourself an hour by arriving to wait half an hour earlier; 0645 is probably a good time. The doors to the clinic opened at about 0745. There are plenty of seats to sit and wait inside the clinic.

- The fees can be paid in ONLY with UnionPay network cards (Chinese bank cards) or Discover Card (which has a partnership with UnionPay) or cash, my Visa wouldn't work but we used my Discover.

- You will only be permitted to accelerate your results and receive them same-day only if your interview is the day after the health check. We did the medical on Monday and were made to wait to pick them up the day before our appointment on Thursday, Wednesday. They wait until the absolute last minute to give you your results, I suspect.

- You'll will need to line up and receive a number from a Nurse Ratchet type. Then you wait. When the number is called then you go up to one of the seven registration desks and they register you and check your forms and stuff. Then you are directed to pay (the base fee ~1100 RMB plus the cost for any vaccinations which is around 300 for the whole round). Then you go to vaccination registration which is just across from the cashier to sort out what vaccinations you're gonna get. Then your documents are put into a little stack and then picked up by a nurse who gives the patient a key on a scrunchy and then directed to go to the changing/locker room and change into the provided sweatshirt and sweatpants. Then you wait right outside the locker room and nurses station area and wait for your name to be called by a nurse. You are shuffled from one exam room to another. After the exams, you're directed to go to the vaccination desk again and check in with them, then wait again for a bit until your name is called over a speaker outside the doors of the vaccination rooms. Then vaccinations are given in rapid succession. Then you go out and wait for 30 minutes to check for negative reactions to the vaccines. Then finally your name is called to return back to the vaccination station to pick up your yellow vaccination book. This is your personal vaccination record, this copy isn't given to USCIS/DHS.

- By the way, you'll be told to come at 1500 to pick up the medical report results. Show up early, like at 1415 and you'll be in and out way faster. We showed up at 1430 and they were already dishing out the results. We were in and out if the building with our results in under 30 minutes.

[parkour69]

I am curious what about women who are pregnant, because my wife is already 12 weeks pregnant and doctor forbidden to take any shots/vaccinations so it doesn't affect the baby in the uterus.

Help appreciated it.

[dnoblett]

I am curious what about women who are pregnant, because my wife is already 12 weeks pregnant and doctor forbidden to take any shots/vaccinations so it doesn't affect the baby in the uterus.

 

Help appreciated it.

 

Typically this is indicated in the medical report and accepted for immigrants.

 

Also the immigrant can be tested for immunity to several of the diseases, the tests are called Titer tests, if the immigrant had any of the diseases or had been immunized before the titer tests will show this and will serve as proof of immunity.

 

Lastly CDC does indicate to avoid MMR and Varicella, however Tetanus/Diphtheria Td can be vaccinated for while pregnant.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/downloads/f_preg_chart.pdf

[parkour69]

Thank you so much for your swift reply!

I appreciate it, so it means i should have arrive to 4 days before the interview so i can have my wife visit US gov approved physician, am I correct?

[dnoblett]

Thank you so much for your swift reply!

 

I appreciate it, so it means i should have arrive to 4 days before the interview so i can have my wife visit US gov approved physician, am I correct?

Yes 4 days prior should give sufficient time to get the medical done.

[llamagatekeeper]

As I stated in the first post, the only shot my pregnant wife received was the flu shot and she passed her interview without the other required shots. The card/report will simply state not needed as contraindicated/pregnant. You don't go to any specially approved physician...just the one that's closest to the consulate that they list.

[Randy W]

As I stated in the first post, the only shot my pregnant wife received was the flu shot and she passed her interview without the other required shots. The card/report will simply state not needed as contraindicated/pregnant. You don't go to any specially approved physician...just the one that's closest to the consulate that they list.

 

 

The ones listed ARE specially approved and trained physicians - known as immigration panel physicians overseas, or civil surgeons in the U.S.

 

CDC is responsible for providing the technical instructions to the panel physicians and for monitoring the quality of the overseas medical examination process through its quality assessment program.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/panelphysicians/

About Panel Physicians

• Panel physicians are medically trained, licensed, and experienced medical doctors practicing overseas who are appointed by the local US embassy or consulate. More than 760 panel physicians perform overseas predeparture medical examinations in accordance with requirements, referred to as technical instructions, provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Quality Assessment Program (QAP).
• The Quality Assessment Program (QAP) is housed in the Immigrant, Refugee, and Migrant Health Branch. The role of QAP is to assist and guide panel physicians in the implementation of the Technical Instructions; evaluate the quality of the overseas medical examination for U.S.-bound immigrants and refugees; assess potential panel physician sites; and provide recommendations to the U.S. Department of State in matters of immigrant medical screening.

 

 

[llamagatekeeper]

....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I know. He just made it seem as if there was some other very specific physician he should go to. You can only go to the ones they list and thus are obviously approved.

Edited May 9, 2015 by Randy W
fix quote tags (see edit history)