Medical & How long have you been waiting?

Preset No.3 · 05-04-2007 12:25am #1

Spare me the lectures BUT Is there any way to fool the medical? Do they look for your past medical records? The reason i ask is that 2 years, whilst in the middle of my ATPLs I found out I had diabeties. Now for the past year my blood sugar levels have been fine, I cant remember the last time I had a low and also I am doing some alternative health treatment and its knocked my blood sugar into place. Apart from flying the other thing I always wanted to do was serve but the money stopped me doing it full time. So do they look for loads of past medical history?

wex · 05-04-2007 12:34am

Preset No.3 wrote:

Spare me the lectures BUT Is there any way to fool the medical? Do they look for your past medical records? The reason i ask is that 2 years, whilst in the middle of my ATPLs I found out I had diabeties. Now for the past year my blood sugar levels have been fine, I cant remember the last time I had a low and also I am doing some alternative health treatment and its knocked my blood sugar into place. Apart from flying the other thing I always wanted to do was serve but the money stopped me doing it full time. So do they look for loads of past medical history?

from what I know, there is no way to fool the medical Garda exam

Preset No.3 · 05-04-2007 12:43am

the person, for the purposes of paragraph (3), supplies to a registered medical practitioner nominated by the Garda Commissioner a medical certificate in such form as that practitioner may determine, detailing the person’s medical history for the previous 5 years; Looks like I answer my own question!!!!!!!!:mad: :mad: :mad:

69sparkie69 · 07-04-2007 12:03pm

hi robbie,
Can you tell us all, seeing that you are a reserve now, whats the story with the medical..?? i`ve just had my GP, fill up the medical form that they e mailed, and i`m just wondering as many more on here, whats the format at HQ. can you give us the low down..
cheers.
sparkie

robbiedublin · 11-04-2007 7:47pm

Hi 69sparkie,
The medical is ok they will take the form and then carry out a variety of tests. These include hearing test, bloods, basic medical to determine fitness level.
They are friendly and helpful. My exam was in December and the group got on very well.

freddiew · 26-04-2007 3:16pm

Kieran, what does the Medical entail?

KIERAN61 · 26-04-2007 4:28pm

Nothing to it really Fred Urine test,Blood pressure ,Lung capacity where they get you to blow into a gadget 3 times and then they get the average,Hearing /sight they measure height and weight too.They poke about to feel for lumps and bumps. Thats all they did in my case took about 3 hrs mostly waiting about.you will be told there and then if you have passed or not.Hope that helps?

treker · 28-04-2007 2:20pm

Some advice please.
I got word yesterday that I have passed the interview and report writing stage stage and am now completing the GR2.
My biggest hurdle is now the medical, specifically the eyesight part. My vision is 20/20 with glasses but without glasses or contacts I will not pass the stated requirements of 6/18 6/18. As far as I can see the only place these requirements are explicitely stated is on the letter I received inviting me for interview. There is no eyesight requirements stated anywhere else as far as I can make out.
I would be interested to hear from anyone who wears glasses who has completed the medical (passed or failed). How stringent is the testing and do they take age into account. I know this may sound like a long shot but the super who interview me said that they dont expect older people (I'm in my early 40's) to have the same eyesight as younger candidates, as there are many older full time members who need glasses and do a perfectly good job.

Dr Strange · 01-05-2007 10:22am

Hi Guys,

Just a note on the medical. I did mine a couple of weeks ago. Everything went well bar the hearing test. I have no problem in normal day to day work with it, but they noted it anyway and referred me for a professional audiometry test.

As for the eyesight test: Yes, they are very strict, same as with the Reserve Defence Forces. If you are below the requirement stated in the letter you will fail! It happened to some people I met there.

They will test your eyesight without the glasses only I think, whereas in the RDF they test with glasses on and after some minutes with the glasses off.

Body mass index can also be a problem in some cases. As well as hearing.

Best,
P.

Hughdub · 01-05-2007 10:59pm

Preusse wrote:

Hi Guys,

Just a note on the medical. I did mine a couple of weeks ago. Everything went well bar the hearing test. I have no problem in normal day to day work with it, but they noted it anyway and referred me for a professional audiometry test.

As for the eyesight test: Yes, they are very strict, same as with the Reserve Defence Forces. If you are below the requirement stated in the letter you will fail! It happened to some people I met there.

They will test your eyesight without the glasses only I think, whereas in the RDF they test with glasses on and after some minutes with the glasses off.

Body mass index can also be a problem in some cases. As well as hearing.

Best,
P.

Hey Preusse, hope ye get good news soon after you submit the report. Quick question, when you said about the eyesight test and the ''requirment stated in the letter'' what letter were you refering to??

Hugh

Dr Strange · 01-05-2007 11:59pm

Hughdub wrote:

Hey Preusse, hope ye get good news soon after you submit the report. Quick question, when you said about the eyesight test and the ''requirment stated in the letter'' what letter were you refering to??

Hugh

Hi Hugh,

thank you! I was referring to treker's comment regarding the letter.

... As far as I can see the only place these requirements are explicitely stated is on the letter I received inviting me for interview. There is no eyesight requirements stated anywhere else as far as I can make out...

To be honest I cannot remember if it was in my letter or if I found it on the publicjobs.ie website but I clearly remember reading something about the exact minimum eyesight requirements at some stage before going for the interview. I noticed that the Doctor at the medical examination asked if you also consider applying as a Garda recruit (full-time) at some stage. After the medical is over you usually know right away if you got it or not or, the third option, if you have been referred. They also tell you that they have more "range" in deciding to let you into the Reserves with certain conditions but they won't let you into the Recruits.

Another question I asked the Garda Reserve Liaison Officer was: if you fail some part of the medical, can you still apply to the Commissioner to be considered for the reserves anyway or get recommendations from your local Garda station? Unfortunately, they are bound by what the Senior Medical Officer of the Gardai says. If he/she decides you are not suitable health-wise there seems to be no-one who could rule against it or overturn the ruling.

Best,
P.

Dr Strange · 03-05-2007 10:50am

Hughdub wrote:

... Preusse: Thanks for the reply, if ye remember where ye saw that info let me know..

Hugh

Hi Hugh,

I found it! It was in one of the letters sent to me by the Garda Reserve Unit in the Public Appointments Service. Here is the part relating to the eyesight requirements:

... Successful applicants will be required to undergo a medical examination. Any of the following examples of medical conditions may be a bar to passing the medical examination: Defective Vision, Varicose veins, Obesity, Albumenuria, Dental Caries, Defective hearing, Hypertension, etc. The eyesight requirement is 6/18, 6/18, correctable to 6/9, 6/12.

Best,
P.

Dr Strange · 31-05-2007 12:29pm

Hi,

getting a bit frustrated. I had my medical earlier in the year and got a referral to my GP for an extra audiometry test. I got all the tests done within two weeks after the medical and also got supporting letters from my doctors. Sent all the papers off by Swift Post and never heard anything so I rang them last week and they said they received the papers but no doctor has had a look at them yet but that a decision would be made by Friday (last week). Rang again today and still they said the doctors didn't have had time yet to look at my papers.

I am a bit frustrated as I went through the extra examinations, paid for it privately, and made sure to sent everything off as soon as possible after my original medical examination at HQ. Now I am waiting and waiting and don't know if I even have a chance of getting through or not. I have passed everything so far, also the last interview with the Super and he said he would recommend me but I still don't know if I can go as I am waiting on a decision from the Medical Officers. I'm getting quite a bad feeling now.

Sorry for the rant.

Best,
Preusse

69sparkie69 · 01-06-2007 8:44pm

hi guys.
went for the medical today,and passed it....there with four other people, inc. hughdub, and i imaging everyone passed it..no mystery to it..this is the format, to anyone else heading for it, and worried about it..don't be..
first of all, you fill up another medical form, something similar to the one you down load or sent out to you..then they ask you for the following, urine sample, hearing test, blood pressure, test, lung capacity test. this is all undertaken by the nurses there.. then its up to visit the Dr. change into a surgical blue gown,and a dressing gown,.and wait till you get called..once in, your height is taken, then you stand on a weighting machine that calculates your bmi, body fat..this is noted..then the Dr. checks your eye sight test and colour blindness test..then you are asked to touch your toes..he gets you to stripe down to your briefs, and checks and listens to your lungs,followed by lying on the couch to check for anything unusual..etc.etc and your hernia, followed by a cough..he is also noting any scars or tattoos..and then he congratulate`s you, and tells you to get dressed and report back to the reception again.. that's all..nothing to be worried or anxious about..i know, its easy for me to say..cause i passed it,,but so will you too..keep the faith..
sparkie..

celticlegend03 · 18-07-2007 9:33am

Hi Guys

Does anybody know if they give you much notice for your medical and when do they usually take place i.e. wknd or wk days.

Do they tell you there and then if you pass or fail it?

Dr Strange · 26-07-2007 12:32pm

Update: Referral to professional audiometry test.

The test at the Garda HQ wasn't great but they referred me, told me that once I have a professional hearing test done and am aware of my hearing problem (which doesn't affect my day-to-day life in any way) it shouldn't be a problem.

So off I went got an audiometry test done in the Beacon for Euro 80,00. The audiometrist told me that the Garda test showed a slightly worse result then she got but she said that in any case it shouldn't affect my normal routine duty. So I sent everything off to the medical officer in Garda HQ and waited....two weeks ago came a letter from the Assistent Commissioner thanking me for my interest but unfortunately, they couldn't progress my application as the Medical Officer of the Gardai said my hearing was below the required level.

What got me was that they knew this on the day of the medical, still told me they had some lee-way and I should get a test done by a professional which I did and which was even better than the gardai one in results, got interviews with inspector and my Superintendent in the mean-time, and got recommendations from them and in the end it was all for nothing. Very disappointing.

However, I am glad I did it, at least I tried. Best of luck to all of you and love to read about your experiences. What's left for me is to concentrate on finishing my PhD in Forensics and work from that angle for the community (as well as continuing in the CivDef).

Best,
Preusse

freddiew · 26-07-2007 6:22pm

Sorry to hear about your disappointment. Would it be worth while writing to the Asst. Commissioner who wrote to you and say more or less what you have said in this message. You would have nothing to loose. Don't give up until you exhaust all avenues.

Dr Strange · 26-07-2007 7:07pm

freddiew wrote:

Sorry to hear about your disappointment. Would it be worth while writing to the Asst. Commissioner who wrote to you and say more or less what you have said in this message. You would have nothing to loose. Don't give up until you exhaust all avenues.

Hi freddie,

thanks! No, unfortunately, it wouldn't work. I asked that question at the Reserve Office and they told me that even though they might think someone is suitable for the job the medical officer works independent from the gardai and the Commissioners. Once he/she expresses an opinion there is nothing they can do. I am quite surprised as to how many people fail the medical, I have seen quite a number at the medical I went to and heard from others as well. They have a wider age bracket then the Reserve Defence Force so you would expect a bit more play with regarding the medical.

Best,
Preusse

baton charge · 27-07-2007 7:56am

Hi Preusse,
Yes you are absolutely right the amount that fail the Medical is very high.There were alot who failed the hearing test when I went for my medical.I think all told about 300 out of 700 applicants can expect to make it to Templemore so there is a lot of weeding out in between.Sorry to hear you didn't make it mate. I am enjoying it so far even if it is all a bit slow getting off the ground.

Dr Strange · 28-07-2007 12:21pm

Thanks batoncharge! Yes, the failure rate seems quite high and I can't see them relaxing it.

Keep up the posts about how the training goes and how the work is afterwards!

Best,
Preusse

iandromiskin · 30-07-2007 9:00am

baton charge wrote:

Hi Preusse,
Yes you are absolutely right the amount that fail the Medical is very high.There were alot who failed the hearing test when I went for my medical.I think all told about 300 out of 700 applicants can expect to make it to Templemore so there is a lot of weeding out in between.

I didn't know that. Is the hearing the only thing that people commonly fail on or are there other common things that they pick up on ???

Dr Strange · 30-07-2007 3:19pm

iandromiskin wrote:

I didn't know that. Is the hearing the only thing that people commonly fail on or are there other common things that they pick up on ???

The other two main points of failing are the lung capacity test and eye-sight test. These and the hearing test. Most people I have spoken to failed only one of these but they were out of the programme nevertheless.

baton charge · 31-07-2007 7:46am

Yes hearing seems to be the biggy alright.It is also a requirement to have a form as long as your arm to be completed by your own Doctor which details your medical history.But I have to say some of the questions are ludicrous. I wonder have all those nights Clubbing taken their toll on peoples hearing over the years???? As Preusse said the Medical is straight forward but I would bet high blood pressure would preclude some people too.

Dr Strange · 31-07-2007 8:41am

baton charge wrote:

... I wonder have all those nights Clubbing taken their toll on peoples hearing over the years???? ...

Funny enough, my audiometrist said that the hearing levels I had lost had occured during my younger years (lol) and most likely due to loud music (which means it is not a deterriorating condition). I was able to confirm that during my Secondary School years I used to listen to very loud Rock music on my walkman (which was a real brick!)

iandromiskin · 31-07-2007 10:00am

Hmmm. Interesting.. not about your school days (I did the same), but about failure items. I wear glasses and I remember wondering if I qualified, so much so that went to my opticians twice, but both times I was told that was I well within requirements. I don't smoke so my lungs are ok, but hearing... now thats a different one, think I'am ok.

Time will tell I suppose, if I ever get word back from my GR(2) that is.

RainyDay · 03-08-2007 9:34am

Preusse wrote:

Update: Referral to professional audiometry test.

The test at the Garda HQ wasn't great but they referred me, told me that once I have a professional hearing test done and am aware of my hearing problem (which doesn't affect my day-to-day life in any way) it shouldn't be a problem.

So off I went got an audiometry test done in the Beacon for Euro 80,00. The audiometrist told me that the Garda test showed a slightly worse result then she got but she said that in any case it shouldn't affect my normal routine duty. So I sent everything off to the medical officer in Garda HQ and waited....two weeks ago came a letter from the Assistent Commissioner thanking me for my interest but unfortunately, they couldn't progress my application as the Medical Officer of the Gardai said my hearing was below the required level.

What got me was that they knew this on the day of the medical, still told me they had some lee-way and I should get a test done by a professional which I did and which was even better than the gardai one in results, got interviews with inspector and my Superintendent in the mean-time, and got recommendations from them and in the end it was all for nothing. Very disappointing.

If you wanted to make a big deal about this, you could have a chat with the Equality Authority. Their rejection could be interpreted as discrimination on grounds of a disability. In a standard employment scenario, they would have to be able to show that the hearing requirements are indeed essential for the job in question. They would also need to explain why they didn't accept the independent test.

This is unlikely to get you into the Reserve, but it may sort out their procedures for other applicants in future.

baton charge · 07-08-2007 1:22pm

Dont know why they refer people having failed the hearing test ?As yet I do not know anybody who was accepted even when the independent test was better than the original Garda one.Think they should just fail them and be done with it as it leads to dashed hopes and extra expense.That said I agree with Rainyday somebody should take it up as an issue with the Equality Authority.

cushtac · 07-08-2007 7:38pm

Certain provisions of the Equality Act don't apply to the Gardaí, Defence Forces or the Prison Service. Unless you're willing to take the Minister to court I wouldn't bother complaining. It's also worth noting that people have challenged this aspect of the Equality Act before and lost.

Dr Strange · 07-08-2007 10:40pm

Hi,

yes, I noticed the comments about complaining but I must say it would be more bother than it's worth, to be honest. I wouldn't like to go on a crusade about something that I cannot win and loose maybe more time, sleep and money about it than I have already.

Remember, it's a voluntary thing, if they don't want to take people who failed certain examinations, that's fine, but I wouldn't go fight for it. I applied, everything went fine bar the audi-test. Can't do much more than that.

I also have my job which I like so really this would have been only a volunteer post. I know some who take it as a foot-in-the-door towards joining the gardai full-time so it would probably mean more to them but not to me as I never had the intention of joining full-time.

iandromiskin · 08-08-2007 9:39am

Whats involved in the Audio test during the medical ?

baton charge · 08-08-2007 1:37pm

You are placed in sound proof booth with headphones and given a range of sounds from high to low. Some are almost inaudible but always click if you suspect you hear something.If there is a problem you will be told and may be afforded a second chance straight after.I went to the old building for my test and the booth wasnt exactly soundproof as I could hear laughter in the room opposite (nothing wrong with my hearing then).Think they have upgraded to a new facility in the meantime so good luck to anybody going for a medical in the near future.;)

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