Post-op job seekers

[TIM W.]

I am wondering if any of my friends here at VR.com have had to find a new job following their surgery. Now that my plant has closed down, I will be looking for a new job after my doctor releases me.

Did anyone run into any "resistance" due to having been thru open heart surgery? Do you suppose potential employers understand that we are just as fit as anyone else? I actually feel as though I may be an even better employee having been thru this with a new and improved "outlook" on life.

I look at it like this: I HAD a congenital problem, a birth defect, that finally needed to be taken care of after 43 years of a very productive life. I don't consider myself as having heart disease.

Anyone care to share their thoughts? Thanks. Tim

P.S. 5 weeks post-op today!

 

[epstns]

Tim, I can't speak for the effect having had surgery would have on a job quest, but I guess I would first have to ask how the question even comes up with prospective employers. If the career path you follow does not normally involve physical labor that may exceed your personal limitations, why even mention it? Especially why mention it in the early stages of the relationship?

I'm not the HR manager at my company, but I have had some experience with the rules and regs, and I don't think that you are required to say anything about your health history. Also, with the new rules that just went into effect, the prospective employer is even more restricted than ever as to what they can have access to in your records and history.

Do you have a contact in human resources who can help with the specific items an employer must be told, etc.?

 

[TIM W.]

Hi Steve,

I wouldn't volunteer the information. I was thinking more along the lines of it being "discovered" during a pre-employment physical. Most employers I know of require one these days (my former did). The scar is somewhat of a tell-tale sign and I wonder if the doctor would be obligated to put it in his report back to the potential employer. Although I was in management, I was not privy to what information these reports contained.

Thanks for your input. Tim

 

[Ross]

Tim as Steve pointed out, with the new HIPPA regulations in place, things are more in your favor now then ever.

When I was still working, I did hiring, firing, motivating, disciplining, etc., and I can say this, I wouldn't have been able to ask you anything about your health whether it be present, past, or future. The only things we looked for were results of drug testing and whether or not you could physically handle the job for which you were being hired. We had sheets with the expectations listed on them for a particular title that had to be given to the applicant.

Like I told you before, don't volunteer any information about what's been done. If they ask you, they are opening themselves up to a lawsuit for discrimination. The interviewers hands are relatively tied behind his back. I don't foresee you having any problems getting hired anywhere, so long as your capable of performing the work for which you are hired. If you go for a company physical, see if you can get a copy of the report to be filed with they employer. It could be ammunition for you in the future.

Don't go running out into the job market wanting to lift elephants, tame lions, feed sharks, etc. Use you common sense on this and be aware of what you can and cannot handle.

 

[Georgia]

The ADA is also on your side

The ADA is also on your side

Not only can they not discriminate against you because of your health, they're also required to make "reasonable" accomodations for a disabled employee to do a job. And I believe that applies to new hires, as well. Thank heaven that doesn't apply to us, huh? There are always worse things, I guess.

And I don't think they give you a physical regarding your health unless you're applying to do physical labor and they have the right to see if you can do it.

 

[plb]

Tim, I have worked in Human Resources for 11 years and all the advice given is correct! Like Ross suggested, don't try to get a job rousting elephants! It is important to keep your group health coverage until you are enrolled in another group, so as to prevent having pre-existing conditions. The Health Insurance Portability Protection Act has helped employees immensely! I wish you the best!

 

[MarkU]

Hi Tim,
Two days after my surgery my boss called me in the hospital to tell me that our company would be going out of business within a month.
Sure enough, just about the time I felt like going back, there was no job to go back to.
The only real hassle I had was from my case worker at the unemployment office who denied me benefits for a month because in her opinion I could not possibly be "actively looking for employment" if I was still recovering from heart surgery.
Quite honestly, I did worry about how I came across in some of the first interviews I went on after my surgery. I had lost quite a bit of weight and didn't feel very peppy for several months. Nobody ever said any thing to me, but I did get some funny looks at times.
Although I was able to pick up some part-time consulting work, it took me about a year to find a job. Things got pretty tight for a while with two kids in college. My dear, sweet wife stuck with me and we led a pretty austere lifestyle for a while.
Fortunately after a time, I was offered a job in a different industry.
Even though I'm starting a new career at 49, I love what I'm doing and look forward to every day.
For a long time I felt a lot of guilt for the financial hardship that my family had to go through, but now strongly believe that the whole experience has strengthened our family and helped us to learn what's really important in life and what isn't.
Good luck,
Mark