JCAB medical

[erbuscap]

Anyone knows if during the JCAB medical you have to do a slit-lamp test for your eye-vision exam?
Thanks

[The Dominican]

They will have your pupils dilated and the back of your eyes examined yes. My experience has been that it is not always done for every recurrent medical, but it will be done for the initial pre employment medical.

[upspeed]

The Dom is right. I did my JCAB initial 2 months ago and went through a full eye examination, including the slit-lamp test as well. PM me your email and I can forward you the full translated eye/vision requirements.

Cheers,

Upspeed.

[upspeed]

It will really depend on which clinic they'll be sending you to. In my case, the nurse's and doctor's level of english was quite good and I had no problem communicating with them. I cannot speak for other clinics though, but I'll take a look at my screening documents and PM you the clinics contact number if I find these. Give me one or two days for that. Again, if you want the direct link to the JCAB's medical standards (in Japanese) PM me your email and I'll send you the translated version of the eye/vision requirements as well.

Upspeed.

[The Dominican]

There are indeed several clinics in the Tokyo metropolitan area where these examinations are done, it is more dependent on the date of the examination due to the availability of slots. Initial examinations (pre employment ) might not even be done in Japan, I had mine done in Alaska for example. My recommendation would be to get in touch with the contract agency and try to figure out where it is going to be because there is a very high probability that it won't be in the same place where upspeed had his done.

[erbuscap]

Thank you so much!
Upspeed, I found the JCAB standards document too and translated, exactly the reason the doctor needs to clarify something with them.
Dominican, I did not know you could do JCAB med outside Japan, I had read in the past about the JFK medical center offering it, but I called them and they don't.
If you can pm me a tel# of an examiner in the (preferably continental) US it would be great.

Thanks again

[b-747-200]

The medical clinic is Family Medical on Northern Lights Blvd in Anchorage. Ask for Jesse in the Occupational Health section. He coordinates all of the JCAB medicals, he may not be able to answer your question, but he will know which doctor to ask. Good luck.

[PalmtreePilot74]

Would somebody mind sending me a PM that I can respond to; I would like to get the info on the standards for the medical test. I was just informed that I failed it for a contract gig and can't figure how in the hell I could have failed. I'm 36 in shape, non drinker, non smoker, etc. etc. F'ning baffling

I figure that they don't have a chart that measure blood that's not full of alcohol and nicotine, so they were confused and just said "FAIL!"

Thanks in advance. If someone doesn't want to send the standards to me, can you send in the right direction to find them?

[sewerpiper]

has anyone done one on the east coast recently?

[sewerpiper]

Palm tree:
http://www.aeromedical.or.jp/documents/ManualforAME.pdf

[The Dominican]

@palm tree

A while back I did a jobs fair where I was answering folks questions about the gig I'm at, I had the chance to sit with several contract agency people and during the conversations they said that over 60% of guys fail the medical, it could be something as dumb as a couple of points over or under the good Vs. bad cholesterol measurements (the Japanese measurement that is, not the western one) or your BMI being a couple of points higher than their magic number (it is widely rumored that the number is 30, although they won't say what it is) if you want an example as to how ridiculous it is, I have a friend that interviewed to a job in Japan but he already was working at another company in Japan so he already had a Japanese medical, he fail the pre employment medical and had to go to the same doctor that had issued his current medical to re take the test, the doctor that had issued his original Japanese medical instead of the western logical thing to do, that is to say "yes, I already examine you and gave you a medical" he ran him again to the whole battery of tests including stress test to make sure he was worthy of holding the Japanese medical he already held.

[PalmtreePilot74]

Thanks Sewer!

Yeah Dominican, I've heard the ridiculous stories and know a few that failed prior to me surprisingly, but when it happens to yourself, it just seems baffling. Especially when you put sooooooo much time in the process and travel back and forth a few time!

[sewerpiper]

Does anyone know of one on the east coast besides the JFK medical center (who is no longer doing them)?

[b-747-200]

I don't think there are any other places on the east coast that do JCAB medicals. The other two places are ANC and LAX but no one has used the LA for years.

[sewerpiper]

Ooch, nobody on the east coast?

I was turned town not too long ago for a good job in Japan. Kinda bummed out. My LASIK was the problem. There is a waiver, but the company didn't want to go through the trouble. I thought if I could do it on my own, and show them I have a medical, they might hire me then. I see they are still looking to fill the position.

So it sounds like I gotta go all the way to ANC to get this done? Man...It's a fat chance it would work anyways.

[The Dominican]

My LASIK was the problem. There is a waiver, but the company didn't want to go through the trouble. I thought if I could do it on my own, and show them I have a medical, they might hire me then. I see they are still looking to fill the position.

Hum? I don't mean to sound negative, so if you can afford to spend the money on a medical, transportation, accommodation on the off chance that it may work for you, then give it a try. But I feel compelled to warn you that for what I have learned on my years here your chances are very low, just the fact alone that you are taking the medical in the US (even if it is a JCAB approved facility) will work against you, run the idea by the contract agency first to see what they think about your tactic, you might save yourself additional disappointment and some pesos. If you are still willing to make that investment, your chances will be better (not good, just better) that examination/waiver is in Japanese written by a Japanese doctor, even if both documents, one by an American doctor and one by a Japanese doctor, both certified by the JCAB and both documents saying exactly the same thing, it is not the same, You follow?

Haven said that, I admire the fact that you are a go get'r and wish you the best of luck, I sincerely hope that you would prove me wrong on this one.