Pre-uni medical & police check *subtance abuse trigger*
Ive applied for a few courses to uni that include having a police check and a medical (nursing, occupational therepy etc) and I was wondering is there any way they can find out about mental illness like can they go to your CPN, consultant or your GP to find out about your past? do they do this?
what does the medical examination involve?
also what about police checks? with the likes of sections? Last year (2008) I was in hospital most of the year and Ive been on section 2's and 3's and when I was in hospital I got into a bit of bother with drugs and the police were called in but nothing was done...
Basically what happens or any advice on these checks? Can I lie my pants off and pretend Im mentally ok? =/
any advice is appriciated,
xo
Each tear drop falls with sorrow, hoping and praying for another tomorrow!
Definitely do not lie about the fact you have had problems with your mental health. This just stores up problems for you because inevitably it will come out and it's going to make you look worse for that. Also, they only want to know these things so they can make sure you are able to do the course safely and also so that if you need some support they know what sort of thing is going on for you.
An enhanced CRB check will show up a section 136 but I don't think it will show up things like a Section 2 or 3 as these are done by medical professionals. I'm not entirely sure who they will contact as part of your medical checks but I suspect they would contact your GP and I have heard that some people need letters from their Psychiatrist/CPN to declare them fit enough to attend university.
Definately do not lie about anything. It will come out and they will take a much tougher stance.
At some point during the interviews/medical they will probably do an occupational health check or something similar and they will most likely want to know your medical history. That is your time to tell them. They will probably want a letter from your doctor/psychiatrist clearing you to work and saying you are mentally fit.
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
I would say don't see these checks as a barrier to your studying, if anything it's to help you access extra support to do the course should you need it, or were you too unwell to do the course they would suggest you defer applying for a year or so.
Because of the data protection act any information you do send is only going to go to the relevant people, so occupational health and possibly your course leader/personal tutor. So once assessed it's not like the information is going to follow you around, most lecturers and all students won't know you have mental health problems unless you tell them.
Also most universities offer support to those who struggle with mental health issues, I know my university offers me a lot of services that really help, however I couldn't access them and get that extra help unless I had disclosed my difficulties, it really is worth being honest.
You will have to undergo a pre uni health screening and you will be asked to declare if you have been sectioned. Last year I underwent screening for medical school and was told I had to defer my entry. I had two hospital admissions in the 8 months prior to commencement of course. I dont want to discourage you in any way, but I do want to be honest with you. What occupational health involved with me was firstly a questionnaire where it asked if you had mental health problems ( what kind etc), whether you were taking any medications, whether you had had any consultations with a CPN, psychiatrist, counsellor, psychologist. On the basis of my answers I then was interviewed over the phone where they asked me more in depth questions like how long I had been ill, what my problems were, possible causes etc. They then told me they would be sending me permission forms to sign for disclosures from both my GP and treating psychiatrist. Obviously if you refuse to sign them, then you're unlikely to be offered a place. GP and psychiatrist then sent through reports containing details of my current and previous psychiatric history and on this basis my offer was retracted due to me not meeting the NHS fitness to practise guidelines. There is a document called "employing people with mental health problems in the NHS" which you can find floating around as a pdf on the internet if you google it, and thats the guidelines they have to use for all employees and students training for NHS professions.
On a personal note, I do think there are many advantages to employing people with mental illnesses in the NHS and I certainly do not wish to put you off replying. I do however think that they may be unlikely to allow you to start until you have demostrated a period of stable mental health. And like the others have said, if you lie you could jeopardise your entire future career which is really not worth it. It would be far better to bite the bullet and see what they say and take a year out if they request it, than relapse a few months down the line and your past come back then and you are struck off completely for lying. It hasnt been easy accepting that I am "unfit" to start training this year, and having to take time out but at least then I have a goal to work towards which makes me want to fight, so there are positives even if it doesnt work out first time.
I know lying about my mental health isnt going to do me any favours but I honestly think that if I dont get into university this year, things will go back to being bad, a little dramatic I know but I need something to get up and live for and if i get turned away because of my mental illness, I'll be a big guilty bum!
loopylucy08 while in hospital were you detained? and did u deam yourself to be mentally fit while applying? I ask because right now i see myself as fit but how long do you have to be well before your fit for these sort of things, if that makes sense?
Each tear drop falls with sorrow, hoping and praying for another tomorrow!
No, you definitely shouldn't lie. If you lied and got on the course then at a later date they found out about your mental health problems, you could get thrown off the course that is why it is best to be honest. If you didn't get on the course this year it wouldn't be the end of the world. It would just mean taking a year out and applying next year. I can understand that you really want to go this year and you will feel bad if you don't get on the course.
I had similar problems last year when I applied to uni to study social work. I had to have an occupational health and my psych had to write an assessment about whether she thought I could do the course. Then I had to see someone from occupational health at the uni and they decided I was fit to take the course. I guess it depends on individual circumstances. I really thought I wasn't going to get on the course because I wasn't recovered properly and still am not.
loopylucy08 while in hospital were you detained? and did u deam yourself to be mentally fit while applying? I ask because right now i see myself as fit but how long do you have to be well before your fit for these sort of things, if that makes sense?
I had been seeing a social worker and psychiatrist at the time of my application so I was already diagnosed "mentally unwell", but I wasnt admitted to hospital for the first time until February 2008 by which stage I had received an offer conditional to passing a health check. And I was a voluntry patient, no detained. I believed right up until the very end that I would have been ok on the course and part of me still thinks that if I had gone to uni, the motivation to stay well enough to stay on the course could have done a lot for me, but whats done is done and there is no point me dwelling and saying what if.
The old NHS guidelines stated that a person must be fit and free of medication for 2 years prior to under taking training. This guideline has now been REMOVED and they are supposed to take it on a case by case basis, evaluating your state of health leading up to application and whether they can accomodate for you on the course and whether it would potentially damage your health. The phrase that Ive heard a few times has been "sustained period of stable mental health", but that in itself is ambiguous. I certainly know that in my case, as well as the hospital admissions, the doctor assessing me wasnt happy with the amount of contact that I was having with mental health services. In a fair point to him, he argued that I would struggle going from weekly appointments with a social worker to nothing at uni, which would be the case when I first started. However Ive been tempted but luckily been sensible enough not to thus far, just discharge myself, thinking "it'll look like Im well". Do not do this!! It gives them the perfect excuse to label you incompliant with treatment which looks even worse.
