Medical Examinations Defined

A medical examination is any procedure or test that seeks information about a person's health.  The guidance on Pre-employment Questions and Medical Examinations lists the following seven factors that can be used to determine if a test is a medical examination.

• Is the test administered by a health care professional?
• Is the test analyzed/interpreted by a health care professional?
• Is the test designed to reveal a physical impairment?
• Is the test invasive?
• Does the test measure employee's performance of a task or the physiological responses to performing the task?
• Is the test normally given in a medical setting?
• Is medical equipment used for the test?

Medical examinations include—

• Vision tests,
• Tests to check for genetic markers,
• Blood pressure screening and cholesterol testing,
• Nerve conduction tests,
• Range-of-motion tests,
• Pulmonary function tests,
• Tests to check for mental disorder or impairment and
• Diagnostic procedures.

Under the ADA the following tests are NOT considered medical examinations:

• Drug tests.
• Physical agility and fitness tests.
• Reading tests to demonstrate the ability to perform job functions.
• Psychological tests that measure personality traits.
• Polygraph examinations.

Under the ADA, current supervisors may not pass on medical information about employees interviewing in a different department or for a different job. Current employees who apply for a new job within the same organization should be treated the same as other applicants for the job.