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Author Topic: Admission into school as vet tech and......  (Read 2551 times)

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Offline Gaguy2know

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  • Posts: 22
Admission into school as vet tech and......
« on: September 25, 2007, 06:21:23 pm »
Hello.  Well I applied to local technical school last week for veterinary technology degree.  On the health form it said to list any condiitions being treated. so i listed my HIV status.  well it comes up there may be a possiblilty that they may deny me entrance into the program due the the fact that as a vet tech we would be handling animal waste etc and that could affect me.  Now they want me to get written approval from my dr. saying that it is permissible to enter into the program , probably to protect them and me fromliablility. i am not sure what to think.  i did not think one could be denied access to a curriculum of choice based on HIV status.  I need advice here and how to handle this.  My cd4s are over 600 and i am undetectable.  it just pisses me off cuz i see this asa form of discrimination of some sort.  am i wrong?  please advise.
Veni Vidi Vici
Carpe Diem

Offline Oceanbeach

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  • Posts: 3,564
Re: Admission into school as vet tech and......
« Reply #1 on: September 25, 2007, 08:39:08 pm »
In my beginning of Life w/ HIV (1994), we were advised to get a pet but if we chose cats or birds to get another person to clean the catbox or bird cage.  I got a puppy who has been with me and has traveled thousands of miles in the car.  That dog is very old now and gets around as slowly as I do.

I spent one weekend in Sacramento with someone who had cats.  There were cat boxes all over her house and all over flowing.  Two years later, I was in the hospital with PCP and a series of tests were done.  A question came up if I had a cat... Other than that weekend in Sacramento, I had not been near any cats. So, if I understand everything and the information received in 1994 is current and correct, I believe you could endanger your health.

I have spent almost 11 years trying to get off the benefits- go- round and become employed again.  A school or a potential employer is not on a need to know basis of your HIV status.  Those three letters, H., I., and V., used together will automatically set up a red flag because of fear of transmission to the other students/workforce and possible increased cost of insurance.

If I may be so bold as to suggest, you rethink your prospects, continue to insure your confidentiality on the HIV topic and when you do return to work, become retested after your probationary period is over (usually 90 days).  Then you are employed and have company insurance to cover your costs.  Have the best day  ;D
Michael

Offline jkinatl2

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  • Posts: 6,007
  • Doo. Dah. Dipp-ity.
Re: Admission into school as vet tech and......
« Reply #2 on: September 25, 2007, 08:42:48 pm »
If you take reasonable precautions when handling waste and other toxic materials (i.e. gloves and a mask, then any danger to you is minimal. You need to bring this to their attention, as somewhere, they seem institutionally ignorant about universal precautions. And universal precautions (such as OSHA standards) are not only for the benefit and protection of the patient, but the practitioner as well.

If they persist (and I rather like the notion of a letter from your doctor calling them out on their ignorance) then  you may refer to the ADA, which covers not only those diagnosed with AIDS, but the HIV positive as well.

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

-Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, MPH

Welcome Thread

Offline Gaguy2know

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  • Posts: 22
Re: Admission into school as vet tech and......
« Reply #3 on: September 25, 2007, 10:20:34 pm »
canyou specify about this ADA?
Veni Vidi Vici
Carpe Diem

Offline jkinatl2

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  • Posts: 6,007
  • Doo. Dah. Dipp-ity.
Re: Admission into school as vet tech and......
« Reply #4 on: September 25, 2007, 11:00:58 pm »
http://www.ada.gov/pubs/hivqanda.txt

This is a good first place to look. It would REALLY behoove you to read all about this important legislation. It WILL impact you in many areas during your journey with HIV, and the more you know, well, the stronger you will be.

Simply put, the Americans with Disabilities Act forbids an employer to fire - or refuse to hire - an employee solely due to her/his HIV status. Moreover, even if you are sick, or there is a situation (I assume the people at the vet tech school are worried about liability should you contract, say, toxoplasmosis) that is impacted by your status, they are REQUIRED to make reasonable accomodations for you.

In your case, in this instance, "reasonable accomodations" would be regulart monitoring of your blood for toxoplasmmosis and other animal-transmitted pathogens - which is something your HIV doc would probably do anyhow, once you tell him you are a vet tech. And, of course, applying OSHA standards to your training - gloves, mask if necessary, safety precautions with needles and the like.


Honestly, learn the ADA. It applies not ONLY to people with an actual AIDS diagnosis, but ANYONE who is HIV positive.

from the linked site:

<<Employers cannot choose not to hire a qualified person
now because they fear the worker will become too ill to work in
the future.  The hiring decision must be based on how well the
individual can perform now.  In addition, employers cannot decide
to not hire qualified people with HIV or AIDS because they are
afraid of higher medical insurance costs, worker s compensation
costs, or absenteeism.>>

Seriously. Invoke the ADA if you need to. They are NOT allowed to ask for a note from your doctor unless they ask EVERYONE for one.

Lots of employers will try to reason this with "what if we hire you and you get sick?" The ADA specifically states that the hiring must be done based on the abilities and performance of the person AT THE TIME OF HIRING, not forecasting a possible future difficulty.

In short, these folks seem to have come really close to breaking the law. If they have not done so altogether.


"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

-Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, MPH

Welcome Thread

Offline Gaguy2know

  • Member
  • Posts: 22
Re: Admission into school as vet tech and......
« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2007, 05:06:23 pm »
GOOD NEWS.  i got admitted into the vet tech program finally today.  boy i was sweating there for a bit  untill i got the call at lunch time. 

eric
Veni Vidi Vici
Carpe Diem

 


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