Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 07:51:55 am

Login with username, password and session length


Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 772945
  • Total Topics: 66310
  • Online Today: 375
  • Online Ever: 5484
  • (June 18, 2021, 11:15:29 pm)
Users Online
Users: 2
Guests: 349
Total: 351

Welcome


Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and others concerned about HIV/AIDS.  Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning:  Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

  • The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own physician.

  • All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

  • Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators of these forums. Click here for “Do I Have HIV?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

  • We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are true and correct to their knowledge.

  • Product advertisement—including links; banners; editorial content; and clinical trial, study or survey participation—is strictly prohibited by forums members unless permission has been secured from POZ.

To change forums navigation language settings, click here (members only), Register now

Para cambiar sus preferencias de los foros en español, haz clic aquí (sólo miembros), Regístrate ahora

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the symbol in each box.

Author Topic: Aspiring to work in the US.  (Read 5472 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline novemberguy

  • Member
  • Posts: 27
Aspiring to work in the US.
« on: October 17, 2012, 11:31:32 am »
Hi guys. I just want to know if I still have the chance to work in the United States as  a Physical Therapist? I have been poz since 2010, not on ARVs since my CD4 levels doesn't necessitate yet. I am from the Philippines and a lot of agencies & employers are recruiting PTs here to work in the US since it pays better. I really dream of working there but I heard employers are requiring a medical exam (that includes HIV testing) at the latter part of the processes: after the NPTE (national PT exam), working VISA application, etc etc. And obviously if they knew i am poz they won't accept me... =(   Any insights and help? esp. from people in the US.

BTW I have eligibility to take the NPTE in the state of NY. But I did not pursue processing my papers after I knew I was poz because I was thinking if it will be a waste of money, effort and time because in the end I won't be accepted by the employers once they discover in the medical exam that I am poz. Processing these things are expensive but I am willing to process it if I have an assurance that I will be accepted.

The agency told me before in a casual conversation that potential applicants who fail in the medical exam (those who are sick from TB, AIDS etc) aren't being employed to the US. They consider them as business loss.

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: Aspiring to work in the US.
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2012, 11:53:40 am »
The federal government no longer requires HIV testing as a condition for a visa, but in terms of a work visa they do require proof of "ability to support yourself" so in effect you would need to provide asset proof and/or medical insurance that would cover costs of medical treatment. You may not be on medication currently, but obviously that can change quickly so I'm not sure how that would affect your application.

As far as an individual agency or workplace requiring this of foreign applicants I really can't say, but perhaps it's related to what I outlined above.

For reference read this, specifically section 8.
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline JR Gabbard

  • Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 283
  • Union Jacks
Re: Aspiring to work in the US.
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2012, 12:10:11 am »
Hi guys. I just want to know if I still have the chance to work in the United States as  a Physical Therapist? I have been poz since 2010, not on ARVs since my CD4 levels doesn't necessitate yet. I am from the Philippines and a lot of agencies & employers are recruiting PTs here to work in the US since it pays better. I really dream of working there but I heard employers are requiring a medical exam (that includes HIV testing) at the latter part of the processes: after the NPTE (national PT exam), working VISA application, etc etc. And obviously if they knew i am poz they won't accept me... =(   Any insights and help? esp. from people in the US.

BTW I have eligibility to take the NPTE in the state of NY. But I did not pursue processing my papers after I knew I was poz because I was thinking if it will be a waste of money, effort and time because in the end I won't be accepted by the employers once they discover in the medical exam that I am poz. Processing these things are expensive but I am willing to process it if I have an assurance that I will be accepted.

The agency told me before in a casual conversation that potential applicants who fail in the medical exam (those who are sick from TB, AIDS etc) aren't being employed to the US. They consider them as business loss.
Hi novemberguy,
Welcome to the boards!
Are you sure that testing HIV+ will cause you to fail the medical exam?  Did the agency tell you that explicitly?  If not, ask.  If you are otherwise healthy, there might not be a problem.
I can't say whether this agency has a policy against employing or referring HIV+ workers.  I don't even know if that kind of discrimination is legal in the Phillipines.  I can only tell you that the US doesn't take HIV status into consideration any longer, for immigration purposes.
If the agency does have a problem with your HIV status, and you are eligible to sit for license exams in the states, and you still want to come here, you should give it a shot.
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth,
The minor fall, the major lift,
The baffled king composing Hallelujah!

L. Cohen

Offline novemberguy

  • Member
  • Posts: 27
Re: Aspiring to work in the US.
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2012, 01:58:37 pm »
Hi novemberguy,
Welcome to the boards!
Are you sure that testing HIV+ will cause you to fail the medical exam?  Did the agency tell you that explicitly?  If not, ask.  If you are otherwise healthy, there might not be a problem.
I can't say whether this agency has a policy against employing or referring HIV+ workers.  I don't even know if that kind of discrimination is legal in the Phillipines.  I can only tell you that the US doesn't take HIV status into consideration any longer, for immigration purposes.
If the agency does have a problem with your HIV status, and you are eligible to sit for license exams in the states, and you still want to come here, you should give it a shot.

Thanks for your encouragement JR Gabbard. Well you know it's not easy for me to ask that to an agency because of my fear that they might disclose my inquiry to anyone especially to people who know me in the same field where I am in now. You know I am not confident with confidentiality of info with people here. it's the culture. They are not very much conscious of those things. But I think when I had this informal conversation with the owner of the agency she quite said that they could fix problems with health to help Filipinos be employed in the US but not TB, AIDS & psychiatric problems. Those they can't employ to the US. That's why I wanna know if I go to a direct employer & not through an agency will I still be accepted despite testing positive? Given that the position I'm applying is an allied health.

Offline JR Gabbard

  • Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 283
  • Union Jacks
Re: Aspiring to work in the US.
« Reply #4 on: October 21, 2012, 12:02:26 pm »
That's why I wanna know if I go to a direct employer & not through an agency will I still be accepted despite testing positive? Given that the position I'm applying is an allied health.
HIV should not give you any problems if you go through a direct employer in the US.  It is illegal here for any employer to discriminate against someone based on a disability, if you are capable of doing the job.  They can't even ask about HIV status on a job application.  If it comes up in a pre-hiring physical exam, those results cannot be disclosed to anyone.  So you would have protection.
The thing about going directly to an employer might be your visa.  I'm pretty sure the agency you spoke with would have arranged your immigration documents for you.  If you go the other route, either you or your prospective employer will need to get you a work visa.  In addition you would need a tourist visa for your time spent here getting your license, and finding a job.
Best of luck!
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth,
The minor fall, the major lift,
The baffled king composing Hallelujah!

L. Cohen

Offline novemberguy

  • Member
  • Posts: 27
Re: Aspiring to work in the US.
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2012, 04:29:49 am »
The thing about going directly to an employer might be your visa.  I'm pretty sure the agency you spoke with would have arranged your immigration documents for you.  If you go the other route, either you or your prospective employer will need to get you a work visa.  In addition you would need a tourist visa for your time spent here getting your license, and finding a job.
Best of luck!

Thanks again for your time JR Gabbard. You are right with everything that you have said. The VISA application would require me to be under an agency here in the Phil. for me to have approved "working visa". So that would be my problem. Is there any HIV organization that could help me be employed there in the US? plus I wanna work as a PT for the PLHIV. So I wander if there's an institution hiring PTs for PLHIV, I want to work & earn money as well as put my heart into it and help people like us. I believe that my passion in work would be optimal if my patients are HIV patients as well. 

Offline WindySkies

  • Member
  • Posts: 113
  • Tested + 10/11/12
Re: Aspiring to work in the US.
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2012, 03:50:12 pm »
Have you considered applying with various HIV/AIDS organizations?  I'm sure they have a need for PT to support their patients.  They may be able to help you navigate the paperwork stuff easier then a normal company.
10/11/2012 Journey Started
10/17/2012 First Labs: VL=57,645  CD4+=730  37%
10/31/2012 Started Complera
11/30/2012 Labs: VL=80  CD4+=929 40%
12/24/2012 Started Stribild

Undetectable since 1/15/13 CD4+= Over 1,400 and 49%

Offline novemberguy

  • Member
  • Posts: 27
Re: Aspiring to work in the US.
« Reply #7 on: November 07, 2012, 09:59:21 am »
Have you considered applying with various HIV/AIDS organizations?  I'm sure they have a need for PT to support their patients.  They may be able to help you navigate the paperwork stuff easier then a normal company.

Hi windyskies, thank you for caring to reply. That's a nice idea. Thanks for the suggestion, though I haven't tried that because I do not know any HIV/AIDS organization in the US, even in NY for me to apply to. All I know is this website (poz.com). Do you have any recommendations?

 


Terms of Membership for these forums
 

© 2024 Smart + Strong. All Rights Reserved.   terms of use and your privacy
Smart + Strong® is a registered trademark of CDM Publishing, LLC.