Manjo

Went to Knightsbridge Doctors in London today, and since I haven't found many posts about peoples' experiences there, I thought I'd let you all know about mine.

Got there an hour early and sat in the waiting room reading my book, the waiting room has comfortable chairs and sofas, glasses of water available and magazines, as well as many signs reminding you to check in 5 minutes before your appointment. There's a unisex toilets just opposite the reception out in the foyer. All in all, a comfortable place to wait that helps ease some of the nervousness you're feeling.

Went to check in at the left-hand window, handed in all my documents, photos and medical questionnaire so that they could take photocopies of them. You'll get them all back (apart from your photographs) when you leave at the end. I was then given a much more detailed medical questionnaire of which you have to fill in most of the first sheet, along with a slip confirming your future united states address.

The sheet is really just a much more indepth version of the medical questionnaire you already filled in. I only needed to tick two boxes, former tobacco use and using glasses/contact lenses. One box says something like "Does the subject appear to be lying during the medical" and is left for the Doctor to tick.

After handing the sheet in I waited for approximately 5 minutes before a rather brusque woman came and took me to have my X-ray. She gently admonished me for wearing a shirt that took a long time to unbutton, so best to wear something you can just pull off over your head to make things go quicker. I was made to stand in an extremely uncomfortable position with my chest against the X-ray plate, my chin resting atop it, my hands behind my hips and my elbows pushed forward, then took a deep breath. Fortunately I only had to hold the position for 30 seconds at the most. She then took another X-ray lower down in a much more comfortable position for me, and I returned to the waiting room.

A very nice doctor came to collect me quickly and he helped to put me at ease with a few jokes about how people would be worried if I left my bag in the waiting room unattended as I was planning. We sat down at his desk and he confirmed my identity by checking my passport details and photo with the ones I'd provided. He asked me if I'd ever had chickenpox (since the vaccination isn't available in the UK), along with a few other standard questions about drug and alcohol use, whether I took any prescription medications and whether I'd ever had any STDs (said I'd had thrush twice, he said that didn't count)

He then asked me to explain the "No Live Trace" on my certificate. He was dumbfounded and actually started laughing when I told him that it was because I had received a street caution when I was 15 for "stealing" a child's tricycle from a wheelie bin outside of a school and riding around on it with my friends. It took him quite a while just to understand the ridiculous situation and write down what occured on the form. He asked if alcohol was involved, obviously with a view to the "committing crimes under the effects of drugs and alcohol" part of the form and I truthfully answered that it wasn't. At this point, he ticked No on the "Is the subject lying" part of the form. I had been honest with him the whole time, but it was still very reassuring to see him tick that box

After that, he double checked my weight then tested my eyesight with the letters board for both eyes. He then examined my mouth, my eyes and my ears with torches before hitting my knees with the hammer to test reflexes. I was then asked to pull down my trousers and underwear, and he examined my genitalia with a torch for a few seconds before saying everything was fine.

I then took my shirt off and he poked my neck and stomach, asking me to breathe in and out at certain points. After that, it was time to take my blood, which he said was to test for syphilis (Not sure if it gets tested for anything else or not). He struggled to find a vein on my arms but eventually after tightening the inflatable and slapping my left arm a lot he got one. It was pretty painful and uncomfortable feeling the needle go in, but I just closed my eyes and gritted my teeth until it was over and he had a full vial of blood. He told me that my vein went through the muscle, so to make sure to keep my arm straight and apply pressure, as flexing it would shoot the blood out of the hole!

After that, I returned to the waiting room once more until a nice Nurse came to get me, she sat me down and basically gave me a rundown of what was going to happen next. The main thing we discussed was that I required a new tetanus shot, a seasonal flu shot, and that the MMR booster in my vaccination history didn't have a date, just the year, so I needed to obtain that. I decided to just have the vaccinations done there at the cost of £102 for all three after she reassured me that another MMR wouldn't do me any harm - Though she did say I would likely suffer from mild flu-like symptoms such as sore throat and fever for the next few days from all of the vaccinations. The vaccinations were far less painful than the blood taking, and she told me to look at the Pingu doll on her shelf while she performed them! We chatted a bit more, and then she gave me my updated vaccination history along with my documents back and a record that she said I would require for health insurance in the United States, but that I wouldn't need to take any of it to the embassy for my interview.

After that I went back to the waiting room for the last time for a couple of minutes before getting called by the receptionist to pay. The total cost was around £350! Still definitely worth paying extra for the vaccinations I needed and getting them out of the way rather than trying to chase up my GP to get them and find out the exact date I received an MMR booster in 1992.

All in all, apart from my needle squickiness and my veins being terrible for taking blood, everyone made me feel really at ease and it wasn't bad at all. They seem like a very nice understanding bunch of people.

Wow, this was very long! I hope this post helps put anyone else's mind at rest before their medical.

Noorah101

Thanks for the detailed post. What visa are you applying for?

Rene

Manjo

Family-based immigration visa through my wife.

augigi

That's because she's a nurse, and he's a doctor

OnwardandUpward

Wow, it all seems a lot more complex than when we came out in 2001- no UK medical was necessary for that, we did do basic medicals later for Green Card, no x-rays- the only thing contentious I remember being is that blood was tested for HIV and my husband said 'even on our six year old?' because children weren't supposed to be tested for STDs. But the doctor said if he didn't do it then we'd just be recalled later, and it wasn't an issue so we just did.

Noorah101

Onwardandupward,

You also came to the USA on an Immigrant Visa?

Rene

OnwardandUpward

@Rene, yes, H1B/ National Interest Waiver- all Americans now!

ian-mstm

The point I think Rene was moving towards, is that the H-1B is a non-immigrant visa (regardless of the waiver). Non-immigrant medicals are not as involved as immigrant medicals.

Ian

Manjo

It turns out her scheme was to make the pain come after I was long gone! My poor aching arms

If you have a job that requires the use of your upper arms and you need vaccinations at the medical, I strongly suggest booking the day after off.

Sorry for posting in the wrong forum originally by the way, I had no idea different visas required different medical so I figured it'd apply to everyone.

OnwardandUpward

Who knew! I thought everyone who came here started with an immigrant 'sponsored' visa, either via family or employment?

@ Manjo a lot changed after we arrived, Sept 11 terrorism and revision of immigration policy etc.

Hope your arms feel better soon!

Owen778

Medicals are required for immigrants before they immigrate. H1B is a non-immigrant visa. If you turn into an immigrant by applying for a green card, you have a medical in the US instead. I had a green card medical three months ago.

The requirements for the two types of medicals are the same. In the US, the x-ray is only required as back-up if you fail a skin test for TB. I guess that the London doctor does the x-ray for all, either so that people don't have to come back again, or because having had the BCG vaccination often gives false positives on the skin test.

Manjo

I didn't have a skin test so it looks like the x-ray serves that purpose for everyone in London instead, and yes everyone in my year at school had their BCG jab in 2003 so that's most likely why.

Owen778

I had a BCG too, and passed the skin test. My understanding is that the BCG gives more false positives, but most people still pass.

That said, I listened as the doctor and her two nurses look at my arm and discuss the result of my skin test. Their "scores" were wildly different, and the doctor's was lowest. I'm sure the results are very subjective, and are likely skewed by talking to the immigrant, after all, how likely is it that a white middle-class British person will have TB, really?

Noorah101

OnwardandUpward,

OK, so you did NOT come to the USA on an Immigrant Visa like the OP did. That's why your experience was different.

Rene

Springy6

Thanks for posting this. We've got our medicals in London on Friday. Did they take your blood pressure? I tend to suffer from white coat syndrome so am a bit worried about this?!