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Medicine New EmployeesPre-Hire • Medicine-Only

Beginning employment at UAB Hospital depends on the successful completion of your pre-employment physical and drug-screen.

Please bring a photo id, documented proof of your vaccinations, including current flu (if within Flu season), and Covid vaccinations. Example of TB Screening on arm.
A healthcare professional will review your job description and vaccination history to determine the need for additional vaccinations. Beginning employment at UAB Hospital depends on the successful completion of your pre-employment physical and drug-screen. You must meet Employee Health requirements for TB assessment, and complete a drug screen.

Please bring the following documented proof of vaccination for:

  • 3 Hepatitis B or Hepatitis B Antibody titer results
  • 2 MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) or Measles, Mumps and Rubella Antibody titer results
  • 2 Varicella (chicken pox) or Varicella Antibody titer results or documented history of disease
  • Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis)
  • Flu (if received between 10/1 and 3/31)
  • 2 Covid vaccinations (and booster if documented)*

*In May 2023, the federal government removed the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for hospitals and healthcare workers; in compliance with this, UAB no longer requires employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Vaccination is still safe and strongly recommended, and if you have received a COVID vaccine dose previously, we ask that you provide a copy of your vaccine information to add to your record.

At UAB Employee Health, a requirement for hiring is TB clearance. The T-SPOT.TB test is an Interferon-Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) blood test used for tuberculosis (TB) screening in employees, particularly in healthcare settings where risk of exposure is higher, and it is often utilized for healthcare personnel upon hire and as part of serial screening programs.

Key aspects of T-SPOT for employee health:

  • Involves a single blood draw where a blood sample is tested for the immune response to TB-specific antigens.

A TB Skin Test can be offered, but not preferred, for screening. A TB Skin Test requires 2 visits, at least 48 hours apart, at the same time both days. If the second appointment is missed or not read within the time frame of 48-72 hours, it will need to be repeated.

During your pre-employment visit, a saliva drug screen, also known as a mouth swab drug test or oral fluid drug test, will be administered.

Key aspects of a saliva drug screen:

  • A saliva sample is collected using a swab and analyzed for the presence of drugs.
  • Painless and quick: It's a non-invasive procedure, often delivering results in minutes.
  • It's common in the workplace for various situations like pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, and post-accident testing.
  • When performed correctly, the accuracy of most mouth swab tests is close to 98%.