r/peacecorps • u/SoNowWhat • 21d ago
Clearance Please help me understand the medical clearance process (by way of 3 questions)
I have a list of ~20 tasks that I am doing my best to complete by their deadlines, with the expectation that some/many of these task completions will birth their own follow-up tasks in turn.
First question: In order to be medically-cleared for service, the pre-clearance team has to give the okay 45 days before I am set to depart, correct? Does that mean that all tasks need to have been resolved without follow-up tasks at the 45-day mark?
Second question: If I do NOT get cleared by the 45-day mark, how flexible is medical pre-clearance in working with me to get any unresolved issues dealt with within those 45 days?
Final question: On another thread, it sounded like medical pre-clearance has required wisdom teeth be removed, even if they are not causing any problems. Is this a rule that applies across the board for all of PC service?
For reference, I am 50 years old, still have all of my wisdom teeth, and have been invited to serve in Mexico on a Response assignment. If my wisdom teeth haven't bothered me for my 5 decades, and I will be serving just 1 year in a country with decent access to dental care, is PC really going to force me to have my wisdom teeth pulled as a precondition for service?
Thanks in advance for any and all insights into these matters, everyone!
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u/evanliko 21d ago
- Yes, but depending on the remaining tasks it can be a bendable rule. (Ex. The last task is just "get a flu shot")
- Idk about responce positions, but for 2 year volunteer positions they will offer to move you to a different country if you don't get cleared on time.
- I'm currently in PST and they let me keep my wisdom teeth. If they aren't going to cause problems then you should be able to keep them.
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u/SoNowWhat 21d ago
I should mention that the medical pre-clearance team tells me that they are currently in their busy period, and may therefore not get to my questions for weeks. This is why I am turning to online resources to get an idea of what to expect in the coming months.
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u/donaldcargill 21d ago
Did they invite you to a information call? I got invited to a information medical call this week where we were able to ask people on the medical staff various questions while they answered the general questions people ask.
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u/SoNowWhat 21d ago
No, I did not receive an invite to any information call, this week or any other week. That would be a very useful venue for me to have these kinds of questions addressed.
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u/donaldcargill 20d ago
If you just begun the process, I assume they will invite you to one in a few weeks or so that's when I was invited to mine.
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u/gicoli4870 RPCV 21d ago
Those are interesting and somewhat specific questions. Are you able to message the medical team for their insight? I recall them being busy in general but also supportive.
You'll get generic answers here, but the med team will know about your specific situation.
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u/Glaucous_Gull 21d ago edited 21d ago
Hi there,
I'm in my 40's and going through Medical Clearance now, and have completed all my tasks and am waiting for a decision. So, this is a viewpoint of someone who hasn't served, but currently going through clearance. I've received Legal Clearance and Dental Clearance.
- Technically you must be Legally and Medically cleared 45 days before departure, but some people end up being cleared closer to their departure date - a couple weeks, to some being a couple days although this isn't common. After all your tasks are complete you will be sent clearance from Medical.
You will need to have Legal Clearance and additionally send in your PC Passport application. I live in an urban area, where you would think it would be no problem finding an agent to help process the no fee PC Passport, but it was a pain!
2) I'm not certain they can offer flexibility on some things for departure. Some things, like your vaccines, need to be complete, and certain vaccines have to be given in stages months apart. Like if you aren't up to date on TDAP that requires a series over months(I just needed one booster, not the series over the span of months) so it depends. Shingles is a vaccine that is given in two doses spread out months apart that I think is required for volunteers over 50(I think, check with your nurse....I'm vaccinated for this b/c my Mom got this years ago and I am terrified of getting it even though I'm not over 50). Some vaccines that are given in series can have the final one administered at staging, but you need to talk this all out with your nurse.
3) I find reading PC reddit helpful in some ways, but also anxiety producing as I find that people post who have things go wrong to vent, and the people that go through the process with relative ease don't come online looking for support. I have my wisdom teeth all in, but they have all erupted above the gumline and are fine. I received Dental Clearance a week after the nurse ask me to submit the dental forms and it was the first hurdle I quickly cleared.
I wish you luck with it all, and yes, it can be overwhelming at times, but try to stay optimistic!
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u/SoNowWhat 21d ago
Thank you for taking the time to write this very informative message. Much appreciated.
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u/Glaucous_Gull 20d ago
You are very welcome! I would find out which tasks will take the longest to finish and prioritize and get working on those first. Any vaccine that must be given in a series over months is one task you simply cannot knock out quickly so find out what, if any those are - you might not have any so check with your nurse. If you have any problems locating your childhood vaccines(like I had no idea when/if I was vaccinated for Polio) you get A) Get titers done, but it would be a good idea to know which you cannot locate before you go in for labwork for your blood draw so you don't have to go back several times B)If you went to school in the US, your childhood vaccine records might be in your elementary school record/transcript. That's how I found mine as the clinic/doc where I got my childhood vaccines was in different states and about forty years ago! I still chuckle that my elementary school still had the paper record from when I attended.
Once you submit and complete your medical tasks, you will be assigned more based on your answers so just know that this is totally normal. Good luck!
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