Pokemon Trainer Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Hey guys, this post is regarding the health/vacc requirements for mac med I had my step 1 for the TB test done earlier this week and the doctor measured the induration (after 48 hours) to be about 6 mm. He suggested that we take the second step before confirming but he believes that I may have latent TB. Not entirely sure what this is, I understand its an inactive form of tuberculosis and may become active depending on a variety of conditions. At the moment the drug therapy (9 month cycle) isn't my question but rather how mac med will approach it. Will they prevent me from clinical work, or worse, revoke my acceptance? I understand a chest x-ray may confirm that I dont have active TB but I just want an idea of what others think about this situation, especially if this has happened to anyone before? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverwolf1277 Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Hey guys, this post is regarding the health/vacc requirements for mac med I had my step 1 for the TB test done earlier this week and the doctor measured the induration (after 48 hours) to be about 6 mm. He suggested that we take the second step before confirming but he believes that I may have latent TB. Not entirely sure what this is, I understand its an inactive form of tuberculosis and may become active depending on a variety of conditions. At the moment the drug therapy (9 month cycle) isn't my question but rather how mac med will approach it. Will they prevent me from clinical work, or worse, revoke my acceptance? I understand a chest x-ray may confirm that I dont have active TB but I just want an idea of what others think about this situation, especially if this has happened to anyone before? Thanks! Before I did my screen my doctor mentioned the 9-month therapy but not anything else. I think they would likely keep you out of clinical work until your cycle was done, but I seriously doubt they would withdraw your acceptance for something that is highly treatable. All the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tdot2014 Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Pretty sure you should be fine. First do step 2 to make sure it wasnt a false positive. If step 2 is still positive, you will need to do an xray once a year instead of renewing your tb test. You should still be able to interact w patients as long as your xray comes back negative. The "treatment" is to reduce your risk of developing tb, but unless its active I believe you are good to go Hey guys, this post is regarding the health/vacc requirements for mac med I had my step 1 for the TB test done earlier this week and the doctor measured the induration (after 48 hours) to be about 6 mm. He suggested that we take the second step before confirming but he believes that I may have latent TB. Not entirely sure what this is, I understand its an inactive form of tuberculosis and may become active depending on a variety of conditions. At the moment the drug therapy (9 month cycle) isn't my question but rather how mac med will approach it. Will they prevent me from clinical work, or worse, revoke my acceptance? I understand a chest x-ray may confirm that I dont have active TB but I just want an idea of what others think about this situation, especially if this has happened to anyone before? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dddyyy Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 I think as long as your chest x ray is clear and you dont show obvious symptoms, you are fine. I think there is a 9 month long course of isoniazid to treat latent TB which you can chose to take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellorie Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 6 mm is not a positive test if you are low risk as far as I understand it. I have sensitive skin and I often get a few mm induration, sometimes I even get 6 mm. Once they tried to tell me I had latent TB so I asked for a Quantiferon, got one, and it was negative. The resp they sent me to said that I am likely allergic to one of the preservatives or something. So make sure it's really positive on the second step before you worry. If you have latent i believe they recommend prophylaxis but you can also have cxrs every year to prove it is still latent and go along fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikillreid Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 ^ Yeah, I thought it has to be greater than 10mm to be a positive test? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarvish Posted June 20, 2014 Report Share Posted June 20, 2014 ^ Yeah, I thought it has to be greater than 10mm to be a positive test? Definitely check this. By my doctor's records, my Hep B antibody levels were too low but they were above the acceptable level for Mac. They seem to have slightly more lenient cut-offs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osteogeek Posted June 20, 2014 Report Share Posted June 20, 2014 Agree with what's been said already. Also, I'm going to advocate for e-mailing Gillian with any questions/issues you have for the health screening stuff - she's really nice and has always been quick to reply to my questions, and it's nice to know that the answer you're getting is 100% accurate as far as Mac's policies go. Her e-mail address should be on the paperwork (if you don't have it, pm me and I can look it up for you). The program admin are all awesome and helpful, and happy to help students. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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