Pre-Employment Candidate
Frequently Asked Questions

In order to book you in for your appointment we ask that you provide your availability so that we can source an appointment for you at a convenient time, but please be aware that we do need to book this in line with the employer expectations and clinic availability. The more available dates and times you provide, the easier the booking process will be.

We give you the opportunity to select days, times and locations that that are convenient for you in our Availability link which you will receive by text message and email. Simply choose the times/dates that work for you and we’ll do our best to accommodate you. Our aim is to have you booked in as soon as possible. If you are having trouble with the link, please call our bookings team on 1300 546 632 to confirm your availability.

No – you need a referral from your prospective employer. The bookings are generally pre-paid via a credit card or via an account. We don’t accept cash as a payment.

Chrome & Microsoft edge are most compatible browsers for these links. If you can, please try to use the links on a different browser or try another device. If the link is still unavailable or not working for you and you still need to provide your availability, please call our team on 1300 546 632 and our customer service team will be able to help you. If you are unable to complete the medical history or other paperwork via the link, please don’t worry. You can complete this on an iPad in the clinic on the day when you arrive for your appointment.

Availability is providing your preference for your booking and we do our best to book your appointment as per your availability. Your appointment is not secured until you get an email and text message confirmation with your appointment details. If we are unable to book you an appointment within your available days / times, we will contact you to discuss this.

We make every effort to book your appointment as soon as possible. Once the team has confirmed that the clinic can schedule your appointment/s on a particular day / time, you’ll receive confirmation of your appointment via text message and email. If you think you may have been missed, please contact our team on 1300 546 632.

Pre-Employment Medicals are mostly booked at KINNECT clinics or our large network of KINNECT Affiliate Clinics. Some employers request that if you are within an hour of a KINNECT clinic, you attend appointments there, rather than at a clinic that is more local to you. This is because it’s more expensive for the employer to book you in at an Affiliate clinic. In addition, not all clinics will be able to complete your assessment. We know this is sometimes less convenient, but hope you understand that’s why it happens this way.

Some Pre-Employment medicals assessments have different requirements which is why sometimes we need to make multiple appointments in order to complete your assessment. Some clinics cannot always complete all the services required. For instance, you may need to attend an appointment at a Radiology clinic if you need an X-ray. Depending on where you are and what medical you’re having, you may need to attend for different parts of the medical in different locations.

We know that life happens and sometimes things come up. Just know that we have a cancellation / reschedule policy which means that if you cancel, need to reschedule or don’t turn up to your appointment, the employer (our client) may be charged a fee. This fee is usually higher the closer this is to the appointment date. While we can do our best to accommodate your availability, sometimes the decision to re-reschedule your appointment is not up to us but your prospective employer. We encourage you to carefully consider when you are available when we are setting up your appointment and advise that if your situation changes to get in contact with us as soon as possible.  Read more about our Cancellation and Reschedule policy.

We recommend you contact your recruiter to seek any assistance they may be able to provide you as part of the recruitment process. You are welcome to bring a relative or friend to assist on the day as well.

You won’t need to print off any documents or paperwork to take to your appointment. KINNECT will manage all the paperwork requirements directly with the clinic you are scheduled with.

If you’ve received a pathology or radiology referral form via email, please have the electronic copy ready when you arrive for your appointment. In case requested, you can forward the email containing the referral form. There’s no need to print the referral form; rest assured that KINNECT has also sent the clinic a copy of the referral form.

If you wear hearing aids or have been prescribed hearing aids, please contact KINNECT immediately prior to your hearing assessment appointment. There are varying requirements for testing an individual with aids and we will need to explain these to you.

We know it’s really hard to go without a tea/coffee/energy drink if that’s what you want, but you’ll need to make sure you don’t indulge ahead of your Pre-Employment Medical. Caffeine raises your heart rate and your heart rate and blood pressure is one of the things we’ll be measuring in your pre-employment medical. So that it doesn’t affect your result, it’s best to avoid it until after your appointment (and think of how much you’ll enjoy it then when it’s all done!).

KINNECT prefer that you do not take Ventolin medication before completing any spirometry testing so that we can obtain accurate results. However, if you are significantly impacted by this and need to take Ventolin before your assessment, please feel free to do so as necessary.

There is more information available in the Spirometry FAQs further down this page.

There are four essential items to bring to your Pre-Employment Medical:

• Your photo ID (physical / original copy required),
• The details of any medication you are currently on or have taken in the last 14 days (including the name, dosage and when you last took it),
• Your glasses (if you wear them). If you wear contacts, please remove them prior to the assessment and wear your glasses on the day. If you can’t do this, make sure you bring with you saline and your container to remove the lenses at the appointment.
• If you regularly see a doctor or specialist for a medical condition, please bring any recent reports or test results to your appointment. These documents may help us in assessing your fitness for the proposed job role and also reduce the need for you to visit your Doctor / Specialist after our assessment of you.
• Any medical clearances from any recent surgery you may have had within the last 6 months.

What ID do I need to bring?

We require the physical / original copy of your ID that is in date (i.e. not expired). The accepted forms of photo-identification are those that are issued by Government Authorities:

• Drivers Licence or Digital Drivers Licence (preferred method of identification)
• Proof of Age
• Student ID (government generated, not from your educational institution)
• Australian Passport (must be valid)

Some assessments will specifically require a driver’s licence only as the Photo Identification. This includes:

• Rail Medical
• Commercial / Dangers Goods Drivers Medical
• Health Monitoring
• Pre-Employment – driving roles

As you may be asked to move around a bit, we require that you wear closed in shoes (ideally trainers or joggers – no thongs / sandals) and we recommend loose comfortable clothing that you can move easily in. You might be asked to remove some of your outer clothing for the examination (for instance, to check for hernias) so wearing appropriate underwear is absolutely essential!

If you can, please complete the medical history questionnaire and any other paperwork via the booking link if sent to you via email / SMS. Don’t worry if you can’t though. You can always complete this at the clinic on the day of your appointment.

Pre-employment medicals can be very different, depending on what is required. They can take from 15 mins to 2 hours, depending on what is required. And if you need to have multiple appointments at different locations, it could take most of the day. Hopefully, the length of time you need to take out of your day will be clear from the information you receive from us so you can plan accordingly.

Typical inclusions in a Pre-Employment Assessment are a General Medical Examination and a Functional Assessment, however, there can be a great deal of variation. Common assessment types include:

• Audiometry test (hearing)
• Vision Testing (eyesight)
• Urinalysis (test of urine)
• General Medical Examination
• Medical History
• Instant Urine Drug and Breath Alcohol Screen (DAS)
• Spirometry (lung function)
• Blood pressure & Heart rate

KINNECT Clinics: If you have been booked in at a KINNECT clinic, you can visit our website to find out the locations of all of our clinics, including details of where to park on the following link: https://www.kinnect.com.au/our-locations/

KINNECT Affiliate Clinics: If you have been booked in at a KINNECT Affiliate clinic and you need assistance, please contact our customer service team via the live chat link.

Absolutely not. Under no circumstances will you have to pay for an appointment that has been scheduled and sent to you by KINNECT. This includes Radiology and Pathology appointments scheduled by KINNECT. Your referral form includes a Biller Code payable by KINNECT. If if you have any issues at your appointment with this not being accepted please call KINNECT immediately on 1300 546 632 and do not proceed with making payment for an appointment.

KINNECT has COVID-19 screening procedures in place to keep everyone safe. Please note that if you are booked to attend an appointment at a KINNECT Affiliate clinic you will also be required to follow their COVID-19 screening policies.  In certain locations, this may include including Rapid Antigen Testing.

If your Pre-Employment Medical includes a Chest X-ray, then we will send you a referral form and allocate you a date and time to attend a local Radiology Clinic. Unfortunately, Radiology Clinics do not accept appointments and work on a walk in basis. This means wait times will vary. Should you wish to go to another Radiology clinic, you can do so, so long as they are the same brand / company as noted on your referral form.

If you’ve been requested by an employer to take part in a medical, KINNECT  will ask for your consent to participate. As part of the assessment, KINNEC.T will collect, store, use and disclose specific health information to our client (the employer) for the specific purpose of providing your pre-employment health assessment. This includes:

• Reviewing your disclosed medical history
• Assessing your health by completing a targeted examination and a range of tests
• Reporting the results of the assessment to our client (the employer)

Please note that your participation in the assessment is voluntary – you may choose to discontinue the assessment at any time, although doing so may affect the outcome of your assessment.

KINNECT is bound to keep copies of medical records and cannot delete any part of information collected during the process.

In the specific case of the CMWHS assessment:

We need specific consent to allow KINNECT to support the processes necessary to comply with legislated requirements concerning the collection and storage of confidential information by KINNECT for the AMA.

This is necessary to enable KINNECT to support the AMA to (i) complete a Section 4: which will be (ii) provided to a SSE ,and (iii) submitted with the medical and associated documents to RSHQ as required by legislation.

Please note, you do not wish provide the required consent, the medical cannot be completed for the potential employer.

If you do not consent, KINNECT will not be able to complete the assessment and a report will not go back to your potential employer.  In this situation, you can either opt out yourself and contact the employer if you do not wish to provide consent, OR alternatively, KINNECT can contact your the potential employer to advise you haven’t consented and we cannot complete your assessment.

Firstly, a medical assessment is not something that you can pass or fail. The results of your assessment will be reviewed and given a ‘risk rating’ by our Doctors and forwarded to your prospective employer. Even if there are certain risks identified, many jobs can still be done safely or modifications can be made to ensure safety. Secondly, KINNECT doesn’t have any role in making a decision over whether you get the job or not. It is the employer who will make this decision.

It’s our aim to get your results processed as quickly as possible. Once they are compiled, they are forwarded to one of our KINNECT doctors for review. If you need X-rays, blood work or a Lungscreen, the results will take a little longer. Standard results are processed usually within 8 business hours, but it can take up to 72 business hours.

In Australia, the current ruling is that whoever pays for the medical gets the results. So, if you’re having a Pre-Employment Assessment, it will be your prospective employer will get the results. The exception to this is Legislative Medicals (e.g. Coal Board Medicals) where the worker can access the results and the employer can only access some of the results. If you have organised and pre-paid for your own medical you would also receive the results.

Unfortunately not, unless you’re having a Legislative Medical (e.g. Coal Board Medicals). If you are having a Legislative Medical, you can request access to your results and you can discuss this with the clinician when you are having your appointment. Also if you are a private pre-paid applicant the results would be sent directly to you as well.

Sometimes during an appointment, an issue might arise which means we can’t complete the assessment. For instance, if you have raised blood pressure on the day we won’t be able to complete the step test. Other examples include where you may have had recent surgery or injury, or a disability. If the assessment is ceased for any reason, we might ask you to seek clearance from your GP before your medical can be rescheduled. If this is the case for you, we’ll give you further information about the next steps. Please refer to the letter that will be provided for instructions.

Sometimes the Doctors reviewing the results need further information in order to finalise the assessment. For instance, the doctor might note something in the results which indicates that additional information should be sought from a cardiologist or other specialist doctor. This is called Further Review. If this is the case for you, we’ll give you further information about the next steps. Please refer to the letter that will be provided for instructions.

Why do I have to provide further information?

If you have been requested to obtain further information, it is so that we can ensure you meet the requirements for:

• a medical standard such a Rail,
• assessing fitness to drive, (Commercial and Dangerous good)
• company medical guidelines
• legislation such as the Coal Mine Worker Health Scheme/Minerals Mines and Quarries,
• an Industry based guidelines such as Transport – Fatigue Management
• the Australian/New Zealand standard or OHSA on Audiometry
• TSANZ requirements relating to spirometry
• your company’s alcohol and other drug policy
• Domestic Seafarer – AMSA Medical standard
• health surveillance – either Safework Australia, or State and Territory OHS requirements
• site-based requirements for remote work
• your position/role and the risk

You should engage with you GP and take the letter with you to obtain this information as soon as possible. Sending the information back in a timely manner will mean that KINNECT can commence the review of information with our doctor and a timely response can be sent back to your employer on the outcome.

Delays in obtaining the information or not actioning the request means that KINNECT cannot complete your assessment.

What happens if I don’t want to provide the information?

That would be your choice and KINNECT will advise your employer. No further action will occur.

What happens if the information on my medical condition cannot be obtained from a previous doctor?

You are still required to visit your GP who will provide a letter to KINNECT stating that:

• the medical condition occurred (e.g. in what timeframe);
• the status of the condition (e.g. it is now being treated/investigated/stable);
• what ongoing management is required (e.g. Nil, ongoing medication, regular follow-up, ongoing treatment); and
• what impact it would have to your role (e.g. Nil, requires a restriction or a health management plan).

Why do I have to get a specialist report and not a GP report?

In some medical standards the medical condition often states who must provide a report depending on the diagnosis and treatment.

For example:

• Diabetes – diet controlled: this may only require a GP report and Pathology test.
• Diabetes – Type 2: this often requires a specialist report as the standard indicates that the condition must be controlled, management with annual review.

These requirements are dictated in each of the medical standards and the KINNECT doctor must apply the guidelines.

KINNECT are only involved in organising your pre-employment medical, conducting the medical, and providing the results to your prospective employer. We do not play any part in making recruitment decisions or onboarding. If you have any questions about this, you should direct them to the hiring manager.

Your feedback is really important to us. When your medical is complete, we’ll send you a link by text message to a short form where you can provide feedback about your experience. If you have any issues that you want to discuss with us, please feel free to call our team on 1300 546 632.

If you are a looking for health assessment information for coal mine workers in QLD, you can visit the Resources Safety and Health Queensland website for further information:

KINNECT can organise this type of assessment for you if you are a worker, or an applicant.

It is important that you and your employer know what category you are applying for as this will impact how the Domestic Seafarer Medical standards are applied. Information about categories can be found here: Standards for the medical assessment of near coastal seafarers (amsa.gov.au)

What happens if the Examining Doctor requests information?

This must be obtained and provided back to KINNECT to facilitate your review.

Can a KINNECT Dr override the examining doctor’s decision?

No, the examining doctor is the only doctor that can make a recommendation under the medical standards.

What happens if there is a colour vision issue?

You will be screened for colour vision as part of the Domestic Seafarer Medical.

You can find information about the vision standards for different roles at: p210522-standards-for-the-medical-examination-of-domestic-seafarers-v3_1.pdf (amsa.gov.au) .

Please refer to the Vision standards – Section 3 and Tables 1,2 and 3 for specific role requirements, and Annex 2 – Guidance in screening for colour vision. 

What happens if I’m not able to complete the paperwork and certificates?

You will be required to go back to the examining doctor in some circumstances.

We want to make sure that you’re feeling your absolute best before you take your pre-employment assessment. If you’re unsure if you should undertake your assessment now, or wait a bit longer to recover, you can submit the below form and we will review your situation and provide tailored advice.

If we contact you and ask you to sign a consent form to release your medical records, but you aren’t able to do this electronically, you can simply reply back to our email and write your consent in the email body back to us. Something as simple as “I consent to the release of my medical records as per your previous email and attachment”.

Spirometry is the most common of the pulmonary function tests. It measures lung function, specifically the amount and/or speed of air that you can inhale and exhale. Spirometry is helpful in assessing breathing patterns that identify conditions such as asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and COPD.

In an occupational health setting we do not use spirometry to diagnose any medical conditions but instead use them as a screening tool during pre-employment assessments.

Before you do the test, the health professional conducting the spirometry will explain how to do it correctly. You’ll be encouraged to breathe out as hard and fast as you can. You might need to put a special peg on your nose so you only breathing out of your mouth.

The test is not painful – it just needs you to put in your best effort to breathe out as hard as you can!

If there is an abnormal result you will be notified and provided with a letter to take to your GP for investigation or retesting.

Spirometry be required during pre-employment assessments for certain professions where respiratory health is crucial. Here are a few scenarios where spirometry might be necessary for specific job roles:

Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Compliance:
In some industries, especially those where workers may be exposed to respiratory hazards like dust, fumes, or chemicals, employers may require spirometry as part of occupational health assessments to ensure that workers can safely perform job duties without compromising their respiratory health.

First Responder and Emergency Services:
Jobs that involve firefighting, emergency response, or hazardous material handling may require spirometry as part of the pre-employment health assessments. This ensures that people in these roles have sufficient respiratory function to handle physically demanding tasks and potential exposure to smoke or hazardous substances.

Military Service:
Armed forces often conduct spirometry as part of the medical examination for recruits. It helps assess the respiratory fitness of individuals and ensures that they can meet the physical demands of military service.

Pilots and Aircrew:
Certain aviation roles may require spirometry testing to ensure that individuals have optimal respiratory function, especially given the unique challenges of high altitudes and the potential for changes in air pressure.

Diving and Underwater Occupations:
Jobs that involve commercial diving or underwater activities might require spirometry to assess lung function, as individuals in these roles need to operate in environments with altered pressure.

Healthcare Workers:
Healthcare workers, especially those in environments with potential exposure to infectious agents, might undergo spirometry to ensure they can use respiratory protective equipment effectively and safely.

Fitness and Wellness Professions:
Some fitness and wellness professions, particularly those involving high-intensity training or coaching, may include spirometry to assess baseline respiratory health and tailor exercise programs accordingly.

It’s important to note that having spirometry for job roles is typically part of a broader occupational health assessment.

Your employers may use these assessments to safeguard your well-being and ensure that you can perform their duties safely and effectively. The specific requirements can vary based on the nature of the job and the associated health risks.

KINNECT prefer that you do not take Ventolin medication before completing any spirometry testing so that we can obtain accurate results. However, if you are significantly impacted by this and need to take Ventolin before your assessment, please feel free to do so as necessary.

Pre-spirometry measures a person’s baseline lung function without any intervention. After that, you will be given a bronchodilator medication (such as salbutamol, also known as Ventolin) to open your airways. A post-spirometry is then conducted to measure your lung function again to show the response to the bronchodilator.

Taking both pre- and post-spirometry measurements is an important way to evaluate the effectiveness of bronchodilator medications and to identify the presence of, and differentiate between, different types of lung conditions such as asthma or COPD if an airflow obstruction is suspected. If a significant improvement in lung function occurs after taking the bronchodilator, it suggests that a person’s airflow obstruction is partially or fully reversible, indicative of asthma.  

It is critical to take both measurements to assess significant changes in lung function, and to help doctors monitor the effectiveness of treatments, adjust medications, develop personalised treatment plans to improve quality of life and respiratory health, and assess disease progression.

Sometimes you may need to return for another spirometry.

This may happen if the technique on the day isn’t quite right and we need to do another test to be able to compare results.

Other times we may need to complete an initial spirometry and the results indicate we must perform an extra test whereby we give you a medication called a bronchodilator, wait 15 minutes and repeat the spirometry to determine if the medication has any significant effect on your results.

The doctor will review all the spirometry tests together to report on the outcome.

No, we cannot use any previous spirometry results.

If your current test result indicates a lower limits of normal result, we will require the retesting as per the Further review letter.

Only a new spirometry test will be accepted by our doctors.

Pre-spirometry measures a person’s baseline lung function without any intervention. After that, you will be given a bronchodilator medication (such as salbutamol, also known as Ventolin) to open your airways. A post-spirometry is then conducted to measure your lung function again to show the response to the bronchodilator.

Taking both pre- and post-spirometry measurements is an important way to evaluate the effectiveness of bronchodilator medications and to identify the presence of, and differentiate between, different types of lung conditions such as asthma or COPD if an airflow obstruction is suspected. If a significant improvement in lung function occurs after taking the bronchodilator, it suggests that a person’s airflow obstruction is partially or fully reversible, indicative of asthma.

It is critical to take both measurements to assess significant changes in lung function, and to help doctors monitor the effectiveness of treatments, adjust medications, develop personalised treatment plans to improve quality of life and respiratory health, and assess disease progression.

In some medical assessments the requirement to complete pre and post spirometry is determined by the role you are applying for and is requested by the employer. In other cases, the results of the initial spirometry results trigger the consultant to follow KINNECT’s policy on when a post spirometry test is required. If you are required to complete the post spirometry testing due to the initial spirometry results this is because your result is abnormal. This does not necessarily mean there is an issue with your lungs, but we do need to complete the post testing to assist the doctor to complete an accurate sign off for your employer.

The post spirometry test is performed minimum 15 minutes after we give you a medication called a bronchodilator which will open up your airways. We are looking to see if the medication makes any significant difference to your initial spirometry result. The doctors will notify you if there is anything that requires follow up following the testing.

If we do not complete the post testing the doctor will call you back to complete the post testing before he can accurately complete your sign off.

A grade refers to the quality of the test not what the test actually shows. The doctor looks at flow loops/graphs and the numbers to determine abnormality or not.

The KINNECT doctor will determine the result based on his assessment not what the software report has auto generated.