Physical Examinations

These procedures are established in accordance with Board of Trustee Regulations for physical examinations of new employees consistent with Illinois statutes and with the individual requirements of the campuses.  The following Northern Illinois University policies and procedures are applicable to all employees of the University and are consistent with applicable state and federal statutes.

It is the policy of Northern Illinois University not to discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of disability, as required by Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The University is also committed to an affirmative action program to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities, as required by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

The University's commitment to equal employment opportunity includes any term or condition of employment, including but not limited to the following: recruitment, advertising, and processing of applications; hiring, upgrading, and promotion; demotion, transfer, layoff, termination, right of return from layoff, and rehiring; rates of pay and changes in compensation; job assignments, job classifications, organizational structures, position descriptions, and seniority lists; leaves of absence, sick leave or other leave; fringe benefits available by virtue of employment; selection and financial support for training, including apprenticeship, professional meetings, conferences, and selection for leaves of absence to pursue training; employer-sponsored activities, including social or recreational programs.

Opportunity for employment will not be denied an employee or applicant with a disability if, with reasonable accommodation, the individual could perform the essential functions of the position.

After the initial hire, an employee's physical, mental, or emotional ability to continue to perform the essential duties of the position, as reflected in the job description, may come into question. Either the employee or the university may seek a medical determination of whether or not there is any disability, total or partial. If the unit head or supervisor seeks such medical evaluation, payment there for, to the extent not covered by the employee's insurance, is the responsibility of the institution and must be authorized like other similar expenses. Where the employee seeks to claim disability, she or he will bear the cost of necessary medical testing. Based on the results of the medical examination and the requirements of the job, the Director of Human Resource Services or designee, in consultation with the employing department, will rule on the employee's ability to continue performing essential job-related functions. In the case of a physical, mental, or emotional disability, the Director of Human Resource Services or designee will work with the employing department to determine whether reasonable accommodation can and should be made to the employee's limitations.

When an employee's job performance is sufficiently unsatisfactory that the unit head or supervisor intends remedial or disciplinary action (low merit rating, reduced pay, suspension, or dismissal for cause, for example) and has reason to suspect that the cause of poor (or non-) performance may be physical, mental, or emotional disability, she or he, usually after consultation with relevant higher-level administrators, may tell the employee that the proposed action might be suspended or delayed if the employee seeks appropriate medical evaluation and treatment. If the employee pursues that alternative, she or he will be deemed to be the party seeking evaluation for purposes of the paragraph above.

All employees who are absent due to illness thirty (30) or more consecutive calendar days or employees in the types of employment listed under medical history and/or physical examination who are absent five (5) or more consecutive work days, must undergo a medical examination at the University Health Service or other designated provider. Those examinations, based on the job description for the position, will be carried out by the Health Service or other designated provider and acted on by the Director of Human Resource Services or designee in the same manner as the pre-placement examination discussed below. Responsibility for initiating such an examination shall rest upon the employee, although the supervisor may require the examination to be done before allowing the employee to return. Employment opportunities will not be denied an employee with a disability if the basis for the denial is the need to make reasonable accommodation to the individual's physical or mental limitations.

Designated types of employment require particular physical standards and/or public health requirements. Offers of employment to candidates in such types of employment are conditioned on the results of a medical history and/or physical examination. The medical history and/or physical examination is designed to assure that public health requirements are met, to assure that the prospective employee will meet essential physical performance requirements of the job, and to provide information to the employer in providing reasonable accommodation to a prospective employee's disability. The director of the University Health Services (UHS) (or designee) determines the extent of the physical examination which is based upon the job description for the position. Results of the examination are regarded as confidential records except as provided by law and are maintained by UHS. The director of Human Resource Services or designee, after reviewing physical examination findings, determines employability of job applicants. At the direction of the director of the UHS, the physical examination, or a part thereof, may be provided by an off-campus physician. All such related costs are provided by the University. The Office of Human Resource Services is responsible for notifying job applicants who are affected by this policy.