OFII Convocation Medical Visit

{Part Two: Medical Visit}

Another required element of the visa process is having a medical exam courtesy of the State. In your mail you will receive a separate convocation for this visit and it will take place in Montrouge. If you’re inside the city, you hop on the 13 and take it almost to the end. I arrived 20 minutes early, fully expecting to wait outside in a queue. There was no line and they let me in early. They do not seem to be held to time constraints as some other government office visits.

You are guided through a metal detector and a wand is swiped over your body. When you have passed, you are ushered to the counter to present your convocation and passport. The receptionist gathers your file (already neatly prepared behind the glass) and motions you to the door next to the front desk. Once through the doors, another receptionist takes your temperature (Covid) and asks you to verify your information. She hands you a mental health questionnaire to fill out while waiting to be called to see the first specialist.

The first specialist asks you into a room where you are weighed and your height measurements are taken. They will ask you numerous questions (also pertaining to the questionnaire) in regards to your health status. In particular, tuberculosis. Once they have filled out their online form you are asked to wait back out in the reception area.

The second specialist checks your eye sight by a simple eye exam. Don’t worry, there is no glaucoma test! I removed my glasses for this. They asked me to read from a few lines from the eye chart at the other end of the room. The gentleman made a few notes on my dossier and then passed it on to the next specialist.

The next specialist was a different gentleman in a white lab coat. He took me to what reminded me of those dressing stalls at the french pools where you enter one door change and exit through a door on the other side. He pointed to a picture of a female (equally represented male aussi) on the wall who was topless and covering her chest with her arms. I was instructed to completely disrobe from the waist up. The tech would come get me when he was ready. I popped my head through the door quick to ask about my piercings; no I did not need to take them out.

When he was all set up, he came and ushered me to a giant x-ray machine. I was asked to face the white panel that had paper draped over it and hold a lead apron over my butt at the waist. I had to turn my head to the side and press my chest up against the board. The specialist took several pictures and then dismissed me to get changed. When I was clothed again, I was asked again to wait in the waiting room until the next specialist was ready.

The fourth and final specialist asked me to join him in his office. I was asked a wider variety of questions about my medical history (than with the first specialist) as well as my current living situation (job, family life, free time, etc…). I offered a short translated paper version of my medical history to the physician to help speed up the process. He looked it over and thanked me for bringing it in. He told me that if anything came up on my xrays that they would be in contact, but with my history he didn’t expect anything. When he finished making notes on the file in the computer system. He explained that he was going to sign my two medical attestations and I would recuperate them at the front desk.

{Overall Thoughts}

I was expecting an old doctor asking me to completely disrobe while I was poked and prodded and asked a million questions. This was far from what it was in reality. The interior of the building reminded me of an office stuck in the 70s, despite the aesthetics, the staff was helpful and quick to usher you through the process. I think it helped that my level of communication in French is high, it allowed me to move quickly through the steps.

The whole process from start to finish took about 30 minutes. There were about 4 other people in the exam process when I entered the office and there were about 3 who came in after me. There were never more than 2 – 3 people waiting in the reception area in between specialists. I saw a total of 4 different people all asking me different questions. All in all, I was elated the process was quick and relatively painless. I spent more time on the métro than actually in the appointment.