PSNI Recruitment (Archived)

mickey2186

Thanks Martin,

I hope you are right!!

I will say it again to anyone about to go through medical..

MAKE SURE YOU TAKE ADDITIONAL INFO WITH YOU!!

A previous medical pass seems to mean nothing!

Mickey2186:)

goodcopbadcop

would a past hernia mean i need to bring additional info?

mickey2186

goodcopbadcop,

Have a look at this.

Hernia > 3 months is probably okay, but you may need confirmation by medical specialist.

http://www.policecouldyou.co.uk/officers/Medical_59-2004.pdf

Mickey2186

goodcopbadcop

thanks micky interesting read there. What would be additional info, I mean can you just say you had the operation and you are now ok, or do you need a hospital or doctor letter for proof.

Also out of interest, if you say forgot to mention it and passed medical, could it ever get you in bother in the future.

MartinC2006

Goodcopbadcop,

Of course it would, they will find out. Declare everything and provide as much information as you can. At the very least get a copy of what your GP has on file such as refferal letters, surgeons reports etc. If this isn't enough you may ened to see a medical specialist for a report.

Martin.

mickey2186

goodcopbadcop,

If you tried to omit major items from you MHQ I would imagine your GP would refuse to sign it as it would compromise their position.

I heard of someone with asthma who didn't put it on the form and their GP pulled them about it.

You have to be honest with your info!

Mickey2186

goodcopbadcop

Dont plan on leaving anything out, just wanted to find out what stuff needed to be declared.

brando08

goodcopbadcop wrote: »

Dont plan on leaving anything out, just wanted to find out what stuff needed to be declared.

Did you get a date for your medical???

Wanalaugh

Mickey2186

Good document you posted. Its what ive been looking for. I wanted to try and find out what frequency they test you up to. My left ear is poor after 4000Hz. It barely picks up anything after that unless you turn it right up, and then the neighbours start complaining about the noise lol
Does anyone know to what frequency they test up to ie 3,4,6 or 8KHz

Is anyone going for a medical over the next week or so, let me know.

Wanalaugh

Wanalaugh

Guys
How long after the medical do they contact you?
Also, i see that if you pass, someone had a telephone call to say they where offered a place.
Whats the procedure so far.

MartinC2006

Wanalaugh,

I received written word about my medical about 5 weeks after it happened. Factor in a referral to my GP and Christmas so it was probably more like 2-3 working weeks of waiting.

You don't get a phone call to say you've passed, you get a phone call to offer you a place on a particular intake. In my case I got the call before I received the letter about my medical but for others they may receive a call months after they get their feedback. It all depends on how highly you scored, how early you applied and how quickly you get through the medical/vetting. It’s entirely possible that someone in the 400's could be in the first intake and number 1 could be in the last.

Hope that makes sense.

Martin.

justaquestion

hi guys

i did my medical on tuesday and received word today that i failed due to my bmi being 30.8. letter said i had 7 days to appeal. do any of you know from experience whether i will be put through if i get my bmi below 30 or is the appeals process pointless

justaquestion

jim2008

Put in your appeal asap then get out and start running your ass off if ya really want it then it is worth a shot. with a bmi off 30.8 you could easy drop down within the week.

MartinC2006

Justaquestion,

Firstly, I'm sorry you didn't pass, I'm sure your gutted.

I’m unsure of how the appeals process works however I would start it ASAP.

Take what I have to say here with a pinch of salt but I think there must be something else apart from your BMI affecting your application. My understanding is your BMI will only be used as a deciding factor if there are other pre-existing conditions, class 2 diabetes for example. I find it very hard to believe that you would be failed just for your BMI, in fact I think the guidelines laid down for the Doctor will tell them this.

BMI is not a good scale, it’s widely accepted it only works for geriatrics. Most rugby players as an example are overweight or obese. What they should be using is a body fat index but that’s another thread.

I’m not sure if this help or make things worse but I think you should ask yourself is there anything else coupled with your BMI that may have affected the decision. How was your mobility? Are you very unfit? Do you look very overweight? My intention is not to be mean but you may find some solace being true to yourself.

In any case appeal ASAP and get that BMI dropped.

Good luck.

Martin.

Ethan321

Kinda have to agree with Martin on this one, there must be another factor in there. All the same it is worth trying to change the BMI. If you need any advice on training or nutrition to gain fitnees/lose fat then just PM me;)

How was your lung function test by the way?
Mine came out good as i do alot of running, 10k races etc.

justaquestion

lung test took a few attempts but was fine. bp was fine, pulse etc fine. the one problem they found was a slight hearing impairment in regards to high frequencies, but thats not mentioned on the letter, just bmi. pretty guted. went to doctor this afternoon who tested bmi and was 29.1. on day of medical this would have been fine

MartinC2006

I highly doubt you have been failed just for your BMI, it would be against guide lines specified for the medical for this to happen. However putting that aside for a second let’s assume that you are right and this is the case.

Start the appeals process straight away and try to speak to the Doctor directly. Tell her you felt bloated that day and where wearing heavy clothes/boots. Ask her to confirm that it is your BMI and BMI alone that has failed you. If this is confirmed question why it was used as the single factor as to why you where failed. Highlight the fact you have read that this should not be the case according to the national recruitment standards for police recruitment

Ask your Doctor for a written statement of your fitness and reading of a BMI below 30.

Assuming this gets you another bite at the cherry there are ways to cut weight quickly. Cutting weight quickly can harm your health so I’ll leave that alone.

Good luck.

Martin.

mickey2186

Justaquestion,

Can you get print outs from your Doctor with your weight and height measurements?

Last year when I did the medical my height was measured standing in socks and weight was done in the Doctors room wearing a light medical gown.

I noticed this year that the weight was measured fully clothed..this could account for approx 2kg, also height was measured wearing shoes.

What adjustment do they use?

It appears they are being very sticky this time, I assume because anyone doing a medical at this stage is more than likely to be offered a place.

When you say 'lung function took a few tries', they do use 'best of three'.

As far as I know as long as you can create three similar traces within the 'blue' section on the screen you will pass okay.

Were you able to touch the toes, stand on one foot with eyes closed etc???

Definately lodge the appeal and don't give up!!!

Mickey2186

Wanalaugh

Guys
The medical this time seems to be very strict indeed. When i went for it in the past , they seemed to rush through everything and even when my blood pressure was high, they said as i had proved in the past that i could get it settled, they passed me (my last medical). My hearing was also dreadfull, but nothing was mentioned. Going by Martins document, you could be poor in one ear and good in the other and still pass.
Reference the appeal for my blood pressure, all i had to do was submit a letter from my GP which gave the new BP reading. This was always accepted. Dont miss out on this one kido, get running and eat proper food. Going by the reading from your doc, i think this would be good enough to get you through. Also guys, they must tell you everything that they fail you on (so ive been told).

goodcopbadcop

medicals must be harder now than in the past, i have seen quite a few police men who would struggle to run after anyone to be fair, good to see they are making things harder and therefore having fitter, more capable police officers out there.

mickey2186

Wanalaugh,

Did you pass all of your previous medicals?

Mind you before I did the hearing test the nurse said 'You may find the medical different this time as 'we are doing it'

I took this to mean PSNI OH were tougher than the private medical companies that previously ran the medicals.

Perhaps previous medical passes are now 'not worth the paper they are written on'. LOL:)

Mickey2186

justaquestion

guys, any of you in training or currently serving officers. could you possibly tell me what exactly is required in training. how many sit ups or press ups required. how many miles to run. i need to include this stuff in my appeal letter. im confident i could do it but need to compare it to what i curently do


justaquestion

MartinC2006

Not a serving officer or in training yet but;

Information on the physical competence assessment.
http://www.psni.police.uk/index/careers/pca-test.htm

Sample Video of the actual PCA.
http://www.psni.police.uk/press/pca-test.wmv

I believe there is a 5k run round Garnerville which is to be done in less than 25 minutes. I don't believe this is officially assessed though.

BMI is not a measure of fitness, it’s an approximation of whether your weight falls within a healthy range. My BMI is about 27.5 (Overweight) but I have a good level of fitness (sub 50 resting pulse, good recovery times etc). My friend on the other hand has a BMI of about 22 (Normal) but due to smoking, no exercise in years, bad diet etc couldn’t run the length of himself. Is he healthier than me? I think not.

If your failure was due solely to your BMI you should concentrate on evidence supporting this is not the case. If you Doctor writes that your BMI is below 30 and you have a good level of fitness I think you’ll be fine.

Good luck.

Martin.

justaquestion

appreciated martin. thanks

thanks for the morale boosting support too


justaquestion

Wanalaugh

The only thing about the standard of how th emedical is carried out, is that it must be in line with the criteria set out on the document that was attached earlier. All i can do is hope for the best.

mickey2186

Justaquestion

I'm similar to Martin..my measurements as taken on the day would have given me a BMI 27.1, however I believe I am actually approx 2 kg lighter than I read on the scales (clothes and shoes were still on).

Fitness wise I do approx 30-40 mins per day on a Cross Trainer, 100 press ups per day & some weights.

30 Mins on the cross trainer is similar to approx 7km, but of course running outside is a bit different!!

BMI therefore is not everything, I would imagine they are looking at the overall picture.

If you don't smoke etc and can convince them that you take exercise on a regular basis, you have a good case!!

Regards.

Mickey2186.

MartinC2006

That’s good going Mickey, do you play any sports?

My problem is going to be functional fitness, I’ve never been much of a runner. I train 4 x 2 hours a week in martial arts and swim when I can. I’ve represented N.Ireland and Ireland for 2 martial arts, I also played water polo for Ireland up until a few years ago.

So I’m thinking to myself, running should be no bother! I went out last week for my first run in about a decade. Did about 3.5 miles in 25 minutes. Pretty disappointed in myself but I just found my chest getting so tight with the cold air. Haven’t had a chance to get out since but I’ll need to up that a bit obviously.

Any word on your medical? Get all your information in?

Martin.

Wanalaugh

Mickey2186
I meant to say. Yea, i passed all the previous medicals. i know i said that it sounds like this new medical seems harder. But i was told that BMI who used to do all the medicals before, where very strict and would not pass anyone until they had firm proof they where medically fit. My date is near the end of feb, and to think that i have to wait that long and possibily add another 5 weeks to hear if i passed, is a pain in the butt lol. All this wainting is going to kill me.

mickey2186

Martin,

Don't really play any sports anymore (everyone is now married and not allowed out to play!)..however do sail twice a week from March to October. Good for the upper body strength (try winding in a foresail in a force six!), it's also good for the balance and general crawling, climbing etc..

Like you I am not a big fan of running (probably because I find it boring!), but will have start doing a bit more!

Have not got the info back to them yet..they have given me 4 weeks from last Thursday. Had to get operation notes from hospital etc and will hopefully see consultant next week.

I hope his report + letter from GP will do the trick. Am also going to put in a copy of last years pass letter which says I am currently considered fit!!

Mickey2186.

GEMMAT1984

Could somebody who has been for the medical tell me everything that happens, this is my first time goin for it and don't really know what to expect or what to do to prepare for it. Is there any difference between the tests for females and males. Also i got my blood pressure tested and its 118/82 i think thats quite bad does anyone know wat they class as high blood pressure

Ta

alanbelfast

Hi Martin

Whatmartial art do you do or maybe did do in the past.....Currently i am with sensei oliver brunton of the n.i.k.w.....im only at it a couple years but i am currently going for my 4th kyu.
This is about my only hard fitness regime that i do at present......cant really get into gear to run.hate it hate it hate it.
Cheers Alan

goodcopbadcop

GEMMAT1984 wrote: »

Could somebody who has been for the medical tell me everything that happens, this is my first time goin for it and don't really know what to expect or what to do to prepare for it. Is there any difference between the tests for females and males. Also i got my blood pressure tested and its 118/82 i think thats quite bad does anyone know wat they class as high blood pressure

Ta

120/80 is perfectly normal and healthy and you are not far off that so your fine.

MartinC2006

alanbelfast wrote: »

Hi Martin

Whatmartial art do you do or maybe did do in the past.....Currently i am with sensei oliver brunton of the n.i.k.w.....im only at it a couple years but i am currently going for my 4th kyu.
This is about my only hard fitness regime that i do at present......cant really get into gear to run.hate it hate it hate it.
Cheers Alan

Hello Alan, how are you?

I know of Sensei Brunton, in fact his son broke my nose! I am currently a 2nd Dan in a similar form of Karate and recently got my 1st Dan in Jujitsu. I've also done some Wing Chun and BJJ but nothing note worthy.

Have to say I find the prospect of running not great myself but what must be done must be done!

Martin.

alanbelfast

Sounds like your a force not to be messed with !
Yes his son is called james and is pinan himself. He is amazing to tell the truth. He did his second dan in japan and he currently holds the us open title which he won mmmm maybe november or oct last year. He tried out in turkey in novemer but did not do so well. He even said it was well above him. He is only 21.
Wish i had started younger as im not as flexible as i used to be. Finding it difficult doing high mawashis and sokuto etc. I am very dedicated to my kata which i love doing. There is a lot of hidin meaning in kata which alot of people just dont understand. At present i have only completed basai. Although i would say i am only confident and pretty much Technically proficent up to ku shanku.
Hey who knows i was actually thinking of if or hopefully when i get in i was wanting to start a class in the college. I teach at present in downpatrick every other week. Could be a bit of crack training in garnerville eh?
Anway...........shall keep ya posted if i get that far.Still waiting on med date at mo.

Alan

Wanalaugh

Dont panic about running guys. I have been told they need to see you inprove from when you start untill you passout. So if you go in super human fit you would find it hard to show them this (so ive been told by an insider;)).....
Anyhows, the gym test is easy enough as, we used to do it in the first 3 or 4 recruitment campaigns as part of the testing process. I am far from fit by the way.
Blood pressure needs to be no higher that 140 (upper limit).

goodcopbadcop

true enough, at school for gcse p.e you got marked on effort and improvement in a circuit training program, some people who were slow and unfit scored better than others because they improved dramatically over the course of the year, while others just maintained, best off keeping some fuel in the tank for when you need to impress.

mickey2186

Mmmmmm.. I'd like to be a bit fit at least!!! I'm fine on cross trainer, weights, pressups etc... but running is not my bag!! Went for a bit of a run last night...Cold air was really hard on the lungs, so didn't go too far.

Had a nice walk back!!!:D

Just hope OH let me through!!!

Mickey2186.

goodcopbadcop

they wont make you run at the medical anyways so its nothing to worry about.

if you hate slow boring running there find a park or somewhere measure out 2 markers about 30 metres apart and just aim for 5 x at slow pace, then 5x at medium and 5 x at near full sprint, and then finish with 5 slow ones again, to make it harder still why not bring a skipping rope and do 60 seconds of skips in between sets.

justaquestion

gave oh a wee call about my appeal. explained the fact they may have got it wrong and basically overweighed me by over 11 lbs or undermeasured me by 2 inches. was told to appeal it but the doctor may ask me to to the physical competency assessment if i am to pass. does that not sound unbelievable to anyone else. before i pass imay have to do the test that everyone trains six months for.


justaquestion

mickey2186

Justaquestion,

So you are saying that the PCA may form part of your appeal?

Hard to believe!

Do you smoke? Perhaps they have looked at a number of different factors and feel that you may have too much hard work to do within the six months to pass the PCA.

Did they mention anything to you at all on the day regarding fitness??

Seem very odd!

Mickey2186

Wanalaugh

Hi Justaquestion. Dont worry, if they get you to do the gym test, its easy enough. Honestly, its not about being fit as a fiddle. Ive done it 3 or 4 times and passed it. trust me, its simple. If you have to do it, let me know and ill go through it with you pal.

mickey2186

Wanalaugh,

Is the gym test different to the PCA?

According to the standards they are not mean't to get you to do that until the end of training!

I hope Justaquestion is successful with the appeal as it does appear that something has gone wrong if there is such a difference between the medical BMI and that measured by the GP.

Lets keep the fingers crossed for Justaquestion!!

Mickey2186

Wanalaugh

Guys, the gym test is the circuit and the push pull. The Circuit is made up of different obsticals etc. As i said, we used to have to do it on the first campaigns (jasus, how long have i been trying i hear you say lol.). Honestly its not as bad as it looks.
This medical business is driving me nuts, ive been doing various tests myself here ie blood pressure, hearing, BMI, eye etc etc. Ive done more medicals than an astronaut lol. Ive bugged the life out of our nurse at work. I know ive passed it numerous times, but i still bloomin worry. My hearing being the most worrying issue. I started to use a nasal spray to help remove any sinus stuff to help my hearing and it shot my BP up to 92/158 lol. So take heed, stay of decongestants and nasal sprays before a medical. By the way if anyone had done the medical with BMI health, you can get your file from them for 13pounds. Think ill get mine.

mickey2186

Wanalaugh,

I used one of those sprays before Xmas as I had a bad cold. It made be blow out blood in my snot!! (nice!!) I believe the stuff softens the blood vessels in the nasal passages, so perhaps thats why your blood pressure changed.

Of course may be wrong!!

Mickey2186

justaquestion

WANNALAUGH

any chance you could post more specific details about gym test

distance etc
pushpull, what that entails



justaquestion

Wanalaugh

Hi justaquestion
The gym is set up like an obstical. There is a bit when you duck down and crawl on your hands and knees for about 2 mtres, then jump between two lines a metre apart, climb over and small hurdle, out and in cones, drag a 2-3 stone body type item around a cone, a small l shape balance beam and do 3 laps in about 3 mins 40 or summit. Nothing hard, just have to take your time and dont rush. If you hit anything ie small dowels above you ro fall off the small balance beam, you have to re-do that odstical. It works out roughly 10secs per obstical. So balance your time and do not make any faults. The push pull measures how strong you are, the harder you push it out the slower it goes and vice versa. I used to have the diagram for the layout. And i see the video link dosent work anymore. But realy really nothing to worry about. I am far far from beig fit and i passed it 3 times. If you go for it, ill talk to you more if you want and try and fish out the documents.

goodcopbadcop

wanalaugh are you in the police at the minute? I thought you were trying to get in like rest of us?

justaquestion

hi guys

just came from the doctor who did a bmi test for me and it was 28.2. well within the limit.
appeal is bound to have a chance surely. going to send letter today.
still need to find out what oh measured my height and weight at though but wont find out til later


justaquestion

Wanalaugh

goodcopbadcop....wish i was in lol
Na, sorry if i sounded as if i was there. No its just that i did the first ever recruitment campaign for the psni and the fitness test was part of it. the process then was as follows.
1) Fill in the application form, 2) Pay for an eye sight test, 3) Pay doctor to fill in a medical questionaire, 4) Do theory test, 5) Do Assessment centre (times where longer than 5 mins per role play), 6) Do Fitness test 7) Do police theory test - maths english etc including watching videos and remembering what happened in them etc, 7) Computerised weapons test and finally 8) The medical. And you though this process was a nightmare. I passed them each time, but my merit number failed to get me in each time based on the 50/50 rule on occassions.

goodcopbadcop

Wanalaugh wrote: »

goodcopbadcop....wish i was in lol
Na, sorry if i sounded as if i was there. No its just that i did the first ever recruitment campaign for the psni and the fitness test was part of it. the process then was as follows.
1) Fill in the application form, 2) Pay for an eye sight test, 3) Pay doctor to fill in a medical questionaire, 4) Do theory test, 5) Do Assessment centre (times where longer than 5 mins per role play), 6) Do Fitness test 7) Do police theory test - maths english etc including watching videos and remembering what happened in them etc, 7) Computerised weapons test and finally 8) The medical. And you though this process was a nightmare. I passed them each time, but my merit number failed to get me in each time based on the 50/50 rule on occassions.

Seriously? sounds like a complete nightmare. i must say though i think there should be some kind of fitness test in it now before you can be selected, it would save alot of time and further invesitgation in medicals.

How many times you been through the process then, your head must be fried trying to get in. Thankfully this is my first time trying, im only 19 though so a few more attempts to get in wont cost me too much of my life