Doctor, Doctor, Give me the News!

Our Medical Packets

Today, we received our Peace Corps medical packets in the mail! They include all the paperwork we will need to complete the medical review process. The review consists of three main parts: a physical exam, a dental exam, and an optometry exam. Special evaluation forms may be included based on your responses to the health status review section of your application (be careful of how you answer those questions; they request tons of additional paperwork for each item you list; it may save you a lot of headache later on).

Luckily, the Peace Corps is willing to provide partial payment for these exams and certain doctors offer them for free. Physical exams: $125 (males), $165 (females); Optometry: $12; Dental: $60. Dentists who are members of the International College of Dentists (ICD) will provide free exams and x-rays. You can search the list by city and state to find a dentist near you. Ben and I called the office at the top of the list and have already booked our free dental appointments. Federal medical facilities offer free physical exams, but they can be frustrating to work with because Peace Corps applicants are considered a very low priority.

Next Steps: Complete all of our exams, Fill out the paperwork, and Return the medical review packet to the Peace Corps

We have been nominated!

A little over 3 weeks after our interview we received our nomination email from our recruiter. We have been nominated to the Forestry Program with a potential departure of November/December 2012. Because we are Masters International applicants, this assignment is not set in stone and may be changed later in the application process.

Next Step: The Medical Review