Dr. Sign off on OW Cert

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

windapp

Contributor
Messages
614
Reaction score
142
Location
Windsor Ontario
# of dives
50 - 99
My wife has been taking the OW course with my LDS for over a month now. A week before her open water dives, he tells her that she needs a doctors sign off on her medical form. The doctor won't sign off without her seeing a specialist.

She says that he probably thought it would be no big deal but I am a little (OK a lot) ticked off. If it was truly no big deal, then she wouldn't need the sign off in the first place. I think it was wrong of him to wait until the week before her OW dives. He should have asked for the sign-off before he took her money for the course.

Opinions?
 
Because the instructor is making her obtain a clearance form a doctor I am going to assume she marked a "yes" on her medical record?
Not sure which agency you are certifying through but PADI requires a release before any inwater activities if a Yes is provided.
1. A “yes” response on the PADI Medical Statement’s “Divers Medical Questionnaire” section requires written clearance to dive from a physician as a prerequisite to inwater activities.
Exception: Medical requirements may vary from country to country, consult your PADI Office.

I doubt any other agency will allow in water activities without a release either.

What possibility is there that the specialist will give approval? If so can you delay the open water dates?

Regardless, if you want to drop I would talk with the LDS. They never should have put her in the water without a medical clearance.
 
Not complaining about the need for a clearance. When we asked about it, the person who took our money, and gave us the form said that the instructor would decide if a clearance was needed. I am complaining about him waiting this long to tell her.
 
If there are any "yes" answers on the medical, the student is supposed to get a physician's clearance before doing any in-water training. We've had students whose physicians have refused to clear them, even though the student thought it would be no big deal. We've also had students who didn't answer yes, but where it come out later than they DID have some kind of issue, and they've been sent to get clearance. Her instructors should have dealt with this earlier.
 
I don't understand. Obtaining medical clearance for diving is not a formality. It's certainly possible that your wife may have a medical condition incompatible with diving and that she won't receive such clearance.

Why didn't you just get the medical clearance form, schedule the appointment with the doctor/specialist, and then sign up for the class only if medical clearance is obtained?
At least then, if medical clearance is denied, you wouldn't have to go through the hassle of getting a full/partial refund for scuba instruction.

OW students should be medically cleared before any training at all is started. I don't agree with instructors/agencies who allow students to complete the classroom instruction, get the people hooked on the sport, and then say, "Oh, wait. Before proceeding any further, you need to be medically cleared." Things are being done in an incorrect order, IMO.
 
I'm surprised that they allowed her to even start the class without getting signed off by her Doc and it sounds like he's not comfortable (maybe he's just nervous about litigation) signing off so it it possible that your wife has a medical condition that contraindicates diving.

She should make the appointment with the specialist but should also speak to the LDS about getting her money refunded in the event she can't get medical clearance.
 
OW students should be medically cleared before any training at all is started. I don't agree with instructors/agencies who allow students to complete the classroom instruction, get the people hooked on the sport, and then say, "Oh, wait. Before proceeding any further, you need to be medically cleared." Things are being done in an incorrect order, IMO.

Fully agree, and I think its more of a shop thing than instructor/agency thing. I took my OW with PADI and my dive shop refused to let us start classroom unless I had the medical waiver. For me, the biggest advantage of taking it via the shop is we ran into some hiccups w/ the doc signing off on me so we were able to just switch to a different class.

To the OP, I would talk to the certifying agency your going through and try to find a pamphlet/small booklet that is available for Physicians sometimes to answer questions they may have on the form. My physician flat out refused to sign me off without reading it, he said it would be both unethical for him to do so from a professional level, but also unfair to me because some of the reasons WHY I checked 'Yes' could be seen as minor and NOT affect me at all in a way (which were about 1/2 the reasons I checked 'yes').
 
I'm surprised that they allowed her to even start the class without getting signed off by her Doc and it sounds like he's not comfortable (maybe he's just nervous about litigation) signing off so it it possible that your wife has a medical condition that contraindicates diving.

I'm thinking he is worried about the litigation factor or if he doesn't realize he can sign off on it and not violate ethics.
 
My wife has been taking the OW course with my LDS for over a month now. A week before her open water dives, he tells her that she needs a doctors sign off on her medical form. The doctor won't sign off without her seeing a specialist.

She says that he probably thought it would be no big deal but I am a little (OK a lot) ticked off. If it was truly no big deal, then she wouldn't need the sign off in the first place. I think it was wrong of him to wait until the week before her OW dives. He should have asked for the sign-off before he took her money for the course.

Opinions?


There are really two issues here... will the timing of this allow her to commence the course on the agreed upon schedule...? I don't know the answer to that and maybe the shop could have been more proactive... I don't think we can tell from the peanut gallery.

The second issue seems to be, "if the dr. says she can't dive will I get my money back". This is really an issue of how the shop does business but it would be highly illogical for the shop to keep the money if she isn't able to follow the course.... however; people being what they are, some of them can be counted on to act normally when things like this happen and some cant..... I hope for your sake that it doesn't cause a conflict if your wife's dr. says she can't dive.

On that last point, I would suggest always taking the medical *before* you pay because if you are unable to dive you don't have to "get your money back". That won't help you much but I hope it help others who may read this thread.

R..
 

Back
Top Bottom