What Is The Purpose Of A Medical Clearance Certificate?

A certificate for ‘medical clearance’, or a ‘sick leave certificate’, can be used in many different medical scenarios. For example, if a personal trainer takes on a client who may have an existing medical condition, they will have to provide a medical clearance certificate from a GP or tele service provider before they can start their exercise program.

Another situation might be when an employee has been injured and requires medical clearance from their doctor to assess their ‘capacity for work’ before they can return to work. If you need to get your medical clearance or sick leave certificate, here is everything you need to know:

What your medical certificate will need to provide

The NES (National Employment Standards) doesn’t discuss the specific type of evidence that you need to show in order to get your medical clearance certificate in Australia. No exact requirement is mentioned regarding your medical condition needing to be explained on your sick leave certificate. However, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) guidelines do state that your medical certificate does need to include the following information:

• The address of the medical clinic from where you received your medical certificate.
• The date (or multiple dates) that show how long you will be unfit to work for.
• The full name of your doctor who issued you with your medical certificate.
• The date that the certificate was issued.

There are also situations when you may have to provide more information such as:

• If there will be an extended period of time that you will be away from work, or if your sick leave is going to continue on an ongoing basis.
• If you require any workplace adjustments to assist you when returning back to work.
• If you are going to return to work and provide any claims that need to be recovered.

How much notice you will need to provide

You will also need to let your employer know if you need to take sick leave as soon as possible. You may also have to provide additional information such as the address of the hospital you are staying in for more serious situations. When you are giving your employer notice and taking sick, you will need to clearly outline or provide an estimate of the amount of time you will be needing away from work.

When your employer can request a medical certificate

Your employer can ask you to provide evidence regarding your absence from work at any time. This can even include being away sick for only one day. If you do not provide your employer with a medical or sick leave certificate, then you may not be entitled to receive any paid sick leave.

If you need to get your sick leave or medical clearance certificate in Australia, using our services at Prime Medic saves you time and hassle by getting it done online. Browse through our website to learn more information about our services and how we can assist you.