Looking for a physical for work near me in Covington, LA? Our Covington clinic does them on Hwy 25, and on the urgent care services page the pre-employment entry says full exams are “provided based on company requirements.” That page also lists DOT and non DOT physicals plus on-site drug screens. Better news on cost: under Louisiana R.S. 23:897, an employer generally can’t make you pay for a medical exam it requires.
Work physicals at Total Health, at a glance
- Hours: every day, weekends included, 7AM to 7PM, per the Total Health home page, which also says no appointment is needed.
- Exam type: pre-employment exams built around your company’s requirements, listed on our services page.
- Price: the clinic’s posted price list doesn’t include a pre-employment exam, so phone (985) 400-5370 for a quote.
- Who pays: the employer that requires the exam, with a narrow 90-working-day exception, per La. R.S. 23:897.
- Add-ons on site: rapid drug screens, TB skin tests, X-ray, lab testing and EKG, all named on the services page.
Where can I get a physical for work near me?
You’ll find us on Hwy 25 in Covington, close to where highways 190 and 25 meet, just north of downtown, as our services page puts it. That same page says the office is close to Folsom and Franklinton, and the home page says Total Health welcomes patients from Mandeville, Madisonville, Abita Springs, St Benedict and across St. Tammany Parish.
Searching urgent care near me because your new job wants the exam done this week? Timing is usually the hard part. The About page explains why the clinic keeps long hours: “Being able to see us on short notice on any day of the week, either before school or after work, is a service that was extremely important for us to be able to provide for this community.” So you can come in before work or after it, on any day of the week.
How much does a work physical cost in Covington?
There’s no posted price for a pre-employment exam, so call (985) 400-5370 for a quote on your exact exam before you come in. Our pricing and insurance page lists three prices: school and sports physicals at no charge for student athletes, X-rays at $75 self-pay, and office visits at $130 out of pocket. An employer’s requirements can add a drug screen, a TB skin test or other testing from our services list, so ask for a quote that covers all of it. Shopping around for a cheap work physical near me? Ask your employer first, since Louisiana law generally puts that bill on them.
For a ballpark, BlueHive, which runs an occupational health provider network, estimates on its Pre-Employment Physical Cost by State (2026) guide that Louisiana’s average is $110, with a typical range of $70 to $150, versus a $148 national average. BlueHive notes those figures “may vary by provider, volume, and location.” Treat them as estimates across many providers, not as our price.
Run a business? Discount pricing under a company contract may be available for yearly and pre-employment physicals, and for testing, according to our services page. Call the front desk to ask about it.
Who pays for a pre-employment physical in Louisiana?
In most cases, the employer does. Subsection A of La. R.S. 23:897 says “it is unlawful for any public or private employer to require any employee or applicant for employment to pay or to in any manner pass on to the applicant or to withhold from an employee’s pay the cost of fingerprinting, a medical examination, or a drug test,” along with the cost of records the employer requires as a condition of employment.
The statute opens by carving out exceptions in Subsection K and in R.S. 23:634(B). Subsection K of R.S. 23:897 lets an employer recover the cost of a preemployment medical examination or drug test from a worker who leaves “sooner than ninety working days after his first day of work or never reports to work,” but not when the departure “is attributable to a substantial change made to the employment by the employer as applied in the Louisiana Employment Security Law”. That right also requires that the worker earns at least one dollar above the federal minimum wage and “is not a part-time or seasonal employee as defined in R.S. 23:1021”. Subsection M adds that the employer can withhold the cost from wages only when the conditions of R.S. 23:634(B) and Subsection K are met and the employee signed a contract that fully explains those terms.
That seasonal carve-out is worth knowing in November, when holiday hiring ramps up. Retailers expect to bring on 325,000 to 375,000 seasonal workers this holiday season, per an October 15, 2026 forecast from the National Retail Federation. If your job meets the statute’s definition of a seasonal employee under R.S. 23:1021, the reimbursement exception in Subsection K doesn’t apply to you.
Who pays in common work-exam situations?
This table is our own plain-English summary, not a chart published by the Louisiana Legislature or OSHA. Each row names and links the rule it comes from.
One more detail from Subsection J of R.S. 23:897: the law doesn’t stop “a physician or other third party providing services to the employee or employer” from collecting fees. In plain terms, a provider can still bill for the exam, and the statute governs whether the employer can shift that bill to you. Subsection H says the secretary “is authorized to and shall collect from each employer for reimbursement to each employee or applicant for employment any amount of money charged” in violation, and Subsection F identifies that official as the secretary of Louisiana Works. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is there a free work physical near me?
For you, the exam is often paid by the employer, because Louisiana’s R.S. 23:897 bars employers from passing the cost of a required medical exam to applicants, outside the Subsection K exception. Total Health Urgent Care doesn’t list a free work physical, though. On our pricing page, the only no-cost exams belong to student athletes: their school and sports physicals. Before your visit, ask your employer how they want the exam billed.
What happens at a physical exam for work near me?
It follows your employer’s checklist. Our services page ties the exam to company requirements, so your employer’s requirements set the scope. The basic hands-on exam is standard medicine: the MedlinePlus Physical examination page says one usually includes inspection, palpation, auscultation (listening to sounds, usually with a stethoscope) and percussion (usually tapping on specific areas of the body).
When an employer’s list goes beyond the exam, these on-site options appear on our services page:
- Drug screening: on-site rapid screens in 5 and 10 panel versions, covering pre-employment, random, post-accident and workman’s comp needs, and chain of custody send-off screens for employers.
- TB skin tests: skin placement for testing and evaluation of high risk exposure.
- Imaging and heart checks: on-site X-ray, and rapid EKG abilities with referral as needed.
- Lab work: in-house urinalysis, many CLIA waived tests on site, and send-off lab capabilities.
Will I need a TB test for a new job?
Maybe, depending on the job. The MedlinePlus Tuberculosis Screening page lists starting a new job among the reasons you may need TB screening, and it names working in health care as a higher-exposure risk. Cleveland Clinic’s TB Test article adds that “some childcare centers, hospitals and other facilities require you to be tested for TB to work there.” Plan for a second trip: the MedlinePlus PPD skin test page says that “After 48 to 72 hours, you must return to your provider’s office” so the reaction can be checked. Our TB test guide covers the visit in detail.
Is a DOT physical the same as a work physical?
No. A DOT physical is the federally regulated exam for commercial motor vehicle drivers, and federal rule 49 CFR 391.43 says that, apart from the narrow exceptions in its paragraph (b), the exam has to be done by an examiner whose name appears on the National Registry. Our services page says the DOT exams here are handled by a medical examiner registered nationally through FMCSA, and it lists non DOT physicals as well. Our DOT physical guide walks drivers through it.
Can an employer require a physical before hiring you?
Only after a job offer, if the employer is covered by the ADA. The EEOC’s Job Applicants and the ADA page says the ban on disability-related questions before a job offer covers medical examinations too, and that such exams “are permitted after extending a job offer but before the individual begins work”. That page says “The ADA applies to private employers with 15 or more employees and to state and local government employers.”
The federal rule at 29 CFR 1630.14 lets an employer condition an offer on the exam “if all entering employees in the same job category are subjected to such an examination (and/or inquiry) regardless of disability.” The same rule says information from the exam must be kept on separate forms, in separate medical files, as a confidential medical record. A lifting or agility test is a different thing: the EEOC’s preemployment medical examinations guidance says “A physical agility test, in which an applicant demonstrates the ability to perform actual or simulated job tasks, is not a medical examination under the ADA.”
Can you fail a pre-employment physical?
An offer can be pulled, but only for certain reasons. Per the EEOC’s Job Applicants and the ADA page, an employer can withdraw a job offer after a medical exam “only if it can show that you are unable to perform the essential functions of the job (with or without reasonable accommodation), or that you pose a significant risk of causing substantial harm to yourself or others.” Drug tests follow separate rules, since 29 CFR 1630.16 says “a test to determine the illegal use of drugs is not considered a medical examination.” Our drug test guide explains those screens.
What should you bring to a pre-employment physical?
Bring the employer’s form first, since our exams follow company requirements, per our services page. After that, this short list covers most visits:
- Your employer’s form or checklist, so the exam matches what the company asked for.
- A list of your medicines. The MedlinePlus Make the most of your doctor visit page says to write down all medicines, vitamins, and supplements you take, including over-the-counter medicines and herbal supplements. “Bring this list with you to your appointment.”
- Your insurance cards, if you’re using insurance. Our pricing and insurance page asks you to carry your primary insurance card (and a secondary one, if applicable), and says that when you aren’t certain the visit is covered, the person to ask is your insurance company.
- Glasses, contacts or hearing aids for a DOT exam. Under 49 CFR 391.41, drivers can meet the 20/40 vision standard with corrective lenses, and the hearing standard can be met using a hearing aid.
What should a good work physical clinic near Covington offer?
These are the boxes we’d check, with where Total Health Urgent Care stands on each:
- Hours that work around a shift: 7AM to 7PM, seven days a week, on the home page.
- No appointment needed: the home page says so, and our services page says walk-ins are welcome, though our pricing page says you may also request an appointment.
- Exams fitted to the employer: full exams based on company requirements, on the services page.
- Testing in the same building: drug screens, TB skin tests, X-ray, labs and EKG, all on our services page.
- Options for employers: discount contract pricing may be available, per that same page.
For everything else we treat, from sprains to sinus infections, see our urgent care in Covington page.
Work physical questions from Northshore job seekers
Yes, right here on Hwy 25 at Total Health. The home page tells patients No appointment needed, and on the services page the DOT entry starts with Walk-ins welcome. Total Health Urgent Care is open 7AM to 7PM, seven days a week, so a morning or evening visit can fit around your schedule.
Generally, no. Louisiana R.S. 23:897, Subsection A, makes it unlawful for an employer to require an applicant to pay for a medical examination or drug test. Subsection K allows reimbursement in a narrow case: a worker who isn’t part-time or seasonal, paid at least one dollar over the federal minimum wage, who leaves within 90 working days, unless a substantial change the employer made to the job caused it.
Yes, it takes two visits. The MedlinePlus PPD skin test page says you must return to your provider’s office after 48 to 72 hours, and Cleveland Clinic’s TB Test article says that if you don’t return within 72 hours, you’ll need to take the test again.
Under the federal ADA rule at 29 CFR 1630.14, information from a post-offer medical exam has to be kept on separate forms and in separate medical files as a confidential medical record. That same rule allows supervisors and managers to be told about necessary work restrictions and accommodations.
Possibly. In its Company contracts entry, our services page notes discount contract pricing may apply to yearly physicals, to pre-employment physicals, and to testing, and asks companies to call the clinic to learn more.
Heading over from Mandeville or Folsom? Plug 73015 Hwy 25 into your GPS; we’re in Suite A, Covington 70435, close to the spot where Hwy 190 crosses Hwy 25. Our contact page lists the hours, 7AM to 7PM every day, and the number is (985) 400-5370.
This guide on work physicals belongs to Total Health Urgent Care News, our Covington, Louisiana clinic’s spot for urgent care news, updates from the clinic, and health information. Read it as general health information, not personal medical or legal advice. Per our About page, Jennifer Duncan, APRN, MSN, FNP-C, owns Total Health, and that page credits her with over 25 years experience across emergency medicine and urgent care. On our home page, she’s named as the person who founded Total Health Urgent Care. In a medical emergency, call 911.