The MEPS blood test is a five-component initial screening test that screens for HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Syphilis. This blood test is mandatory and must be completed by all military enlistees prior to entry into the service. The results of this test can take 24-72 hours to process once you arrive at the MEPS location for testing and can take up to two weeks once they have been confirmed as positive before additional testing can begin.
As a member of the U.S. military, it's important to know what MEPS is and how it works. The Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) is a department of defense joint-service organization that administers the enlistment process for all branches of service except for the Coast Guard.
The MEPS performs three primary functions:
MEPS is staffed by an active duty Army officer, an active duty Navy commander, an Air National Guard chief master sergeant.
MEPS is the department of defense joint-service organization.
There are several blood tests that must be done before joining the military. The MEPS blood test is one of them. It screens for HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Syphilis.
The initial blood test will determine your status as either a "donor" or an "ineligible donor." If you are a donor and haven't been tested within six months, another test must be performed at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS).
The MEPS blood test has five components, which are initial screening tests. They are:
If the blood test comes back positive for one of the five components more blood is taken and a diagnostic test is performed. This is a confirmatory test. In this case, the diagnostic test will be done to determine exactly what organism is causing the disease.
The results of any initial screening tests that come back positive can take between 24 to 72 hours to process and confirm if you are a carrier of the disease. This is because this test is not considered an emergency, but rather a priority test.
The results may be available within 24 hours or up to 48 hours after your blood sample was drawn. The time it takes for the results depends on how fast the lab receives your sample and how busy they are with other samples.
Once the results have been confirmed as positive there will be another blood test done to verify the results and also to determine what lab need to be used to complete further testing.
The blood test is the only way to diagnose HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis.
Blood test results can take up to 72 hours, so you should wait until then before contacting the MEPS office about your results. If you are positive for a disease, you will be referred to a specialist who will determine how you should proceed with treatment.
The MEPS blood test is a type of body fluid test that analyzes your blood for certain substances. The specific purpose of this test is to determine whether or not you have a substance in your body that may be harmful to the health of your fetus. This can help doctors give you information about the risk factors involved with having an unplanned pregnancy.
The MEPS blood test is usually performed between five weeks and six weeks after conception, but can be done at any time from two weeks onward if there are any concerns about possible complications during pregnancy. It takes about ten minutes to complete, and results are available within 24 hours.
MEPS stands for Military Entrance Processing Station. The MEPS blood test is a standard medical requirement for military recruits and it is performed to detect communicable diseases and other medical conditions in a recruit.
The MEPS blood test includes the following tests:
The MEPS blood test includes screening tests for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, gonorrhea and chlamydia. It also screens for other diseases that may cause problems in military service such as sickle cell anemia or thalassemia. The purpose of this test is to give you information about your health so you know if there are any problems that could affect your ability to serve in the military.
The result of this test will be mailed to you within two weeks after it’s done at no cost to you (that is, unless it turns out that there’s a problem). If a problem does exist with one or more of these disease markers (elevated levels/abnormal values), then additional testing will be recommended by your doctor before enlistment begins so that treatment can begin immediately and any impact on your future health can be minimized as much as possible.
A blood test is also used to determine your blood type in order to make sure that you are compatible with the blood unit that you will get if needed.
In some cases, the doctor will ask for more blood tests based on your answers to the questions asked during the physical exam. This could include asking for blood tests if:
If you test positive for any of the above-mentioned diseases, your application for the Enlisted Army will be denied.
MEPS is a very important part of the military entrance process. The MEPS blood test is one of the first things that will happen during this process, so it's important that you know what's involved and how long it will take before going in for your test.