Employee COVID-19 Testing FAQ
Employee COVID-19 Testing FAQ
- When do I need to test as an employee at Dartmouth?
- What should I do if I test positive?
- What should I do if I test negative?
- What if I am exposed to someone with COVID-19 or identified as a close contact?
- What should I do if I have COVID-19 symptoms?
- I need documentation of my recovery from COVID-19 so I can travel.
Supervisor COVID-19 Testing FAQ
- What do I do if an employee working on site notifies me that they tested positive?
- What do I tell others about the individual's absence?
- Does the employee need to use Personal Time or Vacation for their absence?
- What do I do if I hear rumors that an employee test positive?
- What information is on my Supervisor Health Screening report?
Employee FAQ
When do I need to test as an employee at Dartmouth?
You are required to test if you:
- Have COVID-19 symptoms;
- Are a close contact to someone who has COVID-19;
- Need to confirm a take-home antigen test result;
- Are instructed to test by Axiom Medical.
Read Dartmouth’s frequently asked questions on testing for more information.
What should I do if I test positive?
If you test positive for COVID-19:
- isolate immediately
- wear a face mask
- report your positive test result to Axiom Medical by calling 833-408-1338
- inform your close contacts
- For COVID-19, a close contact is anyone who was less than 6 feet away from an infected person for a combined total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. An infected person can transmit COVID-19 starting 48 hours before they developed symptoms or took a test with a positive result.
- Axiom will notify any close contacts who are Dartmouth faculty or staff
- You are responsible for notifying all of your other close contacts, including Dartmouth students.
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/if-you-were-exposed.html is available through the CDC. Dartmouth students can contact the Dartmouth College Health Service with questions about being a close contact.
- Keep your health-care provider updated, especially if you are at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
Read coping with COVID-19 and post-COVID for resources and support.
What should I do if I test negative?
If you test negative for COVID-19, you can report to work. Continue to follow Dartmouth's face-mask policy. Read through Dartmouth’s COVID-19 test result instructions to determine if you should test again.
What if I am exposed to someone with COVID-19 or identified as a close contact?
If you are exposed to someone with COVID-19 or identified as a close contact contact Axiom Medical at 833-408-1338 for instructions on testing. Additionally, through Day 10, where Day 0 is the last day you were in last in close contact with someone who has COVID-19:
What should I do if I have COVID-19 symptoms?
If you feel sick or have COVID-19 symptoms, wear a face mask, avoid close contact with others, and test immediately. If you are home when you develop symptoms, do not report to work until you test negative.
I need documentation of my recovery from COVID-19 so I can travel.
Employees should contact their heath-care provider to request this documentation. Dartmouth College cannot provide documentation or certification of recovery from COVID-19.
Supervisor FAQ
What do I do if an employee working on site notifies me that they tested positive?
If you are notified that an individual you supervise has tested positive for COVID-19, follow the steps below. Do not share private health information with others, including COVID-19 testing, isolation, and vaccination details.
- If the individual is on site, send them home immediately.
- Encourage them to contact their health-care provider (the Dartmouth College Health Service for students) and, if needed, seek emergency care.
- Instruct employees (faculty or staff) to wear a face mask and call Axiom Medcial at 833-408-1338. Employees may be prompted to leave a message with their phone number, name, and reason for their call. Calls will be returned in the order received, typically from a Texas or Utah area code. Axiom will manage the employee's isolation and return-to-work plan.
- Instruct students to follow Dartmouth’s isolation guidance, wear a face mask, and email the Dartmouth College Health Service at dicks.house.nurse@dartmouth.edu to report their positive result and ask questions about their health. Students should inform their instructors when they need to miss class, and instructors should support students' wellness and work with students to find ways for them to keep up with their academic work.
What do I tell others about the individual's absence?
Reply that they are out of the office or working remotely (for those that can continue to perform work away from campus). If asked in general what information will be shared about employee test results, isolation, or other health details, advise that you will not share any private health information and that in the event there is a confirmed case of COVID-19, close contacts will be notified by Axiom Medical, by the Dartmouth College Health Service or the student who tested positive, or by the relevant state health department. Employees with specific concerns about their health should contact their health-care provider.
Does the employee need to use Personal Time or Vacation for their absence?
Regular employees directed by Axiom Medical to remain away from the workplace/campus may use Other Lost Time (OLT) for their previously scheduled hours up to a maximum of 10 days between October 24, 2022 and June 30, 2023 or apply for short-term disability, if applicable.
What do I do if I hear rumors that an employee tested positive?
The Occupational Medicine processes and procedures will not be visible to those that are not directly involved in a given case and it can sometimes appear as if cases are not being addressed when they are. That said, if you have concerns that the appropriate Dartmouth offices are not aware of a situation, you may send an email to occupational.medicine@dartmouth.edu. Given the requirements for privacy of personal health information, it is likely that you may not be told the resolution to your inquiry; however, you can be assured that attention will be given to the matter. And, of course, speculative information about others should not continue to be shared.
What information is on my Supervisor Health Screening report?
The report shows all the employees assigned to a supervisor as listed in HRMS, the HR/Payroll system. If you do not see your employee on your report or if you have people on your report that do not report to you, or need to make updates to your employee's recorded work arrangement, please notify your finance center. The finance center will update the HRMS records appropriately.
The report also shows your employee's compliance with the COVID-19 Vaccine Policy and the employee's work arrangement designation as either On site, Hybrid, or Remote. If an employee has more than one assignment and each assignment has a different work arrangement designation, then the employee’s designation will be calculated as Hybrid. Supervisors are expected to follow-up with any employee who is not listed as 'In Compliance'.
- Informal changes in work arrangements that are for less than six weeks do not require a formal change to the employee’s recorded work arrangement designation. These informal changes may be arranged directly between the employer and the employee. This is called an ‘informal request’ and is noted online.
- Employees and supervisors who have agreed to a hybrid or fully remote work arrangement must complete an online Hybrid/Remote Work Agreement. The written agreement confirms the relevant details of the work arrangement in clear terms. Please refer to the Flexible Work at Dartmouth webpages and the visual Flexible Work Arrangement Process diagram (PDF) for details and supporting information.