Center stresses new mentality
By Lyz Mancini
Last Updated:10:43 AM EST 2/13/08 Section: News
|
"Students have the misconception that this is a drugstore, but it's a medical facility," Director of Health Services Maureen Niche said.
Although the Wellness Center offers smaller amenities such as BandAids and Tylenol, the staff is not allowed to hand them out without an appointment.
"If a student comes in with a cut finger, we have to assess the cut to make sure it isn't infected," Niche said. "If someone leaves here with an infected finger, they can say that we just gave them a BandAid instead of treating their infection."
Recently the Center has been on heightened awareness of Mersa, a staph infection that affects athletes. It requires close medical attention and can appear as a common cut or sore.
Often times students are told they cannot be given a BandAid without an assessment and they leave before finding out why.
"If a student is seriously bleeding, of course we'll take care of them as soon as we can," Niche said. "If we can't at that moment, we will give the student gauze and tell them to wait."
Besides being a liability issue, giving away paraphernalia without an appointment gives the impression that they are not a medical facility.
"You wouldn't just walk into your doctor's office at home and ask for a BandAid and expect to leave after," Niche said.
To aid the situation, the Wellness Center plans on setting up self-care stations when students walk in, so if the nurse practitioners are busy there will be a solution to be seen as soon as possible.
If a student needs a BandAid or other small solution, they will be able to fill out a self-evaluation form. There will be a list of symptoms showing whether or not the ailment is an infection. If all the answers are 'no,' then a student will be able to get a BandAid without an appointment.
There will also be an evaluation form for the common cold, so students can obtain a cold kit without seeing a nurse or doctor. The cold kit consists of salt, teas and cough drops.
Although the Wellness Center offers a variety of aids, students should remember to always call in advance. The center does cater to walk-ins, but only on a limited basis. For every scheduled appointment, there is a walk-in taken.
"We never turn a student away," Niche said. "A student might have to wait if they don't have an appointment, but the wait doesn't last much longer than fifteen minutes."
The staff at the Wellness Center stress that calling and making an appointment will alleviate stress in the long run.
"We sometimes even try and assess the person's ailment over the phone to see if they should come in," office manager Sue D'Ambrosio said. "We do the best we can."
Be the first to comment on this story