Fighting Illness at Vanderbilt
With the cold and flu season in full swing and living in a college dorm, avoiding sickness is pretty difficult. In the month of November, I had to battle dreaded illness not once, but twice, which didn’t make for a particularly fun time, especially for someone who is rarely sick. It seemed that every time I tried talking, laughing, or even breathing I ended up coughing as if my body wanted to get rid of my lungs.
After a little apprehension, my friends (and parents back home) convinced me to head over to the Student Health Center. I called in the morning and easily set up an appointment for that afternoon, an extremely easy process. When I arrived, I checked in at the electronic kiosk before taking care of my insurance information at the desk after they called my name. Vanderbilt offers student health insurance, but because I have private insurance, I had to get all of the information in the system. The staff was helpful in assisting me set up everything, making for a seamless process. I set up a My Health at Vanderbilt account, a super helpful site that allows for you to message your doctor, see records and lab results, and pay bills. I saw my doctor, and he gave me some prescriptions, which I easily picked up at the CVS right by campus (a short and convenient walk from Commons).
Over a much-needed and relaxing Thanksgiving break, I seemed to overcome my sickness, ready to tackle finals when I arrived back on campus. But with my luck, after only only six hours back on campus, I developed new symptoms that sent me to the ER at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Vanderbilt’s medical center is located on campus, giving all students easy access to their facilities. In fact, it only took about five minutes for me to walk over to the ER, which is extremely convenient when you don’t have a car to drive around the city, but also don’t need an ambulance. Not to mention, Vandy’s medical center has top-notch care, so it’s a win-win situation.
When I arrived, I had a very short wait time before I was taken back and given care. Unfortunately, I had to spend the entire night in the ER, but the doctors and nurses were all friendly and attentive and made the night much more bearable. I received excellent care and was back to classes after another day of rest. The ER department takes care of notes for missing class, not only for time in the ER (if you are there during the school day), but also for following days if they order rest. The doctors also had me follow up with the Student Health Center the next day to make sure everything was okay, so needless to say, they are taking extremely good care of me here at Vanderbilt, even eight hours away from home.
Rest assured, the care and health resources on campus are excellent. If you have any questions about the available resources on campus, please feel free to send me an email!
Stay well and be kind,
Elizabeth
elizabeth.h.paul@vanderbilt.edu