In high school, when students got sick, teachers would send them to the nurse’s office, and then they would be sent home. But in college things are different, and students must learn to take care of themselves and get the care they need.
Incoming students will soon learn they have two main options for medical attention: the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center and Student Health Advocates living in the dorms.
Shrouded in the large size of the UCLA campus, the Ashe Center and the SHAs can provide medical attention to students – with certain limitations new students might not be aware of.
For students living in the residence halls, the SHAs are the first line of defense when students start to feel ill.
“Student volunteers are trained through the health education (program) – which is part of Ashe – and they provide direct access,” said Jo Ann Dawson, director of primary care at the Ashe Center.
Though extensively trained, the SHAs provide limited first aid, which basically means they can dispense Tylenol and Band-Aids, Dawson added.
“They’re essentially allowed to give out over-the-counter medication. That and condoms,” said Candy Hernandez, a third-year biochemistry student who was a program assistant at Delta Terrace last year.
And while the SHAs can give out medication such as Advil, they lack many other necessities such as Pepto-Bismol and cough medicine, Hernandez added.
In addition to the lack of medicine the SHAs can provide, their limited capacity to cure aches and pains hampers their effectiveness.
“Last year my friend hurt her foot while doing ballerina moves on the stairs. When she went to the SHA, he sent her to Ashe,” Hernandez said.
For most students in the residence halls, the SHAs are students who can give out medication, have gone through first-aid training, and aren’t equipped to do much else.
Students often get directed to the Ashe Center, and it is there that aches and pains get extended attention.
“We provide an array of services which includes primary care for the typical acute illnesses, injuries, and the monitoring of chronic illness,” Dawson said.
The Ashe Center has attempted to avail itself to students as much as possible. As a result, the center has implemented a same-day appointment service.
There are three different ways to get an appointment at the Ashe Center and any UCLA student is welcome to make an appointment, Dawson said.
Students can go online to the Ashe Center Web site, call early in the morning or simply walk into the office.
“Most of our appointments are now also same-day and we’ve found that it’s easier for students to keep their appointments when they’re same-day,” said Michele Pearson, director of ancillary services.
The Ashe Center caters to a wide range of ailments with a variety of specialty care centers – such as cardiology, dermatology and orthopedics – so that students do not have to go far for the care they require, Dawson said.
For many incoming students at UCLA, the Student Health Insurance Plan often causes the most confusion.
Questions about what SHIP is and whether students really need the insurance often arise.
“SHIP is supplementary insurance and it complements the services at the Ashe Center ... It’s basically for hospitalization and emergencies,” Pearson said.
Many fees at Ashe are covered under SHIP and if not, they are at a discounted rate, Pearson added.
“SHIP is a package that involves medical, behavioral and optometric services,” Pearson said.
But whether or not students have SHIP, the Ashe Center provides many medical services to the entire UCLA student body.
Ashe physicians and administrators say that student availability and accessibility is their primary concern and direct students to their Web site for any questions they might have.
Visit the Ashe Center Web site at www.studenthealth.ucla.edu.