While much has changed at Minnesota State University the past few years, Amelia Johnson is glad that one thing, at least, has stayed the same.
“I’ve had the same doctor since I started here,” said Johnson, who counts herself among the 5,000 students annually who use the university’s Student Health Services. “They’ve all been very helpful whenever I’ve come to them with anything.”
Johnson can be glad something else has stayed the same, too: Student Health Services has been reaccredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, an achievement that keeps it among a vast minority of college or university health services departments.
Accreditation is not required for college and university clinics, but it certainly lends some credibility to the services a clinic offers. MSU has been accredited since 2000.
“We want to demonstrate to students that they are getting the best services we can provide, and the best way for us to do that is to let our services be compared to national benchmarks and be evaluated,” said Christine Connolly, director of MSU’s Student Health Services. “It is not about prestige — it is about our commitment to providing quality services that are affordable for students.”
And right now — early in fall semester — is a busy time at Student Health Services.
In addition to regular requests for appointments, the international, nursing and dental hygiene students are being screened for tuberculosis. Varsity athletes all have to have physicals to be eligible to play. Some freshmen and new students want meningitis and other vaccines.
Plus, many new freshmen come for their first visit, and charts need to be set up for them and histories taken.
“Staff are working extremely hard so students have everything they need to register, play sports and attend classes,” Connolly said.
Student Health Services provides a full-service medical clinic with laboratory, pharmacy and health-education services. Five primary care providers offer primary and acute care, treatment of illness, injuries, allergies, and vaccinations as well as many common treatment procedures.
Getting reaccredited, Connolly said, was important to the university. Only about 10 percent of college and university health services in the U.S. are accredited, and many never even apply for it.
To be accredited, a college or university health service must meet standards in several areas, including patient rights, governance and administration, quality of care for patients, medical records standards, quality improvement, safety, facilities and environment.
Accreditors also look at health education, research, laboratory and pharmacy services, urgent care and other clinical areas. They also assess the clinic’s charges and how it bills patients, and review several clinic charts to assess the care the clinic provides.
Going through the preparation process in anticipation of the accreditors’ visit, Connolly said, prompted them to make several improvements. They also conduct annual satisfaction surveys and make changes based on the results.
Among the changes are the addition of a consultant psychiatrist, availability of more online resources for students and less waiting.
Use of the student health services is growing as well. While Connolly didn’t provide growth figures, she said the clinic is visited by about 5,000 students annually, or roughly a third of the total student population. (The number of visits is much higher, Connolly said.)
The clinic also sees students in training rooms and offer off-site services such as flu-shot and general wellness clinics throughout campus in classrooms, residence halls or at campus events.
Gauging student use, Connolly said students use the clinic as their primary care facility.
“This includes physical exams, annual exams for women, treatment of illnesses, injuries, allergies, asthma, etc. Colds and flu are probably the most common services of every clinic and this is true here also,” she said. “(They also use us for) immunizations and allergy shots, birth control, and treatment for sports and other injuries.”
Student Whitney Barringer, a junior from Red Wing, said the clinic was a convenient place for her to go when she had strep throat.
“It was handy because I could just walk there,” she said.
But she doesn’t go there anymore, she said, because of the hours. When she needed medical attention on a Sunday, they weren’t open, she said.
“I go somewhere else now,” she said. “The hours weren’t helpful.”
Connolly said they try to work with students and their needs, which sometimes means dealing with uninsured students.
About 15 percent of the students who come to Student Health Services are uninsured. All students are welcome, she said.
“Our fees are very reasonable,” she said, “and keeping costs affordable allows everyone to access our services.”
For Johnson, the graduate student, going to the Student Health Services feels like going to any other clinic.
“People have told me they’re just as happy with the service here as anywhere else,” she said.
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