Purpose
The Student Health Center understands that illness and injury may impact a student's ability to attend every class or to carry out regular activities. It is the intent of this policy to articulate how the Student Health Center will assist students during these stressful times. Our primary response in each student encounter will be to advise students of their responsibility to notify professors and to make arrangements for missed classes or assignments directly with each professor, preferably before missing a class. This approach encourages students, as an emerging adults and leaders, to advocate for themselves and to take responsibility for their health and actions.
If however, a student is in need of additional assistance with faculty notification, the Student Health Center will follow the policy and procedures listed below.
Policy
The Student Health Center will provide medical notes when current clinical findings indicate the student is too ill or the injury too severe to safely recommend that individual to attend class or carry out regular campus activities. The medical and nursing staff will assess this based on the severity of signs and symptoms and make this recommendation as part of the treatment plan.
The Student Health Center will not write a note if there is no specific recommendation made by the medical and nursing staff to limit daily activities as part of the treatment plan. This means that the student's clinical sign and symptoms did not pose a safety risk to attending class or carrying out regular campus activities.
A student who comes to the Student Health Center stating that they were sick or injured and missed class because of illness or injury but were not seen for that illness or injury in the Student Health Center will not be given a note unless their current clinical findings support a recommendation to limit activities as part of the treatment plan.
It is not the intent of the Student Health Center to use this policy to exempt students from class responsibilities or to interfere with individual professor's requirements for class attendance or coursework assignments. It is ultimately the responsibility of the student to comply with each professor's course requirements and policy for missed classes.
Procedure
A student must first notify professors directly of an illness/injury.This notification can be done by e-mail or phone. If after notification the student needs a written note, the student must request a written notification for professors. The student must sign a Release of Information form indicating who will receive the notification. The student must meet the Policy criteria listed above and the medical record must indicate that a recommendation was made by the Health Center physician or nursing staff to limit class and or work attendance as part of the treatment plan. If all of these steps are met, the Student Health Center will issue one note per illness for the student to share with professors and employers.
Emergency Situations
In the event a student is admitted to the hospital or is in other unusual circumstances, and is unable to notify professors, with the student's written or verbal permission, the Student Health Center will notify the appropriate Associate Dean. The Dean will, in turn, send notification to appropriate faculty.