Dear Director,

It used to be that I could walk in to Thagard to see a nurse and get a note for missing class, but now they tell me I have to make an appointment to see someone. How come the procedure has changed?

Our procedure has changed because students told us to change it! According to the Patient Satisfaction Surveys that students fill out when they come to Thagard, wait times to see clinicians were too long when we accepted walk-ins. We’ve listened to your concerns and modified our system so that by making an appointment, you won’t have to wait to be treated.

“We are now an appointment-based system and no longer accept walk-ins,” said Barbara Childers, Thagard’s Director of Nursing. “If you walk in to the health center we’ll schedule you an appointment instead of working you in. This system is being implemented to better serve you, our patients, and to utilize our resources more efficiently.”

In the past, students were able to walk in and see a nurse in the triage clinic, where they would receive a verification of visit form. And yes, I know some students visited triage just to get an excuse for missing class, but you can’t do that anymore. We have eliminated the triage clinic for a couple of good reasons, not just to thwart your efforts to excuse yourself from class!

“We eliminated triage for two reasons,” said Childers. “To better utilize our nursing staff and because about 80 percent of the students who went through the clinic went on to see a clinician anyway. We just eliminated that step.”

Now you will need to call our centralized appointment line at 644-4567 or come in to make an appointment. When you see the clinician, you’ll get a visit verification, but keep in mind that this won’t work as an excuse for missing class. Only if the clinician writes discharge orders like bed rest will the verification be considered an excuse. Remember, students caught filling in the discharge instructions themselves will be subject to disciplinary action, and professors generally call us for verification.

Appointments are available on a first come, first served basis so call to set yours early in the morning. You may not be able to get in the same day, but we’ll always try to accommodate you within 48 hours or give you the next available appointment.

We do keep a few emergency walk-in appointments open throughout the day, so if you experience urgent symptoms like excessive bleeding, vomiting so much you can’t keep fluids down, chest pain, fever over 101 degrees, a fractured bone, difficulty breathing, or an extremely swollen sore throat, call the central appointment line or come to Thagard, and we will schedule you an appointment with a clinician as soon as possible.

Many students who visited the triage clinic will remember that the nurse gave them handouts explaining over-the-counter treatments for upper respiratory, gastrointestinal and skin conditions. If you’re wondering where to go now for this information, you can find these flyers in the pharmacy and at the information desk.

Thagard is continually looking for ways to serve our students more quickly and efficiently, so when you said wait times were a concern, we did something about it! With the appointment-based system, wait times have decreased considerably because walk-in patients no longer have to linger for hours to see a clinician. I know this change will serve students better at the same time it utilizes our resources more proficiently. Remember, when you need to see a Thagard clinician, call the appointment line at 644-4567 to make an appointment.