The first week of classes, I came down with an extremely bad cold. By the second week, the cold had turned into a sinus infection so bad that I was forced to skip class and go to the doctor’s office. I had only visited the Student Health Center once before and that was so I could turn in my vaccination report before classes started. I knew that it was a huge building with multiple floors and that it had its own pharmacy right inside the door on the first floor, but I had never been there for an appointment. I walked over to the information desk to ask them for help because I didn’t feel good and wanted nothing more than to figure out what it was I had. There was a woman at the information desk and I asked her where I was supposed to check in if I needed to create an appointment. She told me to sign into the little kiosk across from her desk by swiping my BuckID and explain why I needed an appointment. Then I was told to wait my turn in line. It was so early in the morning that there was no line so I was immediately helped by another woman at a computer a short distance away from the information desk. I sat down in her chair and she asked why I was there and I explained my symptoms, which at the time I had thought was strep throat. She asked for all of my information and my insurance card (I do not have health insurance through Ohio State, but I recommend getting it especially if you take a trip to the health center, it just makes the process of checking in and making an appointment so much easier). She scheduled me an appointment for half an hour later. I stayed in the health center during that time and emailed Jen (the STEM EE advisor) letting her know I would also be missing her class. The half hour passed and I had my appointment. My appointment was on the second floor. As soon as I got to the second floor, I was checked in my the nurses at the desk and was asked to have a seat in the waiting room down the hall. They called my name after about ten minutes and the nurse brought me into one of the rooms and did all of the work that nurses do before the doctor came in. In between the nurse leaving and the doctor coming into the room, I fell asleep because I couldn’t stay awake. When the doctor came in, he asked how I was feeling immediately. I described my symptoms to him and explained to him how long I’d been having the symptoms. He diagnosed me with a sinus infection and prescribed me with antibiotics that would get rid of it within a week. It took a little longer than a week to get over, but I’m much better now!
Overall, I would say the trip to the health center was a success (despite me being sick). The building itself was very clean and well sanitized, as I had expected it to be. I expected there to be no one readily available to help me set up an appointment with the doctor after I was told to input some of my information into the kiosk, but the faculty and staff were very kind and helped me find my way around the center.
This is the sign on the front of the building.
This is the first floor, right inside the door.
This was the desk of the nurses who took my blood pressure.
This is the waiting room I sat in when I finally had my appointment.