University Health Care SUCKS!

Yesterday, I went to the student health center on campus. I should have done this a long time ago, but I have been too busy. Past experience tells me that getting a new doctor can be time consuming and involved. I thought that the summer lull would be a good time to establish myself with the center, get a doctor there, and have my records transferred from my PCP in Boston. With that in mind, I called Monday to schedule an appointment. The person I spoke with was confused and brusque at first, but eventually we understood each other, and she made the appointment.

When I walked through the door yesterday, I was greeted by a computer monitor with "Self Check-in System" scrawling across it. One just swipes one's university ID and follows a series of prompts to check oneself in. I'm sure this is a very efficient system, but it felt rather impersonal. I wasn't sure what I'd gotten myself into. Then, I found my way to the waiting area, following signs as the computer system directed. After a few minutes, a nurse came in with a clipboard and forms to fill out, which was good because it gave me time to recover from my bike ride before having my blood pressure, etc. taken. When I'd filled out the forms, the same nurse took the usual measurements in a hallway-like space and ushered me into a typical examination room. The doctor came in after about ten minutes. He shook my hand and introduced himself as Dr. Andrews, but I got the feeling this friendly greeting was a common formality; there was no sincerity in his touch.

Then, Dr. Andrews sat down opposite me and asked me why I was there in a bland, bored tone. Each time I would say something, there would follow a long pause while he just sat there looking at me... or the floor. I didn't know what to say or do. It was clear that Dr. Andrews didn't think I should be there since, to my knowledge, there is nothing physically wrong with me, and he wasn't sure what to do either. He didn't even want to do the cholesterol test that was scheduled as part of the appointment. He said it was very likely my Boston PCP did one last year, and it didn't need to be done every year. He didn't examine me at all. Instead, he drew me a little map of where "medical records" was located in the building and sent me on my way to fill out forms to have my records transferred. He also told me the health center's operating hours and mentioned I could have the same doctor each time if I wanted. The way he said this made it sound like he didn't think it was necessary, normal, or desirable for me to want to see him again. Words can't express how his tone was discouraging. I walked out thinking, "Yeah, uhm, right. I'll be beating down your door. I bet they have better bedside manner in the morgue."

When I got to medical records, a kid hooked up to an iPod told me he'd be with me in a moment, and I waited while he moved around the room stuffing manila envelopes into slots. Then he gave me some forms to fill out and disappeared. Some other guy came over after a few minutes, and, again, I got twenty questions about why I was there. "No, it is not connected with any issue or appointment, per se. I'm just establishing service here. I will be at the university for awhile and would like the clinic to have my medical records."

The worst part about the experience was that each time I answered these questions, the people didn't act like they really cared what the answers were. They asked out of mild curiousity because my situation was unusual to them, but the answer didn't seem to interest them at all. The whole place acted like I was putting them out because I was there when there wasn't anything wrong with me. They assume that students are 19-22 years old, healthy, and have their own doctors elsewhere who handle routine, annual exams. The student health center is there to deal with accidents, colds, flu, and allergies. That's all. I honestly wanted to scream, "No, I'm NOT SICK. But I'm also not 19 yrs old on mommy and daddy's medical insurance back home in Iowa. I am a graduate student who lives here all the time and has the university medical insurance. I don't want to get sick. I want to have regular check-ups with a doctor who has read my records and knows me. You know, like I'm supposed to do! If you don't want to do this, you shouldn't insist that we name the student health center as our PCP on our insurance!"

Once again, graduate student life has its downsides.