Claire:
I felt that this question was appropriate since both me and Ethan were sick recently so we both have some fresh experience feeling under the weather. It can be difficult when you’re not feeling well to make a good decision about where to go to help yourself feel better. Over the past three and a half years at Stevens, I’ve had to go to all of the various ERs and urgent cares multiple times, and there are definitely a few things I wish I had known while choosing which treatment option to go with. First, I want everyone to know that the Stevens Health Center can handle nearly any problem that you will deal with as a student. They can prescribe medications, perform tests for many diseases and infections, and do most things that urgent care can do. If you’re sick or have a minor injury, I would recommend the Student Health Center as your first stop. However, if you think you need an X-ray, CityMD is the way to go. Additionally, I’ve heard that the Student Health Center isn’t great with concussions or more severe injuries, so I would go to CityMD or (if you’re a varsity athlete) the athletic trainers. If you think you have a severe concussion or injury, definitely go directly to Hoboken University Medical Center (the ER). Neither the Health Center nor CityMd have an ultrasound or CT scan machine, so if you have severe abdominal pain that you think might be something like appendicitis, you should go to the ER. Another thing to know is that you can take a Stevens Shuttle to the ER at any time of day, so definitely utilize that if you can.
Ethan:
I feel as if I may be able to share some good insight as I was recently ill and spent a lot of my time in my room being cranky and sad. When I get sick, I first tend to gauge how poorly I feel on a quantifiable scale. Perhaps rating the sickness from 1 to 10 or that scale from a smiley to frowny face you get at the doctor’s office. Typically, if I feel around a five, or the straight face, I will try to spend some time in and get some good rest, but the cogs must continue to turn, and I must persevere. However, when the scale starts to tread into frowny-face territory, I will take some Advil™ and spend my day in my room trying to get some rest. If I feel a little worse, I will try to find and take some medicine for however I am feeling. At the upper echelon of this scale, there is typically a red face that is crying, only then, and only then, will I consider the possibility of medical intervention. This typically looks like a call to the Stevens Health Center asking them what I should do, and about 80% of the time, I opt not to take their advice. Frequently, when ill, I spend so much time contemplating what to do about it that by the time I finally decide, I feel better. My best advice for handling yourself when you feel sick is to do what you want. As long as you aren’t feeling like a red crying face, you will probably be fine!
