If a student wakes up in the middle of the night, her throat hurting, lymph nodes swollen, and running a fever, she might be tempted to have a suitemate carry her to Student Health and Counseling Services. Instead of waking up the roommate, though, a student suffering from late night sickness should now grab the phone.

This fall, Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS) instituted a new policy that shortened nurse coverage to 11:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and extended doctor appointments until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Once 11:30 p.m. strikes, Nurse Response, a non-University-affiliated nurse answering service contracted by the University, is now substituted for personal coverage. Prior to this year, SHCS staffed a 24-hour infirmary.

The number of nurses answering incoming calls varies and is determined by day and time of the week. As part of the University’s contract with Nurse Response, nurses must answer incoming calls within a certain time frame.

Debra Harp, associate director of SHCS, outlined the procedure Nurse Response follows when it receives a call from a student.

“When a student calls in, his call is answered by a triage nurse, who determines whether the call is urgent or a cold situation,” Harp said. “The nurse will then direct the student to self-care and schedule him for an appointment for the following morning, or send him to the emergency room.”

SHCS cited monetary reasons for the change in their coverage. Harp said that “the 24-hour infirmary was not a huge need” and that “Nurse Response allowed the University to more effectively utilize its resources.”

SHCS closely reviews the advice Nurse Response gives to students. Thus far, Harp has reported that the phone-line service has been “working well” and “has not had any issues.” Further, she said, Nurse Response has been able to answer each call immediately.

“The students are better served by this because we have more nurses to attend to their needs than before,” Harp said. “We are now able to handle multiple students instead of just one.”

Despite Harp’s optimism, many students on campus remain skeptical of the new policy. Senior Jamey Eckstein, previously unaware of the changes, said that he prefers a system of 24-hour coverage.

“It seems like they should have someone there 24 hours a day,” Eckstein said. “It doesn’t seem like you can get the same treatment over the phone that you can get in person.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, the SHCS Web site had not been updated to reflect the changes in the nurses’ schedule.

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