STUDENT HEALTH

All students are required to have uninterrupted health and disability insurance throughout their enrollment in the Core or SELECT programs.

The disability insurance policy must be purchased, either through the group policy made available by USF or privately. Prior to matriculation all students are required to provide proof of current health insurance to the MCOM Office of Student Affairs. Certification of current health insurance is required for each year of enrollment.

During the orientation process students are counseled about appropriate avenues for receiving medical care. Available options include continued care by the student’s personal physician, the University Student Health Center, or the USF Physicians Group. Students are advised to avoid seeking care from the latter group because of potential conflict of interest (course performance evaluations may be impacted by a prior provider-patient relationship). The Associate Dean for Student Affairs annually notifies faculty via email to avoid treating a student they might evaluate in the future, to not evaluate a student they had treated in the past, and if they are asked to evaluate a student they have treated, to immediately inform the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and the clerkship or course director, and ask to reassign the student. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs annually notifies students via email not to seek medical care by a faculty member who might evaluate them in the future, not to be evaluated by a faculty member from whom treatment had been received in the past, and if a faculty member had previously treated the student is then being asked to evaluate the student, the student is to immediately inform the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and the clerkship or course director, and ask to be reassigned. No faculty or administrators at MCOM have access to student medical records without signed release from the student.

The following information may aid students in seeking appropriate care.

Student Health Services

All students at USF are required to pay a USF Health Fee every year as part of the total tuition. The Health Fee is not an insurance premium. The Student Health Fee covers primary care; third party insurance information is collected and is used to cover the cost of any additional charges such as procedures, treatments, medications or labs that take place during the course of the visit. Subspecialty services such as dermatology, nutrition, physical therapy, etc. are associated with small charges for students with no insurance and those with insurance will have their insurance processed for these services. Subscription to a student health insurance plan requires a separate fee. The Health Fee is mandatory and entitles students to care at the Student Health Center located on the main campus or at the satellite office in the Center of Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) located near the MDD building at 124 S Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602. The services provided on a fee-for-service basis include outpatient care, a family planning clinic, and psychiatric consultation.

USF Physicians Group

Medical students may be seen by our staff at the USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare or the South Tampa Center; however, they are encouraged to seek care at the Student Health Center instead to avoid potential conflicts with grading of coursework by the professors. Physician fees incurred at the centers by medical students that are not covered by insurance payment will be billed to the student. Students will be billed for the cost of supplies, lab work sent outside of the center, and for elective procedures. If the student’s private insurance company does not cover the cost, the student is responsible for payment. This practice also applies to the student’s spouse and children.

An appointment with a faculty physician can be arranged by calling 813- 974-2201. If students have an emergent medical problem, follow the emergency procedures in a personal health insurance policy.

Confidential psychiatric consultation and counseling is readily available by directly accessing the USF Counseling Center (813-974-2831) or the HELPS Program (813-870-0184). Students can also obtain assistance for referral by contacting the Office of Student Affairs (813-974-2068).

Emotional Health and Wellness

MCOM offers several professional assistance student resources for situational stressors and life-style management issues affecting academic performance and/or the learning environment.

USF Counseling Center

Students are encouraged to contact the USF Counseling Center when facing concerns associated with academic, social, and emotional issues. To request consultation services at no charge, please call 813- 974-2831. Contact with the Counseling Center is confidential as provided within the parameters of professional ethics, and applicable federal and state laws. To avoid potential conflicts of interest or a perception of dual-role bias, students are discouraged from working with any counselors with whom they have engaged as instructors, advisors or mentors.

Wood & Associates – Health Enhancement for Lifelong Professional Students (HELPS)

The HELPS program is available to students for off-campus stress prevention and personal counseling related to a variety of concerns: psychological, legal, substance abuse, financial, academic, career, professional development, etc. The services are also extended to spouses, children and significant others. HELPS professionals are NOT USF faculty members or employees and are therefore able to maintain strict student confidentiality.

Contact Information

Wood & Associates

4700 N. Habana Avenue, Suite 300

Tampa, FL 33614

HELPS: 813-870-0184 | Out-of-area: 800-343-4670

Website: www.woodassociates.net

Who May Use the Program?

The services of HELPS are available to students, any dependent eligible for insurance benefits, and the student’s significant other, whether or not they are currently covered under the student’s health care insurance policy.

Services Offered

HELPS is not a treatment program; rather, it is an assessment, support, and referral program. The following services are offered:

Problems that can be resolved by counseling or therapy through HELPS:

1. Academic concerns
2. Learning disabilities
3. Vocational/aptitude testing
4. Career decisions
5. Interpersonal difficulties
6. Relationship problems
7. Troubled children/adolescents
8. Distress, anxiety, depression, other emotional concerns

Alcohol or drug misuse or abuse of a personal or family nature.  When students present with a substance abuse problem, the student will be provided with appropriate referrals.

Problems that are typically resolved by the courts are the following:

1. Divorce, child support
2. Property/lease suits
3. Court orders
4. Imprisonment

Money or credit problems can be counseled and assessed through HELPS.

HELPS can help students work through these other problem areas of concern:

1. Care for aged/infirm
2. Local social services
3. Domestic violence
4. Immigration
5. Sex counseling

Individual or family crisis situations such as rape, assault, robbery, suicide or other life-threatening trauma can be counseled.

Costs associated with HELPS

The first three (3) visits by students and/or each of their dependents and significant other to HELPS are at no charge to the student, their family member, or significant other. Additional contacts may be covered by the student’s behavioral health insurance plan. If any testing is recommended, the costs will be at the expense of the student, family member, or significant other, or may be covered by the student’s behavioral health insurance.

Through experience, Wood & Associates has found that many people contacting similar programs want assessment and support from a program representative for personal, learning, relationship, or other concerns. Behavioral health insurance benefits may provide coverage for concerns requiring treatment. In some cases, the HELPS representative may suggest clinics, as opposed to private practitioners, as a further step toward the lowest possible costs.

Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality

MCOM has a strict policy that students should not be evaluated academically by anyone who has a role in their health, psychiatric, or psychological care and counseling.

The student’s contact with the Office of Student and Resident Professional Development and HELPS is confidential as provided within the parameters of professional ethics, the MCOM contract, as well as applicable federal and state laws.

Office of Student and Resident Professional Development

The Office of Student and Resident Professional Development (OSRPD) complements the mission of MCOM Educational Affairs Programs and Offices to support the development of professional attributes and behaviors and to ensure that the learning environment and the standards of conduct for the faculty-learner relationship reinforce expectations for the acquisition and practice of these professionalism attributes.

The OSRPD is uniquely organized as a neutral, independent venue for the objective review of professionalism concerns as related to student learning and to facilitate learning environment assistance that promotes individual efficacy, collaborative teamwork and organizational resilience.

Student meeting objectives do not guide nor direct disclosures of personal/historical information but remain focused on student self-examination and student capacity to effectively navigate and manage environmental barriers expressly affecting the learning environment and individual achievement (to include awareness of responsibilities for competing motivations and limitations to capacity).

In an effort to facilitate meaningful disclosure and to reduce any perceptions of conflicts of interest and/or dual-role biases, the OSRPD refrains from documenting specific personal details of student meetings for purposes of evaluation and/or administrative determinations.  Students may self-refer or may be recommended to this office by other students, faculty and staff members.

Contact Information:  Dr. Kira Zwygart 813.974.2068 | kkz@usf.edu

Wellness Coaching

Wellness Coaching is a way for students to reach their goals and create the life they want. It gives students an opportunity to explore their strengths while focusing on their health and wellbeing.

Reach Goals:

• Stress Management and Burnout Prevention
• Physical Activity
• Relationships
• Sleep
• Healthy Eating
• Time Management
• Self-confidence
• ...and so much more!

 To set-up a meeting, visit here.

Wellness Council

In addition to the more formal services described above, the MCOM Wellness Council is a collaborative effort among students, faculty, the MCOM Office of Student Diversity and Enrichment, and the MCOM Office of Student Affairs. The purpose of the Wellness Council is to promote academic, financial, mental/spiritual, nutritional, and physical wellness among the students and faculty. Students are invited to attend the regular events organized by the Wellness Council.

Peer Support Network

The Peer Support Network is a group of senior medical students that act as a resource and a bridge to formalized mental health services. MS4s noticed a significant amount of stress, burnout and depression amongst medical students especially during second and third years and decided to form a group that could help students cope and prevent depression. As senior students, they are able to provide guidance and mentorship to younger students. A member of the network is available to meet for coffee or by phone, on or off campus, on evenings and weekends within 48-72 hours. Complete the Qualtrics survey, HERE, to connect with the network and set up a meeting.