Our Services

The Student Health Center (SHC) is staffed by primary care physicians and nurses with particular training and experience in college health. Some of the services offered at the health center include:

Office Visits and Virtual Visits

Depending on your location, preference and the nature of your problem we will work with you to schedule the best type of appointment to meet your needs. In order to protect the health of our patients and staff we are working to maintain physical distancing within our clinic to the greatest extent possible. We may therefore recommend starting with virtual visits when scheduling your appointment for some students who are located in Washington, DC.

Urgent Problems

Depending on the nature and urgency of the problem as well as the availability of appointments, students may be given a same-day appointment with a provider in the clinic or as a video visit. Students may also be provided with home care instructions from a nurse and offered an appointment in the following days. 

Preventive Health Care

Complete physical examinations for study abroad, scholarships, sports, or employment are available, as well as gynecological examinations and immunizations (e.g. required, routine, and travel purposes). Routine blood work, preventative health counseling and asymptomatic sexual transmitted illness screening can be completed during a complete physical exam. Please make a separate appointment for any other specific, complex complaints or multiple complaints. For most insurance plans, appointments for preventive examinations will only be allowed once every 12 months.

A well-woman exam consists of a general evaluation of menses, a breast exam, and a gynecological exam including a PAP smear (if indicated). Providers can address general menstrual questions or renew hormonal therapies already provided by the SHC. Please make a separate appointment if you would like to discuss specific gynecologic complaints, such as abnormal menses or start/renew hormonal therapies never provided by the SHC.

The Student Health Center offers chaperones during all sensitive exams. Click here for further information regarding sensitive examinations and chaperones.

Laboratory

We offer students comprehensive lab testing including:

  • Blood counts
  • Electrolyte levels
  • Pregnancy testing
  • HIV testing
  • STI screening
  • Urinalysis
  • Urine drug screening (only as part of a medical or nursing student physical)
  • These labs may be obtained through an appointment with an SHC provider or with a prescription from an outside provider. Lab Draw Hours.

Normal Lab and Imaging Results

Please see our policy regarding Lab & Imaging Results under the “After You First Visit” section.

Procedures

Procedures offered in the clinic include:

  • Allergy injections
  • Cryotherapy for Wart treatment
  • Laceration repair
  • Suture removal
  • Dressing changes
  • Ear irrigation
  • Toenail removal
  • Foreign body removal
  • Lesion removal. 
  • All procedures require an appointment.

Specialist Referrals

If your condition requires referral to a specialist, the SHC clinician will assist you to identify an appropriate specialist and provide a referral if needed.

Pre-Travel Consultation and Immunizations

  • For the latest health recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/travel.
  • The Student Health Center provides pre-travel consultations with our nurses to review health recommendations and to obtain most recommended immunizations.
  • In order for our nurses to prepare for your visit,  you will receive an email a few days prior to your travel consultation with a link to enter specific travel and health information. We ask that patients complete the questionnaire PRIOR to their appointment.
  • Students should make the determination about whether their existing health insurance provides adequate coverage to pay for travel immunizations at the Student Health Center or in the Washington, DC area. 
  • Please be advised: appointments fill up quickly due to the high number of traveling students during specific times of the year. Booking in advance is highly recommended. 
  • Due to availability, and coverage limitations, students with the GU Student Health Insurance Premier Plan are given priority for pre-travel consultations during busy times of the year.

Prescription Refills

Students with prescriptions from home can have refills provided by the Student Health Center only after consultation with a SHC physician/nurse practitioner. Students who are interested in new prescriptions can also make an appointment with an SHC provider for new medication initiation. Please see our policies below regarding specific medications.

If you need refills of a medication prescribed by an SHC provider within the past year, you should contact your pharmacy and ask them to send us an electronic refill request.

  • When a request is received your provider will review your record and determine whether it is medically appropriate to refill your medication.
  • Depending on the medication and/or the condition being treated, you may be asked to schedule a follow-up appointment or complete testing prior to your medication being refilled.
  • We do not review routine refill requests after-hours or on weekends. Please consider the time it takes for us to receive the request and evaluate your record when requesting refills.

For detailed information and policies regarding specific medications see below:

ADHD/ADD Medication

If you are seeking a prescription refill for a medication to treat ADHD or ADD that has never been provided before by the SHC, please read the Process to Obtain Prescriptions for ADHD/ADD from either CAPS or SHC. You will need to provide the documentation listed in the policy above prior to your appointment. Refills will not be provided until you are seen and all documentation is reviewed. We will require that you agree to and sign the GUH Student Health Center and GU Counseling and Psychiatric Services (SHC/CAPS) Psyco-Stimulant Policy and Patient Contract.
Once you have established care with the SHC and are able to get ADHD/ADD prescriptions with us, students should make refill appointments at least one week in advance (ideally one month in advance) and with the same provider. Students will be denied same-day ADHD/ADD prescription refill appointments.  

Hormonal Contraceptive Prescription

As a Catholic and Jesuit Institution, the Student Health Center can prescribe hormonal contraceptive prescription if medically indicated but not solely for contraception. Some examples of medical indications are: acne, irregular periods, heavy periods, cramps, and polycystic ovary syndrome. We can prescribe most medications if indicated.

PrEP for HIV

The SHC (Student Health Center) can prescribe pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP) when medically indicated. This will require an initial evaluation and office visits every 1-3 months with regular and blood and other laboratory testing tests according to CDC (Centers for Disease Control) protocol. In order to provide the best care possible, we recommend patients schedule all refill appointments with the same provider. We will not be able to accommodate same-day appointments for PrEP refills.

Billing and Payment

SHC charges for all services provided at the clinic including virtual visits. Our billing is done through MedStar Health and we therefore take almost all health insurance that provides coverage in the Washington, DC area (Kaiser and some out of state HMO’s are the most common exceptions). Your health insurance provider is billed first, but the student and/or parents are responsible for any charges not covered by insurance.

Students and parents should make the determination about whether their existing health insurance provides adequate coverage to pay for primary care services at the Student Health Center or in the Washington, DC area. The University in conjunction with the has arranged for a health insurance plan managed by the Student Health Insurance Office. See our Health Insurance Help page for links to more information on how health insurance works as well as specific resources for Georgetown University students

Most insurance requires a small co-payment be paid at each visit. Students can make any payments by cash, check, credit card or GoCard. Every effort will be made to assist where financial hardship exists.