Main Campus Services

Student Health Services (SHS) can provide refills for students taking prescription medications for Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD). SHS does not provide testing for ADD/ADHD.Stimulant medications for ADD/ADHD are Class II narcotics and are governed by federal and state laws and regulations. SHS will refill these medications only if the below requirements are met:

• Written documentation must include a copy of a formal evaluation or formal diagnosis of ADD/ADHD from a mental health medical provider (e.g. psychologist, psychiatrist, physician assistant or nurse practitioner working in a mental health setting). Student Health Service (SHS) providers do not accept clinical notes alone from a primary care physician, family physician, or pediatrician as an acceptable form of diagnostic documentation.
• The student must also provide documentation showing recent treatment for ADD/ADHD. If the student has not had treatment within the past five years, they will be required to be formally reevaluated for ADD/ADHD by a mental health provider and present documentation prior to stimulant medication being restarted by SHS.
• Students will not possess a controlled substance without a legitimate prescription, or give or sell these medications to others. This is illegal and potentially dangerous.
• Appointments are required monthly for ADD/ADHD refills. No refills will be given through our triage service or by phone.
• By law prescriptions cannot be called to a pharmacy. Under most circumstances, SHS providers will only write for a 30 day supply with no refills.
• No renewal of the prescription is allowed earlier than 25 days from the previous prescription date.
• There will be no replacement for lost, stolen, or damaged prescriptions. There are no exceptions to this policy.
• Random drug testing, at the student’s expense, will be performed. Prescriptions will be held until results return from testing. If the drug testing results are not aligned with the student’s prescribed plan of care, further refills will be denied.
• SHS Providers will review the North Carolina Controlled Substance Reporting System to ensure students are filling prescriptions properly.

Students who do not keep their follow-up appointments will not be able to receive a renewed prescription until he or she returns for an appointment. There will be continued monitoring of blood pressure, heart rate, side effects, response to therapy, compliance, and illicit drug use. In accordance with North Carolina general statutes, students filling prescriptions at the pharmacy must provide a government issued ID to receive their medication; it may be in the form of a state issued driver’s license, state issued DMV identification card, or passport. No exceptions will be made.

Read our Sample Agreement for Stimulant Medications to find out what SHS requires of students seeking ADD/ADHD prescriptions.

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Illness

Acute problems
Student Health Services (SHS) treats a variety of illnesses through the medical clinic. Visits for symptoms of colds, sinus infections, strep throat, mono, ear infections, and flu are the most common. Other frequent conditions that are evaluated in the clinic are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, urinary problems, abdominal pain, gynecological issues, skin conditions, eye infections, sexually transmitted infections, fatigue, and headaches. If you need evaluation, please schedule an appointment by calling (252) 328-6841, visiting our appointment office inside the health center, or by scheduling via myPIRATEchart.

Have some of the symptoms above but you are not sure if you need an appointment? Visit our self care guides to see if you can safely treat your problem at home or if you need to see a provider. You can also call (252) 328-6841 and ask to leave a message for a nurse to return your call to discuss your health care concern.

Looking for an over-the-counter medication? Visit our pharmacy to get recommendations from our pharmacists.

Chronic issues
Do you have a chronic condition that requires medication management or frequent monitoring? SHS providers can evaluate and manage many chronic illnesses and conditions, ranging from asthma to diabetes to irritable bowel syndrome to high blood pressure.

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Injuries

Whether you are injured as a result of club or varsity sports, through exercising, lifting boxes, because you missed a step and twisted your ankle, or even if you have a lingering pain from high school, Student Health is here for you. Our providers can evaluate your injury, obtain x-rays if needed (we have digital x-ray onsite in the Main Campus SHS), recommend treatment plans, and even provide splints, braces, or crutches if your injury requires further management. All of our providers can treat injuries, and in addition, we house the team physician for ECU, who specializes in Sports Medicine.

Break a bone? We will take care of setting up your referral appointment at the local orthopedics office.

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Nursing services

Nurses at SHS provide many services to patients. If you need assistance with, or a visit for one of the following services, our nurses can help. Call (252) 328-6841 for an appointment, stop in to our appointment office inside the Student Health Center, or go to myPIRATEchart to schedule (online appointments available for our Main Campus SHS).

Blood pressure check
Do you want to keep an eye on your blood pressure? Or maybe your provider has asked you to return to have it checked a few times? Our nurses can help you monitor your blood pressure by checking it for you. This is only a measurement of your blood pressure; if you need to see a provider or are having any symptoms, please make an appointment with a provider. There is no charge for this service.

Suture or staple removal
If you have sutures or staples that need removal, our nurses can provide this service. It does not matter if you received the skin closures here or at an outside facility.

Dressing changes
If a SHS provider has instructed you to return for dressing changes, or if you need to continue wound care from an outside provider, our nurses can help. If you have been seeing an outside provider, please fax or bring us your wound care instructions from your provider (frequency of dressing changes, what supplies you will need, etc). Please note: SHS does not do dressing changes involving Wound Vacs.

Outside lab orders
SHS can perform lab work that is ordered by an outside provider as long as the provider has an active LabCorp account. The order MUST contain the following information:

1. Ordering providers name, office address, phone number, fax number and 8 digit LabCorp account number
2. Patient’s name and date of birth
3. Name of test(s) to be performed (must include the LabCorp 6 digit number)
4. Associated diagnosis (ICD-10) code
5. Frequency of test (one time, weekly, monthly, etc)
6. Signature of ordering provider

A copy of current insurance information is also required. The outside order information can be on a prescription note pad, official letterhead from the ordering office, or this form can be taken to the ordering provider to be filled out.

Please send the lab order and a copy of the insurance information prior to scheduling an appointment at SHS so we can ensure all required information has been obtained; the order and copy of insurance card can be faxed to (252)328-0462 or scanned/emailed to shsmedfax@ecu.edu.

Tuberculosis (TB) skin test readings
Did you receive a PPD (TB skin test) that needs to be evaluated? Our nurses can “read” your test and give you a copy of the results. TB skin tests must be “read” 48-72 hours after placement; once this time frame expires, the test is no longer valid and must be repeated at the patient’s expense. Did an outside facility place the TB skin test? We can read it for you as long as you bring documentation of when the test was placed.

Titers, TB Gold testing, Sickle Cell testing or urine drug screens
Students needing titers (hepatitis b, varicella, or measles/mumps/rubella), TB Gold testing, Sickle cell testing, or urine drug screens performed may make a nurse appointment. The nurse can order the testing and advise you of how to obtain results. This service is only for the lab work itself; if you need a physical exam as well, you must make an appointment with a provider. The physical appointment with a provider will include the actual exam, any needed lab work or testing, as well as completion of any necessary forms/paperwork.

Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening
Students who are NOT currently experiencing ANY symptoms can utilize our nurse service for STI screening. Nurses can order testing for gonorrhea/chlamydia through a urine, oral or rectal specimen, blood testing for syphilis, and/or blood testing for HIV. The appointment is quick–no physical exam needed! Please be sure NOT to urinate within 1 hour of your appointment (or, if you want oral screening, do not eat/chew/drink for an hour before), and make sure it has been at least a week since last sexual contact, before coming in for screening. Charges for lab tests vary; please inquire about pricing prior having any lab work performed.

The nurse service for STI screening is not for students needing a gynecological exam for birth control, an annual physical, or evaluation for genital warts/sores/lesions; these visits require a provider appointment for evaluation. Please see the Women’s health, Men’s health, or LGBT health pages for more specialized information.

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Physicals

Students need physicals for a variety of reasons: for a department requirement, an internship, a job, a volunteer experience, etc. Student Health can provide physical exams and any necessary lab testing and/or vaccinations for most types of physicals* that are related to academic or employment opportunities.

The actual physical exam for academic requirements is free for students who pay a health fee, but if your physical requires lab testing, x-rays, diagnostic tests, vaccines or tuberculosis testing, you will be responsible for those charges. Please check with your program, job, or specific agency requiring the physical about what tests or other treatments are needed for your physical. Students needing a non-academic physical (for a job, to volunteer, etc) will be charged a physical fee in addition to any needed lab work or vaccinations.

To make an appointment for a physical, you must either call (252) 328-6841 or stop by the appointment office at Student Health; currently appointments for physicals cannot be made online.

For physical appointments:
– You need to arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of your appointment time and you must bring any necessary paperwork that must be filled out or signed by Student Health personnel. Please ensure all paperwork has your name filled in as well as any other sections that are your responsibility. Student Health does not provide forms from departments; it is your responsibility to provide any needed paperwork.
– Check with your department about deadlines for physicals. Student Health will make every effort to accommodate your preferred time and date for scheduling, but be aware that we do a large number of physicals and you should not wait until right before your deadline or you may not be able to get an appointment.
– Keep in mind that many tests, including tuberculosis tests, take several days before results are available. If you wait to schedule until right before your physical is due, you will not meet your deadline.
– Be advised, students who fail to cancel at least an hour prior to their scheduled appointment time will be considered a “no show/late cancellation” and will have a fee charged to their cashier account.

 * Be advised, if the physical is not for an established, official academic or employment reason, Student Health reserves the right to refuse to perform the physical. Some examples of physicals we do not provide: immigration physicals through the Department of Homeland Security, physicals for recreational permits or licenses, DMV physicals, or physicals for life insurance. Requests for physicals other than those stated above may be considered on a case by case basis by in consultation with the Medical Director or Director, based on, among other factors, time constraints. 

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Prescription refills

Students often need refills for birth control, thyroid medication, asthma inhalers, depression/anxiety pills, and many other types of prescription medications. Our providers can, with proper documentation, write for prescription refills if patients are current with their treatment regiments. Medication refills are seen by appointment only.

If you have refills remaining on a current prescription, you can have it transferred to our pharmacy. Not sure if your latest prescription filled at Student Health Services (SHS) has refills left? Call our pharmacy at (252)328-6841, and they can check for you.

Birth control:
Students must have a current annual women’s visit and screening for STIs performed within the last year, either done at SHS or at an outside provider. If done at an outside office, SHS must have the records on file before your appointment for your refill. For more information, visit the “Contraceptive Counseling” tab on our Reproductive/Sexual Health Page.

All other refills:
Records must be on file with SHS regarding the patient’s medical history, including current diagnosis, and prescription medication information. SHS does not accept empty pill bottles as adequate proof of a prescription. For specific ADD/ADHD information, please see tab on the top of this page.

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Procedures

Student Health Services (SHS) performs some common procedures of the skin, such as:

• toenail removals
• incision and drainage of boils and abscesses
• skin tag removals
• removal of warts
• mole removals

All of these procedures require an appointment, and some are done in a two step process: first you make an evaluation appointment, then, upon a provider recommending the procedure, you will return for a second appointment to have the actual procedure performed. Call us at (252) 328-6841 to schedule.

Unfortunately, due to sun exposure and frequent tanning, we do see a lot of students who have suspicious moles that need biopsy and removal. Unsure of what a suspicious mole looks like? Make an appointment to have a SHS provider check for you.