If you need to schedule an appointment, you can do so by calling the Health Center at 765-285-8431.
The Ball State Health Center will no longer accept walk-ins for students in need of medical assistance. With the start of the new school year, students are now required to schedule an appointment in order to see a medical provider or nursing staff at the university's clinic.
“This was a student-driven decision, and we are very excited to see it come to fruition," medical director Dr. Deidre Dorman said. "We perform a patient satisfaction survey each semester and for years students have expressed a desire for appointments."
Dorman said the previous walk-in model resulted in long wait times for students to be seen by either nursing staff or by a healthcare provider.
In an effort to eliminate the long wait times, health center staff have spent the past year working to implement the transition from walk-in to appointment-based scheduling.
If students wish to be seen by medical staff immediately, health center staff urges students to call early in order to secure an appointment for later that day, and if there are multiple health concerns, there must be multiple appointments to deal with each concern individually.
“In the past, they had us make appointments for vaccines or if you needed physicals and that was nice because you knew when you could go in,” senior Mikalah Gribbell said. “From the administrative side, I think it will help them to be more fluid and have lower wait times, but at the same time I don’t think it’s a good choice to take away the urgent care aspect of the Health Center because that was a nice convenience to have rather than having to find transportation off of campus.”
Dorman insisted, however, that the new system will expedite health center vists. The required appointments prevent students from waiting in the lobby for hours at a time, ensuring that students are able to attend class.
Journalism professor Suzy Smith, who recently visited the Health Center, said while
“I think the move to an appointment-based system is a great idea. As a faculty member, there’s nothing you hate more than to hear a student or to have a student email you and say, 'I’m sorry I’ve missed class, I’ve been sitting in the Health Center all day waiting to be seen,' and so this way if you’re making an appointment you know when you have classes,” Smith said. "I think it makes it easier for everyone."
Students are asked to
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