The Wellness Center at McDaniel is often a hot topic of conversation among students. Many students have mixed reactions when it comes to the Wellness Center and its services. Some students have opted out of going to the Wellness Center altogether and would preferably go to Carroll County’s Urgent Care instead, while other students think the opposite.
McDaniel’s Wellness Center offers free medical and health consultations to all full-time students by licensed health care professionals. The clinical services offered varies from gynecological services to a self-care cold clinic. According to the McDaniel College Directory, there are six listed staff members that work in the Wellness Center, including two counselors, a nurse, a nurse practitioner, an office coordinator, and a clinical coordinator.
Here are a few students’ opinions on the Wellness Center in comparison to Carroll County’s Urgent Care:
Katie Cooper, Sophomore:
“I went to the Wellness Center for the counseling side of it and when I called them they were very helpful. They were kind of pushy to get me in an appointment and I didn’t really appreciate that because it had me miss class that I didn’t really want to missed, but when I went they were extremely helpful. They got me the resources I needed. Depending on what side of the Wellness Center you are going for depends on how fellow students overall view the Wellness Center. The health side is not that great, they sort of just tell you to get some sleep and drink some water. The counseling side is very helpful. I heard a lot of students say and the counseling side helped me out a lot. If it was for a health reason, I would rather go to Urgent Care because they are actual doctors at the Urgent Care and the Wellness Center from my experience just tell me to get some sleep, drink some water, and that wasn’t what I needed at the time. I needed actual medicine so I would rather go to Urgent Care.”
Robert Martin, Senior:
“Students certainly think the Wellness Center is a valuable resource on campus because many students don’t have cars, so they can’t drive and go see their primary care doctors. I think the Wellness Center is definitely important to the campus. I would go to Carroll County’s Urgent Care only because the pharmacy would have more medicines that go beyond typical pain relievers or cold medicine.”
Photo by Mimi Cherry
Megan Strysko, Senior:
“It was hard to make an appointment with the Wellness Center. I had to lie to say I had a fever even though I did not have a fever at that very moment. I ended up having strep so my lie worked out. Once I was there, the PA was really nice. She treated me for when I had strep for like six months so we got close. The PA is really nice. The student body views the Wellness Center as kind of useless I think, most people I talk too don’t view it as useful as it could be. I think this because most students go to the Wellness Center because they don’t feel good or have the stomach bug – they don’t understand that it is nothing you can do about it. A lot of time there are viruses going around campus that the Wellness Center can’t really do anything about. I would probably choose Urgent Care because they have more resources at the Urgent Care than the Wellness Center, but that’s the only reason why.”
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Multiple requests for comment from Dean Gerl and the Wellness Center were not fulfilled. The Wellness Center website provides other information about their services, such as that fees may be charged for some clinical services as well as certain prescription medications. A $10.00 fee will also be applied to students’ tuition accounts for any missed appointments at the Wellness Center. All full-time undergraduate students are required to have all immunizations up to date and must have completed McDaniel College Health Form. If a medical emergency occurs outside of the Wellness Center’s regular office hours (Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.), then the student should contact the Department of Campus Safety.
Depending on the reason a student may be in need for health services plays a role in if a student may choose the on campus Wellness Center or Carroll County’s Urgent Care. Both health care agencies are assets to the McDaniel College community.
