Rapid Care

• Student Health will not accept allergy serum vials in the mail.  Students must arrange to pick up both their serum and shot instructions from their ordering office or have it mailed directly to them in the residence hall/off campus apartment.  Any allergy serum sent to SHS via mail is returned to the ordering office.
• Patients are required to wait 30 minutes post injection.  NO exceptions.  Patients who refuse to wait the required time may be discharged from the allergy injection service.
• Patients who frequently arrive late or miss their schedule appointments may be discharged from the allergy injection service. 
• SHS does not mix allergy serum nor do we provide allergy testing.  In order to receive allergy injections at SHS, patients must have already started allergy shots and be progressing without significant reactions.  Shot instructions must be brought to SHS and we will follow the buildup schedule ordered by the patient’s home allergy provider.
• Allergy serum may be signed out over break or holiday periods if a patient would like to resume injections at home while away from ECU.  Patients are responsible for the care and handling of serum if it is checked out of SHS.
• Our allergy appointments are popular, and we may not be able to accommodate a student at the last minute.  Allergy patients are expected to pre-schedule all of their injection appointments.  On the rare occasion that our allergy nurses are unavailable or appointments have to be bumped, we will make every effort to reschedule the student for a time and day that is most convenient to their schedule.

Using Depo?  SHS can administer your injection when you need it. Depo-Provera is a prescription medication that requires a provider order.  If you have never been on Depo but would like to start, or maybe you have been on it previously but let your prescription expire, visit Contraceptive Counseling information on our Women's Health page for more information.

Curious about what Depo-Provera is, effectiveness, how it works, side effects, etc?  Read more at WebMd.

First time Depo patients:
So you have gotten a prescription for Depo here at SHS or at an outside provider and want to start on Depo…..what now?

1. Make an appointment with the Rapid Care nurse for your first Depo injection to be given during the first 5 days of your period.  You can schedule by calling (252) 328-6841 or stopping by the appointment office inside SHS.  It is important that you start your Depo shots while you are having menstrual bleeding.  Please tell the appointment person when you schedule that the appointment is your first injection.
2. If your prescription is from an outside provider, we must have your records of your previous gynecological exam before we can administer your injection.  Please fax them to (252) 328-0462 prior to your appointment.
3. Take your prescription to the SHS pharmacy or to an outside pharmacy.  You will need to pick up your vial of Depo right before you check in for your appointment with the Rapid Care nurse.  The Rapid Care nurse does not keep the Depo medication in her office. Pharmacy may take 15-20 minutes to fill your prescription (maybe longer at an outside pharmacy depending on volume) and we do not allow patients to check in late even if they were delayed by waiting on their prescription, so please take this into account when scheduling and arriving for your visit.
4. Once you have your vial of medication, check in at the front desk or at a self check in kiosk. 
   
5. The Rapid Care nurse will talk to you about Depo, take your blood pressure and weight and will order a urine pregnancy test.  This pregnancy test is used in combination with the fact that you are on your period to ensure when you start Depo that there is no chance you are pregnant.
6. The Rapid Care nurse will administer your shot either in your upper arm or in your upper buttock area.  She will give you a card with the date that your next injection is due.  If this is your very first time receiving Depo, you may need to make a follow up appointment with a provider before you can receive another injection; at that time, the provider will write you another prescription for the remainder of the year.

Current or previous Depo patients:

1. Make an appointment with the Rapid Care nurse for your Depo injection to be given during your window of 10-12 weeks from your last injection.  You can schedule by calling (252) 328-6841 or stopping by the appointment office inside SHS. 
2. If your previous injection was given at a facility other than SHS, you must provide records showing the date of your last injection; please fax your records to (252) 328-0462 prior to your appointment.
3. Refill your prescription at the SHS pharmacy or an outside pharmacy.  You will need to pick up your vial of Depo right before you check in for your appointment with the Rapid Care nurse.  The Rapid Care nurse does not keep the Depo medication in her office. Pharmacy may take 15-20 minutes to fill your prescription (maybe longer at an outside pharmacy depending on volume) and we do not allow patients to check in late even if they were delayed by waiting on their prescription, so please take this into account when scheduling and arriving for your visit.
4. Once you have your vial of medication, check in at the front desk or at a self check in kiosk. 
   
5. The Rapid Care nurse will talk to you about any side effects you may be experiencing, then she will take your blood pressure and weight.  If you are overdue or have missed a dose of your Depo, she will also obtain a urine pregnancy test prior to administering your injection.
6. The Rapid Care nurse will administer your shot either in your upper arm or in your upper buttock area.  She will give you a card with the date that your next injection is due.  If you are getting close the time your annual GYN visit is due, she will remind you to schedule that appointment so that you do not miss any Depo injections.  Remember, you must obtain a new prescription annually for Depo-Provera.

Physicals for scientific diving require extensive testing and two separate appointments. Pricing for the various tests and labs varies; please inquire about specific pricing prior to your appointment. If you are in need of a diving physical, your visits will be as follows:

Appointment #1 with the Rapid Care Nurse (approximately 1 hour):
•    Please bring your completed health history form
•    Vital signs, height and weight will be obtained
•    Lab work will be performed: urinalysis, complete blood count (CBC)
•    Chest xray will be obtained
•    Spirometry (pulmonary function testing) will be performed
•    Tetanus update will be given if needed
•    Complete vision screen and audiogram will be performed

Appointment #2 with a physician (approximately a week after all testing is complete):
•    Provider will review all test reports and recommend clearance or deny clearance for diving

Are you on a regularly needed injectable medication from another provider?  SHS regularly administers outside medications such as B-12, testosterone, and risperidal with a proper provider order.  Please call (252) 328-6841 or stop in the appointment office inside SHS to make an appointment for your injection.

To give medications prescribed elsewhere, SHS must have an order from your provider with the following information:

• Name of person to receive the medication
• Name of the medication to be administered
• Dose of the medication to be administered
• Route that the medication is to be administered (subcutaneously, intramuscularly, etc)*
• Frequency of the injection
• Name, address and phone of the prescribing provider
• Relevant diagnosis code or medical history indicating need for injection

You may either bring in the order or you may have it faxed to us at (252) 328-0462.  There is a nominal charge for the administration of injectable medications.

* please note: ECU Student Health Services does not administer intravenous (IV) medications ordered from outside providers.

Spirometry is a breathing test used to detect asthma or other respiratory issues (also called a pulmonary function test ). If you are required to have spirometry for a physical or if a provider orders it for you to check for a respiratory issue, the Rapid Care nurse will perform the test by appointment.  Please allow at least 30 minutes for the testing.  After the test, you will need a follow up appointment with a provider, who will review and interpret your results.  The Rapid Care nurse cannot interpret results or diagnose conditions.

SHS also performs a basic audiometry test for hearing.  If the results of the test indicate a hearing problem, you will be referred for more comprehensive testing at an ENT office or outside hearing center.  Audiometry may be required by certain academic physicals, or may be ordered by a provider.  After the test, you will need a follow up appointment with a provider, who will review and interpret your results.  The Rapid Care nurse cannot interpret results or diagnose conditions.

To make an appointment for either spirometry or audiometry testing, please call (252) 328-6841 or stop by our appointments office located inside SHS.  Due to the nature of the testing and availability of staff to perform the test, spirometry and audiometry may only be available at certain times or on certain days of the week.  There is a charge for the testing; please inquire about specific pricing when you make your appointment or before having your testing performed.

Need an immunization for a job requirement, internship, or maybe to travel abroad?  SHS offers a variety of vaccines. 

The Rapid Care nurse can administer the following vaccines by appointment:
Hepatitis A 
Hepatitis B 
Twinrix (Hep A/Hep B combo)
Tetanus, Diptheria (Td) 
Tetanus , Diptheria,Pertussis (TdaP) 
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) 
Varicella 
Meningitis 
Tuberculin skin testing (PPD) 

Need Gardasil (HPV vaccine), typhoid, pneumococcal, influenza, or a specific travel immunization not listed?  Visit the Pharmacy page for more information.

SHS also offers vaccine titers (varicella, hepatitis B, measles/mumps/rubella), TB Gold testing, and drug screening.  For more information on these lab tests, please call (252) 328-6841 or visit our Nursing Services information on our General Medical page.

For specific pricing, or to make an appointment for an immunization, call (252) 328-6841 or stop in to the appointment office inside of SHS.