To be treated in the Health Center students must complete the VU Health Center Intake Form once per academic year. Forms may be completed at any time during the academic year, but must be received at least one-hour prior to the student receiving services. Additional forms may be necessary dependent upon the type of appointment. Therefore, appointments are strongly encouraged so the Health Center staff can ensure students complete all necessary forms for their visit. 

• VU Health Center Intake Form (Medical History, Patient Data, and Consent Form)
• Consent to Treatment of a Minor (only necessary for student under the age of 18)
• Vaccination Record Submission (optional)
• Patient Privacy Rights (for your reference and records only)

Health Insurance: Vanguard University does not offer health insurance plans for students to purchase. Students are expected to ensure that they are included on parental policies where possible. Alternatively, they can obtain personal coverage in order to have necessary medical care for illness or injury that requires evaluation outside of VU Health Center hours of operation or outside of VU Health Center’s scope of practice. Additionally, coverage is required in the case of emergent medical concerns. 

Fees: Traditional undergraduate students (TUG) pay a student services fee as part of their tuition and this includes access to the campus health center. Therefore, there is no cost to TUG students when using the campus health center. If additional testing is required (i.e. testing for strep, flu, or mono), these tests are associated with a nominal fee (usually $10-$30) that will be paid through the student's VU Self-Service account.

Unfortunately, Graduate and Professional Studies students are not currently required to pay a student services fee as part of their tuition. As a result, they have limited access to the campus health center at this time. 

The VU Health Center DOES NOT provide recommendations for excused absences. Both students and professors are encouraged to communicate directly regarding absences and academic modifications. If the amount of time to recover from illness causes academic issues, the student should contact disabilityservices@vanguard.edu for help with resolution and documentation of outside medical care. 

Care Available: The Health Center NP provides diagnosis and treatment of a variety of common acute illnesses and minor injuries including but not limited to the following: minor infections, small cuts, minor burns, allergies, urinary tract infections, coughs, colds, flu-like illness, ear infections, ear wax build-up, headaches, insect bites/stings, lice, pink eye, rashes, sinus infections, sprains, strains, sore throat, and wound care. Additionally, the NP can complete TB assessments, complete TB testing, complete limited physical exams for educational programs, order vaccine titers, and order QuantiFERON Gold testing.

Diagnostic Tests and Equipment Offered: The VU Health Center (VUHC) stocks a variety of medical equipment (crutches, wheelchairs, thermometers) available to students to borrow as needed during their time at VU. Diagnostic testing may also be available for a nominal fee ($5-$30) during an appointment. Fees are applied to the student's VU Self-Service account.

Diagnostic tests and equipment available include: Influenza testing, COVID-19 antigen testing, Strep testing, Monospot testing, TB testing, Urinalysis dipstick, nebulizer mask, and orthopedic equipment. 

Lab Testing: The VUHC orders limited laboratory testing for Sickle Cell Screening, QuantiFERON Gold Testing, and Vaccine Titers. Patients requiring these tests are referred to LabCorp or Quest and specimens are drawn at off-campus testing facilities. These companies can bill most insurance providers, but the student may receive a bill depending on insurance coverage. Students may want to call their insurance provider to see if one of the above labs are preferred or if they should seek lab evaluation at another location.

Medications: The Health Center NP can provide prescriptions for patients as appropriate for the illnesses noted above. Additionally, the Health Center stocks some prescription medications (mostly antibiotics) for students to purchase if prescribed (for a nominal fee and charged to the VU Self-Service account) as well as a variety of over-the-counter (OTC) medications and products for students to access (for free) when on campus. The OTC medications are available for distribution during reception hours during the academic year. Please visit the VU Health Center Webpage for more information and hours of availability.

Vaccinations: Currently Vanguard does not offer any vaccines in the Health Center but does coordinate with third party vendors to offer vaccine clinics to Vanguard students to utilize their insurance coverage for vaccine costs.  If you desire to submit your vaccination records to Vanguard University, use the Vanguard Health Center Vaccination Record Submission link. Submission of vaccination records aids the Health Center in communicable disease response on campus, when needed.

The following provides essential information to help students prepare for being away from home as it pertains to health coverage and medical care.

• ALL students attending Vanguard University are required to have Health Insurance.
• Bring your medical insurance card with you to campus.
• Choose a local primary health care provider and Urgent Care provider. If you have HMO or EPO insurance, contact your health insurance directly for assistance with changing the student’s primary care to a local provider.
• Know what insurance you have and how to use it (HMO vs. PPO, co-pays, etc.).
• Identify 2-3 individuals whom you trust that are either on or near campus who can serve as an emergency contact for transportation to a doctor’s office, urgent care, or emergency room.
• Remember to bring any necessary supplies/equipment required to care for any chronic illness (glucometer, inhaler/nebulizer, etc.)
• Transfer all regular prescriptions to local or mail order pharmacies to avoid disruption in care.

Vanguard University does not require vaccinations for its students or employees. However, germs can spread quickly in classrooms and communal living spaces, environments common to a residential campus. Therefore, consistent with federal public health recommendations, below are the recommended immunizations for college students.

Please note that some clinical sites, athletics conferences, and employment classifications may have certain vaccination requirements. These requirements may differ from the information below. You will need to consult with these individual departments for information regarding their vaccination requirements and requirements for vaccination record submission.

If you would like to submit your vaccination records to the Vanguard Student Health Center for reference and storage in our HIPPA Compliant electronic medical record, please submit your results here.

Recommended Vaccines:

Updated: 5/9/2023

Source: CDC Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule and CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendation