Student Handbook – Student Health Services
◄ Education & Research Activities Release
Health Services – Residential & Non-Residential Students
The Indiana Academy nurse’s office is located in Wagoner Hall room 157 and assists with the healthcare needs of Academy students (illness/injury/medication/etc.). The office hours are Monday thru Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The office phone number is (765) 285-7360 (fax 765-285-0063).
Nikki Al Khatib, RN (Nurse Manager) – nalkhatib
Required for residential students by move-in day:
- A healthcare consent form signed by a parent/guardian, updated annually. Upload through PowerSchool registration or hand in to the nurse’s office.
Recommended for residential students:
- Upload a copy (front and back) of health insurance card (secondary insurance, prescription cards) in PowerSchool Registration, or hand a copy in to the nurse’s office. Alternatively, it’s recommended that students have a copy of their health insurance information (a card, copy or screenshot, front and back).
Required for both residential and NECP students:
- Vaccinations are required to be current prior to the first day of school, or an exemption submitted through PowerSchool registration or handed in to the nurse’s office.
- A copy of immunization records for school required vaccinations ONLY if the vaccination(s) were given outside of Indiana and have not been processed through an Indiana school system.
- Prescription Medication Form (if applicable). This form is completed by the prescriber(s) to convey the currently prescribed medication and dosing instructions. It also indicates consent from the prescriber and parent/guardian for staff or self-administration of prescription medication. In absence of this form, all prescription medication will be staff-administered. The complete form can be submitted through PowerSchool registration or directly to the nurse’s office.
- Emergency Care Plan (if applicable) This is a provider and parent/guardian signed plan of care for any student with asthma, diabetes, seizure disorder, severe anaphylaxis or any condition requiring emergency administration of prescription medication or a detailed, specified emergency response.
- All healthcare service forms can be found on the Indiana Academy website under Student Life/Healthcare Services academy.bsu.edu/student-life/health-services.
Excused Absence Policy
See Academic Affairs Policy and Procedures
Non-residential students: If you become ill while at school, you must see the school nurse prior to going home OR your parent/guardian may call the Attendance Secretary to inform the school that you are leaving for the day.
Residential students: You must be assessed by the school nurse prior to missing class. In the absence of a nurse, you should report your illness/injury to the front desk or SLC on duty.
If you have symptoms that you feel may indicate infection (such as high fever, vomiting, or severe congestion), you may call the nurse to be assessed over the phone. Outside of office hours, you will be assessed by the SLC on duty. Emails to report illness while in residence are not acceptable.
Staff may determine that students need to return home for isolation requirements according to the current Ball State University policy and/or guidelines. Parents/Guardians will be required to pick up the student within 24 hours if isolation is necessary.
Both residential and NECP students: If you are sick at home, a parent/guardian will need to call the Faculty Attendance Coordinator, Renee Drumm (765-285-8110) for each school/class day that you are home. A healthcare provider’s note is required if you miss more than three consecutive school days.
You are encouraged to schedule routine/maintenance appointments around the school calendar. If that is not possible, you will either need to complete a pre-arranged absence form (prior to the appointment) OR turn in a doctor’s note upon returning to school.
Excused Absences and Academics: Students should be aware of each teacher’s policy on excused absences and missed work. Tests will generally not be excused unless you are injured or infectious. The nursing staff has no jurisdiction over BSU or Burris classes and therefore cannot excuse students from those classes. Students are encouraged to follow relevant policies from BSU or Burris for those classes.
Sick card: Nurses may issue a sick card if students need to rest and recuperate from illness, or if they need to be isolated for infection control purposes. A sick card may restrict activities including; in-person classes, programs, functions, athletic practices/events, access to public spaces, or ability to have visitors in the dorm room.
Ambulatory Health Care (Residential Students)
The Ball State University Student Health Center, located in the Amelia T. Wood building, provides ambulatory health care for currently enrolled sick and injured residential students. The Health Center is comprised of a Main clinic, pharmacy, and women’s center.
The Health Center, while offering quality acute healthcare, preventative screenings, and patient education, is not intended to replace your personal health care provider. In providing care for students the goal is, when possible, to prevent visits home for medical care. The purpose is to complement the services of your health care provider.
The Health Center and Women’s Center do not bill insurance for services provided.
The Health Center provides minimal lab services for a small charge, such as rapid mono or strep test, urinalysis, etc. This can be billed to the student’s bursar account or paid for at point of service. Lab-work that is sent off-campus for processing will be filed through insurance. The off-campus facility will bill the parent/guardian for any balance due.
Pharmacy services are filed through insurance. Copays can be billed to the bursar account if requested, or paid at point of service.
The BSU Health Center is open on school days (Monday – Friday, business hours) by appointment only. Appointments must be coordinated through the Indiana Academy nurse’s office and a health care consent form, signed by a parent/guardian, must be on file in the nurse’s office to seek health care evaluation and/or treatment. Transportation to and from the health center and health center referred appointments will be coordinated through the Indiana Academy nurse’s office.
The Indiana Academy will not assume any healthcare or related costs incurred by a student.
Emergent Care (Residential Students)
In the case of a medical emergency, students will be transported to Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital, 2401 W University Ave, Muncie, IN 47303. A staff member will stay with the student throughout their visit. If the student is admitted to the hospital, a parent or guardian will be required to attend as soon as possible. Emergency services will be billed through insurance.
Urgent Care (Residential Students)
An off-campus urgent care facility will be used out of health center operating hours when the injury/illness is evaluated by Student Life staff as urgent, but not warranting Emergency Room evaluation. Every effort will be made to discuss with a guardian before a decision is made to seek urgent care evaluation.
Insurance information will be provided to the off-campus facility. Some urgent care facilities require payment at the time of service. A bill for any balance due will be sent to the parent/guardian by the off-campus urgent care facility.
WellNow & US Health Works do not file Medicaid/Hoosier Healthwise Plans. Some form of payment is due at the time of service.
A health care consent form, signed by the guardian, must be on file at the nurse’s office to seek health care evaluation and/or treatment if the student is under 18.
Transportation (Residential Students)
- We will transport students to and from the BSU Health Center for illness/injury appointments.
- We will transport students to off-campus urgent care facilities ONLY if the BSU Health Center is closed and the illness/injury cannot wait until they are open.
- We will transport students to off-campus appointments ONLY if the student was referred by the BSU Health Center.
- We will NOT transport students to routine/maintenance appointments: primary care provider, dermatologist, allergist, dental, eye, counseling, etc.
Pharmacy Information (Residential Students)
Filling routine prescriptions
- The nurse’s office can assist as needed in filling routine prescription medication for students with verbal or written consent from the parent/guardian.
- Students must have access to funds to pay for copays as needed with cash or credit/debit card.
- The parent/guardian will transfer the prescription to:
CVS – 201 S Tillotson Ave, Muncie, IN 47304 (765) 287-0074
Walgreens – 2720 W Jackson St, Muncie, IN 47303 (765) 287-8533
Pavilion Pharmacy (IU Health) – 2401 W University Ave OMP 1635, Muncie, IN 47303 (765) 747-8461 - Notice must be given to the nurse’s office if there are dosage changes or if medications are discontinued.
- If you plan to fill your student’s prescription medication yourself, please ensure each new medication or refill is handed in to the nurse’s office or front desk on arrival to be logged by the school nurse.
Filling Medication for an Illness or Injury
- The nursing staff will fill or assist students as needed in filling prescriptions for an illness or injury.
- Unless the parent/guardian has otherwise informed the nursing staff, we will use the pharmacy listed in PowerSchool Registration. Please ensure that your student always has a means of payment for any copays or unexpected expenses.
- Please ensure that your health/pharmacy insurance information is current with your chosen pharmacy, or your student has access to their own health insurance information.
Medication Policy
Non-Residential Students
- A Prescription Medication Form is required only if the non-residential student takes prescription medication during school hours.
- Consent for self-administration is required by both the parent/guardian and the prescriber.
- Students may self-administer their medication on campus only if the consent form is complete and submitted to the nurse’s office. Without a completed form on file, the medication must be staff administered.
- Prescription medication must not be carried into Burris laboratory School, with the exception of emergency (as needed) medication.
- All emergency medication requires an emergency care plan uploaded through PowerSchool registration or submitted to the nurse’s office, signed by the prescriber and parent/guardian.
- Any and all prescription medication that needs to be taken during school hours must be logged in with the nursing staff on or before the first day of school (or when it is prescribed). Students should go to the nurse’s office for their medication when needed (or front desk in our absence).
- Over-the-counter medication does not need to be logged in or monitored by the nurse’s office.
- Over-the-counter medication must not be shared.
- If a student does not have their own supply, some over-the-counter medication is available from the nurse’s office or front desk on an as-needed basis.
- Parent/guardian must consent to the use of over-the-counter medications for students to access the stock supply. Consent is requested during PowerSchool registration.
- Over the counter medication must not be carried into Burris Laboratory School.
Residential Students
Prescription Medication
- The nursing office monitors ALL prescription medication.
- Prescription medication must be logged in on move-in day or through the school year as soon as it is prescribed and brought into Wagoner Hall.
- On move-in day, please pack your medications separately as we will ask for them when you are checking in.
- A parent/guardian must notify the nursing staff of any new medication or if the medicine, dosage, schedule or procedure for administering any medication is changed or eliminated.
- The ultimate decision for self-administration of any medication is at the nurse’s discretion. Student compliance will be monitored.
- All medication stored by the nursing staff will be kept in a locked cart, in a secure location.
- Consequences, such as student groundings, removal of medication from the student room or suspension, may be initiated if ANY part of our medication policy is not followed.
- It is against the law to have a prescription medication in your possession that is not prescribed to you.
- All prescription medication must be logged in with the nursing staff and properly labeled with the student’s name, medication name, dosage, frequency, & any specific instructions.
Non-Controlled Medication
- Consent for self-administration of prescription medication is required by both the parent/guardian and prescriber.
- The Prescription Medication form can be submitted through PowerSchool registration or handed in to the nurse’s office. Forms can also be found on the IA website under Student Life/ Health Services academy.bsu.edu/student-life/health-services.
- If a completed prescription medication form is not submitted, prescription medication must be staff-administered. The student must take their prescription medication from the nurse’s office (or front desk in our absence).
- Once a prescription medication form is complete with prescriber and parental consent for the student to self-administer medication, the nursing staff will issue a room supply (usually 14 days) to the student. The medication can be picked up from the nurse’s office during office hours or from the front desk out of hours.
- The student must return to replenish their room supply on time. Failure to self-administer prescription medication on schedule as directed may result in the withdrawal of self-administration privileges.
- Additional medication is stored in the nurse’s office.
- All room supply prescription medication must be stored at all times in the locked drawer in the dorm room. The only exception to this is emergency medication, such as rescue inhalers, epinephrine or insulin.
Controlled Medication
- Students MAY NOT self-administer controlled medication, even if consents are on file.
- Controlled medication is not permitted in student dorm rooms.
- Controlled medications MUST be staff-administered from the medication cart in the nurse’s office (or front desk in our absence).
- If you are unsure if a medication is controlled, please call us, your pharmacy, or your prescribing provider to find out your student’s medication classification.
Over-The-Counter Medication
- Students may keep a supply of over-the-counter medication to use as needed, per labelled directions in the locked drawer in their dorm room and used only by them.
- Over-the-counter medication does not need to be logged in or monitored by the nurse’s office.
- Over-the-counter medication must not be shared.
- If a student does not have their own supply, some over-the-counter medication is available from the front desk on an as-needed basis.
- Parent/guardian must consent to the use of over-the-counter medications for students to access the stock supply. Consent is requested during PowerSchool registration.
- Over-the-counter medication must not be carried into Burris Laboratory School.
Concussion & Head Injury Law (IC 20-34-7): Residential & Non-Residential Students
The law “Student Athletes: Concussions and Head Injuries” took effect on July 1, 2012. This law requires that schools distribute information sheets to inform and educate students, athletes, and parents/guardians concerning the nature and risk of concussion, including the risks of continuing play or an activity after concussion or head injury. The law requires that each school year, the parent/guardian and student sign an Acknowledgement and Signature Form which acknowledges receipt of concussion information. The law further states that a high school student who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury in a practice, game, or activity shall be removed from play at the time of injury and may not return to the practice, game, or activity for no less than 24 hours and until the student has received a written clearance from a licensed health care provider trained in the evaluation and management of concussions and head injuries. This law pertains to both interscholastic and intramural sports. Since we are a residential school and offer intramural sports, as well as many other activities, all students and parents/guardians must acknowledge receipt of this information via PowerSchool Registration.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (IC 20-34-8) – Residential & Non-Residential Students
The law “Sudden Cardiac Arrest” took effect on July 1, 2015. This law requires that schools distribute information sheets to inform and educate students, athletes, and parents/guardians concerning the nature and risk of sudden cardiac arrest in student athletes. The law requires that each school year, the parent/guardian and student sign an Acknowledgement and Signature Form which acknowledges receipt of sudden cardiac arrest information. The law further states that a student athlete who is suspected of experiencing symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest shall be removed from play and may not return to play until the coach/school nurse has received verbal permission from a parent or legal guardian to return to play. Within 24 hours, this verbal permission must be replaced with a written statement from the parent or guardian.