Campus highlight: student health resources

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The following article was submitted in partnership with the COM X program which gives students in Communications Studies the opportunity to work as an intern at The Baron.

Are you feeling a little lost while developing academic goals? Worried about how you are going to end up in the career that you have dreamed of? Or maybe you are feeling uncertain about your personal health while under a dense course load? Luckily, there are services on campus designed specifically to help guide you through the academic and medical challenges that arise with attending university.

UNB/Website

It ranges from personal and career counseling, sexual health counseling, disease and illness prevention and even peer support. This wide variety of services are accessible to all UNB students in Saint John and are completely free! 

Taking advantage of these resources can help ease the stress of students’ academic workloads and help students adjust to being more independent. The health centre provides services to students that are aimed to help guide health and career decisions, right on campus for maximum convenience.

Emergency room wait times have reached an all time high in New Brunswick. A spokesperson for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, Dr. Drummond said “patients can spend 12, 24, even 36 hours in the ER waiting to be transferred to a ward or ICU”. Thankfully, UNB students can book a time with ease from the student health centre, and are able to be productive academically in their own environment while waiting for their appointment.

Where to Access it

The student health centre, focused on sexual health counselling and disease and illness prevention, is located in the building behind the athletics centre near the parking lot. Appointments can be made online or in person for virtual, telephone and in-person visits. 

The mental health and career planning resources are available to be booked online, and the offices are located on the ground and the first floor of the Oland building. The exact location of the appointment will be provided upon booking.

Wolfgang Düchtel/The Baron

How Can it Help

The student health centre is equipped with nurse practitioners and physicians that are able to diagnose illnesses through testing and treatment using prescriptions or a referral to a specialist. Their services include disease prevention, but also focus on medical education. Any questions or concerns about symptoms, or even just general health inquiries can be answered through this centre.

Career planning resources is a tool that is useful for all students, especially in terms of planning course loads to reach personal academic goals. Many academic advisors recommend having at least one appointment near the beginning of each year to ensure that each student is registered in the proper courses and on track to graduate.

Counseling services on campus are designed to provide short term mental health services to all undergraduate and graduate students free of charge. Most students are allowed up to six appointments annually, although in extenuating circumstances there can be additional appointments made. 

Student Health Centre Contact Information 

To connect with these services, call 1 (506) 648-5656 or email behealthy@unb.ca.