If you have ever been to a hospital’s waiting room, flipping through a wrinkled magazine so fast that you actually can’t read it, you will know what I am talking about. I always find myself studying everyone else in the room, and wondering why they are there, and whether they can tell what’s wrong me.
But I never had the courage to ask anyone why they were spending a beautiful afternoon at a hospital’s reception.
Lets all agree that hospitals aren’t the most cheerful place on the planet. And I have spent a brief portion of my life waiting in one of these unhappy places.
I was slouching into myself and scrolling through my phone at the reception, when an elderly man walked past me. He gave me a calcified grin, and I beamed at him.
As he was about to disappear into the narrow hallway, I noticed something pink peeking out of his undone gown.
I was not the only one blushing in shame; a nurse had noticed too, and she ran after him.
‘Sir! Sir please wait.’
When he realised what had happened, he flushed to the colour of scarlet and cackled ‘ Oh dear!’ He didn’t seem to care about the fact that we all saw his precious; when the nurse finally knotted the strings, he marched away, leaving a room full of people struggling not to laugh.
Don’t let anything get to you. Be like Justin Bieber.
I must admit, the first month after moving here has been more stressful than I could ever imagine. This only meant one thing – my over ambitious thyroid produced more and more hormones (I was suffering from a viral hyperthyroidism), making my heart race all the time.
It became worse as the midterms neared, and I decided that it was time for a checkup.
(I can’t really tell the truth about their services, because I was paid to write this post.)
JUST JOSHING WIT’YA BRO!
this is how my friends react when i tell them that I could get paid for writing one day.
Now lets talk about the serious stuff.
I have heard that a lot of students had an unpleasant experience with the hospital, but I have to disagree.
The UBC hospital provides an on-campus, reliable health care service for its students. The hospital’s emergency wing is open everyday (till 10pm), but the regular appointments are available only on weekdays.
The only downside with the service is that you have to wait for a long time before you can find an appointment, and you will probably miss a class or two in the process. The staff are very co-operative. I was given an appointment with a doctor outside the campus, but I didn’t feel comfortable going out of the campus on my own. When I called them and explained it, they cancelled my appointment and scheduled another with a doctor at the UBC hospital on campus.
My endocrinologist, Dr. Thompson was very professional, and took the time to explain his diagnosis clearly. He called me himself with my test results, and told me not to worry too much about the midterms.
NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL?
This is a general guideline of how to set an appointment, and the things that you need in order to use the services of the UBC hospital.
If it is your first time visiting the hospital, you have to call to set an appointment. They are usually packed, so you should call as soon as you can and set an appointment. If you can’t wait, tell them its urgent, they will try to give you an appointment earlier.
UBC Hospital Contact
After you’re done with all the paperwork, sit back and chill at the waiting area. The doctor will call you when they are ready to see you.
Insurance for International Students:
International students have to wait for 3 months to receive your BC Care Card. UBC will provide a temporary medical insurance called iMed. Students will receive all the information on how to get the I-med in an email prior to coming to UBC. I- med requires you to pay for the tests ordered by your physician, and reimburses you when you mail claim. The claim form can be downloaded from their website, and mailed from the university marketplace (The Village).
If you haven’t received your BC care card yet, and the I-med coverage has run out, call the MSP people. They will give you your MSP number and the date when it activates. Sometimes the card takes a long time to arrive, and in cases like this the number itself is sufficient.
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I am a tiny 18 year old with big dreams, in a big city. I like to eat, and dance in the rain. My goal in life is to make you fall in love with me, through my words.
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