Faculty Handbook

Responding to medical emergencies

1. In a medical emergency, including potential suicide, seek appropriate medical care and contact HTH at (610) 254-8771.  This emergency number is on the student’s insurance card and will receive collect calls. They can assist you and help coordinate the necessary arrangements including payment of fees on behalf of the student. Once you notify HTH, allow them to manage all arrangements.  For medical and liability reasons, it is not wise to solicit outside input or take control of coordination.  In any other sort of emergency, notify the local police about the situation, if you and the Embassy believe this is appropriate; then follow the procedures the police may require of you or the student.
2. If a student has been hospitalized for any length of time, notify the Office of Study Abroad.  If it’s an emergency, contact the MSU Emergency Assistance line at (517) 353-3784.  All hospitalizations of any length are reported to the Dean of International Studies and Programs.  This chain of communication serves to diffuse potential miscommunication and misinformation to parents and the media, and provides background to the wider MSU community in case the condition should escalate.
3. When you call the MSU Emergency Assistance line, the office may contact the MSU Counseling Center. The counseling center is staffed 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm and can be reached at (517) 355-8270.  They can provide advice over the phone to program leaders for dealing with situations but cannot provide direct therapy to students over the phone. You can also check the MSU Counseling Center website for detailed information on referring a distressed student.  Additionally, an excellent site called Responding to Distressed Students deals with the steps to take in a wide variety of situations such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, etc.

The following is a brief summary of the guidelines for interaction and can apply to counseling services abroad:

“Talk to the student in private.  Listen carefully.  Show concern and interest.  Repeat back the essence of what the student has told you.  Avoid criticizing or sounding judgmental.  Suggest visiting a counseling center and discuss this with the student.  If the student resists help and you are still worried, contact a counseling center to discuss your concerns.  If you consider the situation to be an emergency, call the local emergency facilities (comparable to 911) and stay with the student.  Follow up with the student by inquiring as to whether he/she kept his/her appointment and how he/she felt about the session.”

4. Your call may also be referred to the University Physician, Dr. Beth Alexander.  Please note that urgent medical matters should be dealt with by going to a health care facility in the area where you are traveling.  Dr. Alexander has indicated that program leaders may e-mail her from abroad to obtain physical or psychological advice.

Observing the procedures outlined here will help our students have the unique educational experience abroad that you, they and we are hoping that they will have.