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H1N1 Information Specific to Health Care Students

October 8, 2009


If you have Symptoms of the Flu: 
Symptoms of the flu include some or all of the following: fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headaches, tiredness, diarrhea, or vomiting.

  • Do not attend classes, participate in interactions with patients or enter patient care areas, such as clinics or hospital buildings! 
     
  • Call the Medical Area Health Service (Longwood HUHS)
    617-432-1370 during business hours Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 8:30-5:00 pm., and Monday and Thursday 8:30-6:30    .
    • for advice about assessing and caring for your illness
    • for instructions about whether and how long to self-isolate from classes, patient care and patient care areas
    • for a review of your duty to notify the hospitals/clinics where you were working, and to notify Society administrators and clerkship directors, if applicable
    • to be logged and tracked as a Harvard health sciences student with a flu-like illness, if that diagnosis is made
       
  • If you need immediate advice nights, weekends or on a holiday, call the After Hours Urgent Care Clinic (617-495-5711) in Cambridge or go there right away if you are getting worse. They are open 24/7. Remember to also call the Medical Area Health Service during their business hours. 
     
  • The diagnosis of “flu-like illness” will depend on the pattern of your symptoms and may require an office visit, where you may also receive written instructions and a “flu kit,” including masks, hand sanitizer and a thermometer. 
     
  • With the diagnosis of a “flu-like illness,” stay away from other people, except to seek medical care, for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever (or signs of a fever) without the use of fever-reducing medicines. This means not attending classes or group meetings during this self isolation period. 
     
  • In addition, medical, dental and other students whose activities would normally require them to work with patients or go to patient care areas must exclude themselves from any activity with a patient and must not enter a patient care area such as a hospital or a clinic for 7 days after the febrile respiratory illness started or until symptoms have resolved, whichever is longer. Healthcare workers have this additional restriction in order to reduce the risk of directly infecting a sick patient with influenza. 
     
  • The exclusion period for “healthcare workers” applies to medical, dental and health sciences students in their patient care activities as well for entrance into health care environments, such as hospitals, dental clinics and some research labs, whether or not you are in your preclinical or clinical years and even if you are primarily involved in research. 
     
  • Medical, dental and other health sciences students have a duty to notify the Occupational Health/Infection Control Office of the particular institution(s) where they were working when an infectious disease like influenza was developing. 
     
  • Medical, dental and other were health sciences students should also notify their Society administrator and PCE Director/clerkship director, if applicable, of their status and the anticipated periods of exclusion from classes and clinical activities.