Being away from home can be difficult. Being away from home and sick can be even worse.

But not knowing what to do when that happens might be the most nerve-wracking experience of all.

The staff at University Health Services (UHS) is here to help you -- but how does the system work?

In short, what happens when you call UHS?

When you call our appointment number (814-863-0774), a message will give you three choices.

Depending on what you need, you can either schedule an appointment directly with the General Medicine department, speak to a nurse for medical advice or test results, or cancel an appointment.

When you press "one" to schedule an appointment, you will speak to a receptionist.

What happens next will depend on:

n what kind of an appointment you will need,

n what is convenient for your schedule,

n what appointment times we have available.

If you want to make a routine appointment for a physical exam or a non-urgent issue, we try to schedule appointments at your convenience within two weeks.

If you have already been seen at UHS in the past, we will try to schedule you with the same clinician.

If you are sick right now and think you need to be seen by a clinician, you should know that we reserve many appointments each day for students with pressing health problems.

If time slots are open, the receptionist will schedule an appointment.

Unfortunately, even though we might have as many as 14 clinicians (physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) seeing patients each day, sometimes general medicine appointments fill quickly.

If there are no open appointments, you will be transferred to an experienced UHS nurse for further evaluation.

Depending on your symptoms, you might receive self-care advice or be asked to come in to UHS for an assessment by a triage nurse.

Being evaluated in triage does not guarantee that a clinician will see you -- if appropriate, you might receive self-treatment advice. If your symptoms indicate you should be evaluated by a clinician, however, you will be seen through Urgent Care, the "emergency" arm of General Medicine services.

If you have a medical emergency, you will be seen immediately.

This, after all, is the most important aspect of medical triage -- assuring that the most ill patients are seen as soon as possible.

Although this system may seem intimidating at first, it generally flows very smoothly.

From the first person you talk to at UHS, to the last person you see before leaving, our staff will strive to treat you with the respect and care that you deserve.

After all, we are here to serve you.