Senior Michelle McKenna, who visited Student Health last Thursday for a stomach flu said she consistently waits too long to see a doctor, appointment or not.

“One time I had an appointment and I had to wait an hour and a half,” McKenna said. “It is almost not worth coming if you are a walk-in.”

Second-year graduate student Genevieve Martinez said she has also suffered through long waits, the reason she recommends students come prepared with a book.

According to Dr. Isabel Goldenberg, the medical director of Student Health, there is a simple reason why students do not receive immediate care at the center: everyone gets sick at the same time.

Illness usually spreads throughout campus in early to mid February, making this period Student Health’s busiest season. Most students who visit Student Health suffer from the common cold, upper-respiratory infections, mononucleosis or urinary tract infections, Goldenberg said.

“There is a combination of flu and midterms,” Goldenberg said. “Students tend to get sicker.”

Early September is also busy because students arrive on campus and are exposed to new viruses. The stress of moving in also contributes to illness, Goldenberg said.

Freshman Elizabeth Jerry, who visited Student Health with a sore throat last week, said she agrees with Goldenberg’s diagnosis of the problem.

“I live in Thurston, it is like the whole dorm gets sick at once,” Jerry said.

Sharon Robinson, a referral assistant who works at the center’s receptionist desk, said the past few weeks have been extremely busy, demonstrated by a full appointment book. Recent waits, she said, averaged about a half an hour.

Goldenberg said the GW office offers a high level of service compared to medical care standards it meets. The wait in emergency rooms is often three hours, she said. Even during Student Health’s busiest times, Goldenberg said, students generally do not have to wait more than an hour. The length of the wait also depends on the illness of the student before them, she said.

While some students said they have been pleased with experiences at Student Health, others said they are more concerned about the quality of care than wait times.

Sophomore Aleen Saunders said she would rather take the extra 45 minutes to visit her doctor at home in Maryland than visit Student Health.

“I feel like I am brushed off when I am diagnosed here,” Saunders said. “I don’t really feel confident in what they have told me.”

Junior Ally Shein said has had good and bad experiences with Student Health.

“The waits have not been too bad,” Shein said. “But once they gave me antibiotics that were not strong enough and I relapsed and was sick for a really long time.”

Goldenberg said students should have confidence in the care they receive. She said a doctor is always present at the center. Three part-time doctors, one full-time physician, three nurse practitioners, one registered nurse and a part-time psychiatrist make up the staff. A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse who has taken special courses to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients, Goldenberg said. No medical students work at Student Health.

Goldenberg said Student Health treats acute medical problems. Students who need specialty care are referred one floor up to the Medical Faculty Associates, which is comprised of doctors who teach at GW’s medical school. Students who visit after MFA hours are sent to the GW Hospital’s emergency room, Goldenberg said.

Visits to Student Health are free unless lab work is done or medication is prescribed. Students must have insurance to visit the emergency room or to see a physician in the Medical Faculty Associates. Goldenberg said it is very important students ensure that their insurance transfers to D.C.