About Student Health Service
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What is Student Health Service (SHS)?
Student Health Service is a primary care clinic on the UBC Vancouver campus where family doctors and registered nurses provide care for individuals and groups.
Who can use SHS?
SHS is available to:
- all UBC registered students
- students of another institution who are visiting UBC or attending for a semester or a single course
- students of UBC-affiliated colleges (e.g., Regent College)
- students of the English Language Institute
When is SHS open?
Our office hours are:
Monday: 8:00 am–4:00 pm
Tuesday: 8:00 am–4:00 pm
Wednesday: 8:00 am–8:00 pm (September–April)
Wednesday: 8:00 am–4:00 pm (May–August)
Thursday: 8:50 am–4:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am–4:00 pm
Please arrive 10 minutes before your appointment. Where is SHS?
For location, phone, fax, and email see Contact information.
What does SHS provide?
SHS provides:
- all health care services normally available at your family doctor
- well-woman care, including contraception
- immunizations
- sports medicine
- specialists by referral only:
- psychiatry
- dermatology
- medical care for eating disorders
- plastic surgery
Do I need to pay to use SHS?
There are no extra fees to use SHS. Most services are covered by your provincial health insurance. Here are pertinent details:
- International students should be enrolled in IMED until they are eligible to enroll in the BC Medical Services Plan (MSP).
- Students with other insurance will be billed for services and given a receipt to apply for reimbursement from their insurance provider.
- Students who do not have health insurance will be charged for medical services.
- A few services (e.g., third-party requests) are not covered by health insurance and are billed directly to the student (see Office fees).
Will my care be confidential?
Our services are completely confidential. Information cannot be shared with anyone, including your family, faculty, other student services, and other doctors' offices or agencies without your consent.
We encourage you to involve your family or partner in your health care, and if you wish we will work with you and your family members together to involve your family in your health care.
If you wish to share your SHS records or receive a copy yourself, complete the Release of Records form below:
Are there exceptions to SHS confidentiality?
In rare cases, confidentiality is broken. We will let you know when we have to share specific details about your health with others without your consent.
SHS doctors have to follow BC law and sometimes this means breaking medical confidentiality, in order to:
- report children at risk to the Ministry of Children and Family Development
- tell the motor vehicle branch when a person's ability to drive may be reduced
- tell police if someone's life or safety may be at risk
If police have a search warrant, a doctor may be required to release information. See the BC Civil Liberties Association for more information.
