Georgia Tech Stamps Health Services

I went to them a thousand times in my last two semesters and met three different doctors. Following were my symptoms– feverish, tired, nasal discharge. I suggested to the first one that I might have a viral infection. She put me through a strep test, which turned out to be negative, and told me to take lots of water, sleep well etc. Nothing worked. Mind you, this was close to finals and project submission! I went back to her after 10 days. Same old shit! Went though the same experience with two other doctors for the next 6 months. In the meanwhile, I missed another project deadline and screwed up one final test. I wondered if it was my body reacting to anxiety.
When I moved to Austin, the symptoms reappeared and a colleague suggested it was most likely pollen allergy. All that they needed to do was to prescribe anti-​histamines! In a place like Atlanta, how could three different doctors not think of this possibility? Were they waiting for me to suggest it?
A college like GT needs better doctors. They know how much everyday of school matters to a student at Tech. Shame!

I’ve had almost all positive experiences here. The clinic is for Georgia Tech students and offers all the basic medical needs from flu shots to psychiatry to dentistry. I’ve had all my doctors appointments here for the past 5 years and gotten all my prescriptions at the pharmacy. The pharmacy here isn’t always the cheapest place to fill your prescriptions though. I once fell off my longboard and had to get stitches. They were able to see me immediately without an appointment. It was my first time getting stitches and luckily the doctor and nurse made me feel relaxed during the procedure. Not all doctors here are of the same caliber though. I would definitely recommend trying out of few doctors and seeing which one you like the most.

Ah government health centers. I tried very hard to avoid this place during my tenure at Georgia Tech. My freshman year, my roommate hurt his hand so he went over to the health center. They wrapped it in some cloth and sent him on his way. A couple days later it was much worse so he went to a real doctor. The real doctor was horrified at what they did and put it in a real brace. He was lucky their negligence did not do more damage.
Mainly because of that, and several other instances I heard about, I avoided this place for a long time. One night though I could barely breathe and I made an appointment in the morning as it was the fastest place I could go to. I do have to say most people who work here are very nice and want to help. The problem is they usually do not have the knowledge to help.
They have several medical doctors on staff, but if they are working in a government health center and not able to make it in private practice you know something is wrong with them. Again, they are nice, but nice does not cure ailments. They gave me several tests and some medicine, but it came back when the medicine was done. They obviously had no idea what was wrong with me.
My friend told me I should tell them what I think is wrong with me, not just my symptoms. Sorry, but I am not a doctor, and I should not have to pretend that I am one. I do not walk into a lawyer’s office and tell them how to procede with a case. Their job is to diagnose patients and cure them and they are not too great at that.
It bothers me when people say something is free. There is no copay to go to the heath center, but everyone pays health fees every semester for this place to exist. Just like with any crappy government service, you pay for it whether you use it or not. Personally I wish they would use our health fees to subsidize an insurance plan so I could go to a real doctor, or, you know, reduce our tuition:)
If you want to see what will happen if we ever get government run healthcare take a visit to your local college health center!