With more than 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students at Pitt, it comes as no surprise… With more than 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students at Pitt, it comes as no surprise that sickness and injury often occur.

Luckily, UPMC offers 19 hospitals to every student, and UPMC Presbyterian even works alongside Pitt’s Student Health Center.

The Student Health Center is a more convenient way to be evaluated by highly experienced doctors than going to the emergency room. There are four full-time physicians and more than 16 other staff members to provide students with an educated diagnosis without the drawn-out and tedious process of going to the ER.

Students visited the Student Health Center more than 30,000 times last year, according to the center’s clinical manager, Linda Hand.

“I am impressed by the amount of cases we are able to treat here and the skill of the doctors,” Hand said. “We just received accreditation, so we are all pretty proud of that.”

Only the most severe cases require a call to 911 from the Student Health Center.

Students with sharp abdominal pains are typically sent to the ER because of the possibility of appendicitis. Another common emergency room case is bone fracture.

“So far, there haven’t been many cases of the flu,” Hand continued. “Then again, last year the flu didn’t hit Pitt until February.”

Anaphylactic shock is also seen often in the Student Health Center. In the event of this kind of severe allergic reaction, doctors first stabilize patients with an epinephrine shot and sometimes Benadryl to make sure the windpipe does not close. The doctor then proceeds to call the UPMC emergency room.

“We just don’t have all of the same equipment the emergency room has,” Hand said. “Patients who need an ultrasound or radiology are sent to the ER.”

With the closeness of so many excellent local hospitals, students have no problem making their way to any of them if they feel it is necessary.

Student Allison Houser has been to the Student Health Center numerous times.

“Right now I’m here for tendinitis in my wrist,” Houser said. “Luckily, I’ve never had to go to Presbyterian ER for myself, even though I have gone with friends. I have been to Magee-Womens Hospital, though.”

Founded in 1893, UPMC has since been declared a Level 1 Regional Resource Trauma Center, according UPMC’s Web site.

A Level 1 Trauma center means that UPMC has been selected by the American College of Surgeons as being one of the most comprehensive emergency and trauma centers in the country. This title must be renewed every three years.

Inside UPMC’s highly regarded emergency room is a 24 hour staff of highly trained surgeons and anesthesiologists.

There is a hospital for every condition in Pittsburgh. If it is serious, UPMC Presbyterian is the ideal place to go. For less critical patients, the Student Health Center provides excellent care in a more intimate and personable setting.