University Health Service (UHS)
Contact UHS Physician On-Call
1. Decide if the medical condition is urgent
URGENT concerns that warrant a call to the UHS physician on-call include, but are not limited to:
- Real shortness of breath or trouble breathing.
- Abdominal pain severe enough to wake you up and cannot be relieved by an over-the-counter medication (e.g., Tylenol).
- A foreign body in the eye.
- A headache followed by a high fever, or the worst headache you have ever had.
- You are vomiting blood.
Concerns that are NOT URGENT and can wait until UHS re-opens. Call UHS at 585-275-2662 to schedule an appointment.
- You have had a cold or bad sore throat for the past few days.
- You are vomiting or you have diarrhea for less than 8 hours.
- You have a cut that is less than 1" long and not deep. Apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
- You think you have sprained your ankle or other body part. Rest, ice, and elevate the sprained area.
- You need a prescription refilled.
IN AN EMERGENCY: Call Security at 585-275-3333. Security will dispatch the Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) to assist you. For more about MERT
2. If the condition is urgent, call UHS at 585-275-2662.
Whenever the UHS offices are closed, a UHS physician is on-call and available by phone from home for urgent concerns that cannot wait until the offices re-open. In an emergency on campus, call 585-275-3333 (or x13 from a University phone) to reach Security.
When you call UHS after hours, here is what you can expect:
- You will reach the after-hours answering service for the University Health Service. The answering service will page the physician. The physician will return your call, usually within 10-15 minutes. Stay by the phone and wait for the physician to call. Be sure your phone is on. If you do not hear from the physician within 20 minutes, call again.
- When talking with the physician, be clear and honest when explaining your symptoms. Be prepared to describe your symptoms and when they started. If you are in pain, you will be asked where the pain is and whether it is a dull ache or a stabbing pain. You may be asked if you have a temperature and if you have had this type of problem before.
- Follow the physician's recommendation(s). The physician may suggest taking an over-the-counter medication, applying heat, gargling, calling UHS first thing in the morning to schedule an appointment for that day, or going to the emergency department. Please follow the physician's recommendations.
DO NOT go to the emergency department unless your situation is life threatening or you have been in a serious accident. Call UHS at 585-275-2662 first, even if you think UHS is closed. If UHS is closed, you can speak with the physician on-call who will talk with you about what you should do.
REMEMBER
- To schedule an appointment at any UHS office, call 585-275-2662. If you are unsure when UHS offices are open, the phone message will tell you when you call. You can also check the Location & Hours page on this web site.
- When UHS is closed, call 585-275-2662 to reach the UHS physician on-call.
- In a mental health emergency, contact the University Counseling Center (UCC) by calling 585-275-3113. A mental health professional is on call 24 hours a day throughout the year. If UCC is closed when you call, you will reach the answering service. The mental health professional will be paged and will then call you.
- In an emergency, call Security at 585-275-3333 for assistance. (If off-campus, dial 911.)