San Francisco: Student Services

Student Health Service
Student Health Service was instituted at the Medical Center in 1939. Prior to that time, each of the professional schools had its own physician and health coverage which consisted of a "sick bay" arrangement. No preventive or protective procedures were pursued with the exception of Schick testing for immunity to diphtheria, which was performed during the bacteriology course as an educational exercise. Subsequent immunization of students who were not immune to diphtheria was at the student's discretion.

Because of an increased student enrollment, student health service facilities and staff expanded considerably after 1939.

The care provided for students included a comprehensive prevention and protective program of: routine initial and annual physical examinations with indicated follow-ups; tuberculin testing and/or chest x-rays; immunization; referrals by student health medical staff to indicated outpatient clinics and to medical and surgical consultants of the medical school; and hospitalization for treatment of acute illnesses and diagnostic studies.

The student health service at the San Francisco campus had the responsibility for determining the intensive preventive and protective procedures which were necessitated by the hazards to which students enrolled in the health sciences were subjected during their education, training, and experience.

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