<p>I was just checking the Bama Bound checklist, and it says that I need to bring proof of immunization. From a previous email I recieved, I was under the assumption that I needed to turn it in by the move-in date. Does it have to be turned in before I can register for classes?</p>
<p>Doncha just love healthcare in this country?..</p>
<p>We’re going to urgent care facility today for TB test. Our reg Dr was going to charge us for 2 visits - 1 to administer the test and another to read it. That is $60 in co-pays that I am not prepared to pay. (And, because these are ‘well’ visits, who knows what insurance company would do, as this ‘exceeds’ our limit of visits for the year…) </p>
<p>So, in contrast, urgent care is not going to charge us for an office visit - just for the test (which they will bill to insurance)…and then reading the test for ‘free’ 48 hours later, again with no copay.</p>
<p>Darn this is going to be a hassle considering my orientation is on Friday and I leave for Alabama tonight. I hate TB tests! </p>
<p>Good luck with the tests, and thanks for the suggestion of Urgent Care!!</p>
<p>We don’t go to the doctor for reading the TB test. He says only come back if there is swelling.</p>
<p>The doctor used to give you a card with “indications” of results, you checked off the box and sent it back in, however TB has been on the rise in the past years so it is important for the doctor to read the results. I have never been charged an additional fee for this visit as it literally takes a minute and I would protest any such charge with my insurance company.</p>
<p>^ Aren’t you in the school district with the MRSA scare yesterday?</p>
<p>We also were not charged for the reading - it was done by the nurse and took all of 2 minutes max. It was just important to note that you had to be able to go back in the specified time frame to have to read - something I didn’t realize when I made our appointment.</p>
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<p>I hate that term. MRSA is everywhere. You just heard about one of the cases through the media. The only scary thing is that people don’t realize many people carry MRSA, and never get sick. You have to take precautions for it al of the time, not just when there is an active case in the media.</p>
<p>{steps down off soapbox}</p>
<p>Yes, that was our school district. The school district is usually proactive and I am sure that they will take the necessary precautions.</p>
<p>MRSA has been around a long time, but years ago it was just classified as a resistant staph infection without the MRSA designation. It is difficult to treat and can be life threatening.</p>
<p>If you have a Shot Nurse facility near you, they do TB tests and tetanus boosters, etc. Very affordable compared to some other options.</p>
<p>We don’t go to the doctor for reading the TB test. He says only come back if there is swelling.</p>
<p>You have to have someone (doctor or nurse) look at the results and mark the card and sign it. </p>
<p>Otherwise, a person with a swelling may not go back and report results and spread the disease. You have to have the results read and recorded on the card.</p>
<p>To answer the question about when it has to be turned in, it is a recommendation to bring it to Bama Bound since a table will be set up in the Ferg to drop it off. </p>
<p>You should not have to turn it in to be able to register for classes. Last year when we tried turn D’s form in there was a question about one of the shots (whether is was an acceptable version/time frame) and they would not accept it at the Ferg table. We were told we could go by the SHC after BB and get the shot there if we wanted. D registered with all the other participants and then on our way out of Tuscaloosa, we stopped at the SHC for the shot. Ended up, the nurse at the Ferg was mistaken so no shot needed.</p>
<p>You do have to turn it in before move-in.</p>
<p>Thought I would double check and this is what the site says:</p>
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<p>[Student</a> Health Center Immunizations](<a href=“http://shc.ua.edu/immunizations/]Student”>http://shc.ua.edu/immunizations/)</p>
<p>But the form itself states it must be turned in before move-in and/or the first day of classes.</p>
<p>Menactra does need a booster which some people are unaware of. If your child had the shot at an earlier age than college age as my son did then you may be in the time frame for another shot.</p>
<p>CDC Recommendations
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created guidelines for parents to know what vaccines they and their children should receive. The following is a recommendation for routine vaccination of persons aged 11 through 18 years.
ACIP recommends routine vaccination of persons with quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine at age 11 or 12 years, with a booster dose at age 16 years.
For adolescents who receive the first dose at age 13 through 15 years, a one-time booster dose should be administered, preferably at age 16 through 18 years, before the peak in increased risk. Persons who receive their first dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine at or after age 16 years do not need a booster dose.</p>
<p>A word to the wise…do not wait until August to get these immunizations and the TB test done. We had to go to SHC at the end of AA and just before school started for a minor issue. We waited along with hundreds of students who were waiting for either an immunization or TB test. Make sure wherever you plan to go for the TB test knows you need it and their office will be open to read it in the appropriate length of time. It will save you lots of aggravation and stress in August.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info, everyone. I love the sharing that goes on in our little corner of the internet. RTR</p>
<p>I hope Chardo is seeing that the TB test needs to be read by a healthcare professional within a couple days.</p>
<p>All I know is my kid has an official UA SHC immunization form signed by his doctor indicating most recent TB test just a few weeks ago.</p>
<p>Maybe the doctor signed the form pre-maturely (as if he looked at the results a couple of days later)???</p>
<p>The way it’s supposed to work is that the test is given, then a couple of days later, the area is looked at by a healthcare professional and then the card is signed. </p>
<p>To sign at the point of the test won’t offer assurance to a school (or entity) that the person doesn’t have the illness. After all, a person could have a reaction and never return to the doctor, yet have a signed card.</p>
<p><a href=“http://shc.ua.edu/files/2010/04/Immunization-Form-Revised1.pdf[/url]”>http://shc.ua.edu/files/2010/04/Immunization-Form-Revised1.pdf</a></p>
<p>On the form, the health care prof is supposed to mark on the day of the reading, not the day of the test. And indicate results. Sounds like your doctor just recorded on the day of the test.</p>
<p>Tuberculosis Screening (within the last 12 months)
(Date of reading) TB skin test (PPD) ___ /___ /____
Results:
Positive __<strong><em>mm
Negative _</em></strong></p>
<p>If positive, you must attach a radiology report from a chest X-ray and documentation of any treatment.</p>
<p>Our doc added the TB info to my D’s shot record. I attached a copy of the shot record to the UA form and indicated ‘see attached’ on the UA form where it asked for a medical signature. The UA Health Center reports that her file is complete.</p>