Student health center is driving me crazy...

[LizzyBee]

Good grief, what do you have to do to convince your child's college that your child has had all the required immunizations? I have spent an inordinate amount of time this week trying to get this taken care of, and then tonight got an email saying she's still not cleared. At orientation, dd and dh were told that a transcript is acceptable proof of immunizations. This week, we found out that a high school transcript is not acceptable. Her childhood shot record is not in the folder where it belongs, so we tore up the house looking for it. I found the medical form her pediatrician filled out for kindergarten entrance. it has all the shots listed and the doctor's signature on the bottom. I faxed that to the college along with the shot record from her current doctor showing her boosters. Then I realized that the current doctor didn't sign their shot record, so dd went by their office to get the signature and I faxed that to the college. She's still not cleared. I can't figure out what else they want. Her bill has to be paid by August 2 or they will drop all of her classes, but they won't apply her financial aid, including her merit scholarship, until her immunization record is cleared. Her pediatrician records are in storage because we moved in 1999, before doctors computerized their patient charts, so it will take some time for the pediatrician's office to pull her original records. Is it this hard at all colleges?

Edited July 29, 2012 by LizzyBee

[Myra]

First, I wouild call the college's admission office and talk to the person in charge of overseeing your student's records. If need be, I'd then go in person to your current doctor and ask if he/she would call that same admission person to get this sorted out ASAP.

 

I know all we had to do is go to our doctor, get a physical, hand the doctor the college's required health paper work, get it filled in and signed during the physical & then we mailed it in ourselves. Most of the immunizations were given when my son was younger and at a different doctor but our current doctor had that info directly on file along with what boosters he had given my son.

 

Good luck,

Myra

[8filltheheart]

Could they be looking for additional vaccines like meningococcal meningitis that your dd may not have received?

[Melissa B]

We just tried submitting shot records from dd's doctor and were denied a couple of weeks ago. It turns out that the university will not accept any form other than their specific university headed form that must be printed out from a link online or picked up at the university. We printed it out and took it to her doctor, who transferred all of the information from the original shot records, signed and stamped it (both absolutely required,) and it was immediately approved by the university.:glare:

[LizzyBee]

Could they be looking for additional vaccines like meningococcal meningitis that your dd may not have received?

 

No, she printed the vac requirements and took them to our current doctor, who gave her two shots to complete the requirements.

[LizzyBee]

First, I wouild call the college's admission office and talk to the person in charge of overseeing your student's records. If need be, I'd then go in person to your current doctor and ask if he/she would call that same admission person to get this sorted out ASAP.

 

I know all we had to do is go to our doctor, get a physical, hand the doctor the college's required health paper work, get it filled in and signed during the physical & then we mailed it in ourselves. Most of the immunizations were given when my son was younger and at a different doctor but our current doctor had that info directly on file along with what boosters he had given my son.

 

Good luck,

Myra

 

Our current doctor has the previous info, but we can't just transcribe the info onto the college's form and have the current doctor sign off on it, because they will not sign off on shots they didn't administer.

[LizzyBee]

We just tried submitting shot records from dd's doctor and were denied a couple of weeks ago. It turns out that the university will not accept any form other than their specific university headed form that must be printed out from a link online or picked up at the university. We printed it out and took it to her doctor, who transferred all of the information from the original shot records, signed and stamped it (both absolutely required,) and it was immediately approved by the university.:glare:

 

Well, the most confusing thing about the whole debacle is that they've accepted some shots but not others. And the email included a link to the requirements, but we've met all the requirements. The website says they will accept shot records signed by the doctor. What are students supposed to do if the doctor who administered their childhood shots died before they got to college? Raise them from the dead to sign the stupid form? :tongue_smilie:

 

The website says they will accept a personal shot record with the doctor's signature OR stamp.

Edited July 29, 2012 by LizzyBee

[Mabelen]

Our current doctor has the previous info, but we can't just transcribe the info onto the college's form and have the current doctor sign off on it, because they will not sign off on shots they didn't administer.

 

Wow! This is ridiculous! We never had any trouble transfering my older dd's vaccination records from abroad to the US and then from one state to another which has a single standard vaccination card. In the card our doctor's office prepared for us it just reads Transcribed from previous record under all the shots she received somewhere else.

 

ETA Is it because you are missing some older vaccination records that your current doctor will not sign off the form? I am wondering because both my dh and I had to have extra shots as adults that we had had as kids because we couldn't find our complete vaccine records. This was for immigration purposes and there was no other way around it.

Edited July 29, 2012 by Mabelen

[Caroline]

Our current doctor has the previous info, but we can't just transcribe the info onto the college's form and have the current doctor sign off on it, because they will not sign off on shots they didn't administer.

 

My kids' pediatrician has no problem doing this. We changed pediatricians when my oldest was 2. We have never had an issue with his shot record. They are all contained on the state form signed by the current pediatrician.

[JennyD]

How utterly maddening. Have you talked to an actual live person at the school? I had this problem in law school, of all places -- despite having gone to public school K-12, then college, then graduate school, all of which had had immunization requirements, the law school said they needed records that I simply could not get. I finally said to someone -- don't remember whom, possibly in the dean's office, "Look, I just do not have these records and there is no possibility of my getting them, ever. Is it really and truly not enough that you have ALL of these other records? What are my options here?" And somehow they made the problem just . . . go away.

[LizzyBee]

Wow! This is ridiculous! We never had any trouble transfering my older dd's vaccination records from abroad to the US and then from one state to another which has a single standard vaccination card. In the card our doctor's office prepared for us it just reads Transcribed from previous record under all the shots she received somewhere else.

 

ETA Is it because you are missing some older vaccination records that your current doctor will not sign off the form? I am wondering because both my dh and I had to have extra shots as adults that we had had as kids because we couldn't find our complete vaccine records. This was for immigration purposes and there was no other way around it.

 

No, we've been with our doctor since 1999 and this has always been their policy. They have a copy of the records from our pediatrician in Baltimore.

[LizzyBee]

How utterly maddening. Have you talked to an actual live person at the school? I had this problem in law school, of all places -- despite having gone to public school K-12, then college, then graduate school, all of which had had immunization requirements, the law school said they needed records that I simply could not get. I finally said to someone -- don't remember whom, possibly in the dean's office, "Look, I just do not have these records and there is no possibility of my getting them, ever. Is it really and truly not enough that you have ALL of these other records? What are my options here?" And somehow they made the problem just . . . go away.

 

Yes, and we thought we had done everything they asked.

[LizzyBee]

All of you who are saying that your doctor will sign off on shots administered by a previous doctor... are any of you in NC? Now I'm wondering if a quirk in NC law or what.

[LizzyBee]

I am just sick because I think my dh is going to have to go to Baltimore this week with the form and the copy of my dd's kindergarten medical form to get the previous doctor's signature to get it to the college in time. I am so mad I could spit because the website and email are not more clear about exactly what the heck they want from us that we have not provided.

[Caroline]

All of you who are saying that your doctor will sign off on shots administered by a previous doctor... are any of you in NC? Now I'm wondering if a quirk in NC law or what.

 

I am in Georgia.

[Myra]

"All of you who are saying that your doctor will sign off on shots administered by a previous doctor" -

 

When we switch doctors, we had our previous doctor forward our medical records to the new doctor. So when my son I took the school forms into the doctor's to be completed, the doc just stapled the previous doctor's signed immunization form to his own immunization form and attached it all to the college's required form - my son then mailed it to the college. So the doctor isn't signing off on the older immunizations just passing the state form on. I've done similar forms when we lived in Missouri, Florida, New Hampshire, and now New York with no problems.

 

"have to go to Baltimore to get a copy of my dd's kindergarten medical form to get the previous doctor's signature to get it to the college in time"

 

Could you ask your current doctor to have the signed immunization record faxed to him/her from your old doctor. He could then attach all the forms to your college forms for you in one tidy packet and you could mail them in? That would save a trip perhaps.

 

And I would still call the college and talk to someone in person. I work better with an actual person rather than a website or emails.

 

Good luck!

 

Myra

Edited July 29, 2012 by Myra

[Mabelen]

All of you who are saying that your doctor will sign off on shots administered by a previous doctor... are any of you in NC? Now I'm wondering if a quirk in NC law or what.

 

Not in NC. Good luck!

[LizzyBee]

"All of you who are saying that your doctor will sign off on shots administered by a previous doctor" -

 

When we switch doctors, we had our previous doctor forward our medical records to the new doctor. So when my son I took the school forms into the doctor's to be completed, the doc just stapled the previous doctor's signed immunization form to his own immunization form and attached it all to the college's required form - my son then mailed it to the college. So the doctor isn't signing off on the older immunizations just passing the state form on. I've done similar forms when we lived in Missouri, Florida, New Hampshire, and now New York with no problems.

 

"have to go to Baltimore to get a copy of my dd's kindergarten medical form to get the previous doctor's signature to get it to the college in time"

 

Could you ask your current doctor to have the signed immunization record faxed to him/her from your old doctor. He could then attach all the forms to your college forms for you in one tidy packet and you could mail them in? That would save a trip perhaps.

 

And I would still call the college and talk to someone in person. I work better with an actual person rather than a website or emails.

 

Good luck!

 

Myra

 

Our current doctor has a copy of the prior shot record but they won't sign off on it in any way, shape, or form. We are going to call the health center first thing in the morning, but of course it's driving me crazy that they sent the email on a weekend and we can't get in touch with them until Monday.

[8filltheheart]

All of you who are saying that your doctor will sign off on shots administered by a previous doctor... are any of you in NC? Now I'm wondering if a quirk in NC law or what.

 

Some of my kids had their vaccines in Brazil. I have no idea who the drs were. Every dr we have ever had since (which is quite a few b/c we move a lot) has simply transcribed old records onto new ones and signed their shot record. I don't even know which dr had the original copies from Brazil.

 

We also have a complete mish-mash between drs and health depts when our oldest kids were little. (I have lost half of the original records between our move between the States and Brazil.) But......their current dr has an up to date list of all their immunizations and we have never had any of it questioned. (except when we moved back from Brazil and our dd that was a baby there had a shot at 9 mos called sarampo which was measles by itself and the nurse here insisted that it was a falsified record b/c there was no such thing. The dr quickly put her in her place and affirmed that they did in other countries. Other than that, nothing)

 

I wonder if it an individual dr thing?????? :confused:

Edited July 30, 2012 by 8FillTheHeart

[SonshineLearner]

Hope not!! We don't do vaccines...

[AK_Mom4]

When we moved here, the kids needed new shot records because the school would only accept Alaska shot record forms... :001_huh:

 

We took our old records to the new doc and they copied them onto the new form with the note "transcribed from record" where the doc's signature would be. This has been perfectly acceptable for military and colleges so far. Maybe your doc would do something like this?

[Teachin'Mine]

Hope not!! We don't do vaccines...

 

Is there an exemption form for colleges? I'm assuming there must be ...

[TranquilMind]

I am just sick because I think my dh is going to have to go to Baltimore this week with the form and the copy of my dd's kindergarten medical form to get the previous doctor's signature to get it to the college in time. I am so mad I could spit because the website and email are not more clear about exactly what the heck they want from us that we have not provided.

That's ridiculous. I'd be pulling out an exemption form about now before I'd go through all that.

[LizzyBee]

That's ridiculous. I'd be pulling out an exemption form about now before I'd go through all that.

 

Hopefully we can get it straightened out in the morning and it won't be as bad as it seems.

[LizzyBee]

Update:

DD called the health center this morning and I told her to make them be very specific about what they need since we've called before, sent what they said, and they still won't clear her. Turns out the shot form from the current doctor includes their corporate name, DBA name, and doctor's signature, but no address. I couldn't figure out why they listed some of her childhood shots as compliant and others not; apparently, it's because her DTAP booster is on the second doctor's form, so the whole series is non-compliant. They told her the current doctor's office needs to stamp the form with their name, address, etc, and I asked her if they told her what to do if they don't have a stamp. She said they will have to just write the additional information if they don't have a stamp. On the website, it says a personal shot record is acceptable with the full date of each shot and the doctor's signature; nothing about the doctor's address. If they would have included that information on the website or in the email they sent on Saturday, I wouldn't have spent the weekend trying to figure out what it is they still wanted and it would have saved a boatload of stress. :glare:

 

Dh is going to run by the doctor's office to get the form updated and then we can re-fax it, so hopefully, this will be behind us by the end of the day. Who would have thought that clearing immunizations would be a harder and more stressful process than financial aid?! :tongue_smilie:

 

I am :chillpill: now. :001_smile:

[Kareni]

Update:

 

Dh is going to run by the doctor's office to get the form updated and then we can re-fax it, so hopefully, this will be behind us by the end of the day. Who would have thought that clearing immunizations would be a harder and more stressful process than financial aid?! :tongue_smilie:

 

I am :chillpill: now. :001_smile:

 

This sounds promising. I hope that all will be well!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[creekland]

I hope it all worked out...

 

We were fortunate this year that my guy had everything he needed due to an overseas trip the year before AND nothing "different" needed from the college.

 

Oldest had to get a few.

 

I can't say I've seen exemption forms from colleges... I've only seen mandatory requirements. I would guess they'd at least have some exemptions for medical issues, but I've no idea if they offer them for other reasons or not.

[stripe]

Some of my kids had their vaccines in Brazil. I have no idea who the drs were. Every dr we have ever had since (which is quite a few b/c we move a lot) has simply transcribed old records onto new ones and signed their shot record. I don't even know which dr had the original copies from Brazil.

 

 

 

I never had any problem with a form from out of the country with a different last name. No one ever seemed to pay that much attention.

 

My kids have theirs in a state registry. I like the idea that Big Brother is keeping track of that. I don't want my kids' whole world to hinge on some piece of paper I could lose.

[LizzyBee]

Status is still not cleared, but hopefully just because they haven't processed the revised form yet. If it's not cleared by tomorrow afternoon, we'll call again.

[SkateLeft]

My kids have traveled to countries which require proof of yellow fever and typhoid vaccinations for entry, and we've obtained that proof from travel clinics in CA and MN. They transcribe the immunization records from our previous doctors onto a yellow World Health Organization card.

 

I can't imagine a doctor refusing to sign off on vaccinations that they haven't administered if proof of vaccination has been provided. We'd be in big trouble if we had to rely on living near the pediatrician who gave them my kids their shots as infants!

[Candid]

All of you who are saying that your doctor will sign off on shots administered by a previous doctor... are any of you in NC? Now I'm wondering if a quirk in NC law or what.

 

NC has a database for shot records, I know because I watched my new doc's staff transfer my children's shot records from it into their database so I could get a print out. My records were all from inside NC, I'm guessing you've run into this because of the outside NC problem.

 

Would your doctor agree to make a copy of the old records and sign that it is an accurate copy of what he has in his records? I kind of get his legal stance on this. He doesn't want to imply he gave shots he didn't, but maybe this work around would "work."

 

I would also encourage you to ask about this on your local group and ask if anyone has dealt with this locally and who was their doctor?

[Alice]

Late to the thread and it sounds like it’s already taken care of hopefully. I just wanted to comment that it’s an individual dr. policy not to sign off on shots given elsewhere, it’s not the law. I sign off on shots given elsewhere every single day. I can’t imagine not doing it as patients move around and have records from elsewhere.

 

More and more states are going to databases which is nice because then the entire record is available to any doctor regardless of where the shots were given. This helps us a ton because usually the issue for us is someone thinks they got a shot but doesn’t have the actual record. I can’t sign off on that but if it’s in the database I can find it.

[Teachin'Mine]

I hope it all worked out...

 

We were fortunate this year that my guy had everything he needed due to an overseas trip the year before AND nothing "different" needed from the college.

 

Oldest had to get a few.

 

I can't say I've seen exemption forms from colleges... I've only seen mandatory requirements. I would guess they'd at least have some exemptions for medical issues, but I've no idea if they offer them for other reasons or not.

 

Has anyone received an exemption for anything other than medical reasons? Is anyone familiar with the form?

[Melissa B]

Has anyone received an exemption for anything other than medical reasons? Is anyone familiar with the form?

 

The form we just filled out allowed signed exemption waivers on everything except the MMR vaccine.

[Teachin'Mine]

The form we just filled out allowed signed exemption waivers on everything except the MMR vaccine.

 

Thank you Melissa. Do they require just one MMR vaccine, or do they require a second dose? Thank you again!

 

Elizabeth, I hope you get the all clear today.

[LizzyBee]

Elizabeth' date=' I hope you get the all clear today.[/quote']

 

We checked it at lunch time and it wasn't clear. We were going to call again, and I said let's check it one more time before we call. The hold was gone!!!!!! Hallelujah!!! :001_smile:

[Caroline]

We checked it at lunch time and it wasn't clear. We were going to call again, and I said let's check it one more time before we call. The hold was gone!!!!!! Hallelujah!!! :001_smile:

 

I am so glad everything worked out. I hope your dd gets the classes she wants/needs. Good luck to her.

[Teachin'Mine]

We checked it at lunch time and it wasn't clear. We were going to call again, and I said let's check it one more time before we call. The hold was gone!!!!!! Hallelujah!!! :001_smile:

 

Awesome!!!!! Well done!!!! :001_smile:

[Gwen in VA]

Hurrah!

[Brigid in NC]

:hurray: Terrific! The whole shot records deal IS stressful! Great job, Elizabeth!

[Alice]

Thank you Melissa. Do they require just one MMR vaccine' date=' or do they require a second dose? Thank you again!

 

Elizabeth, I hope you get the all clear today.[/quote']

 

Having signed a lot of college medical forms, my experience is that they are all slightly different in what they require and what exemptions they allow. It’s not completely standard and sometimes varies on the major (nursing or pre-med students sometimes have to have extra vaccines).

[TranquilMind]

The form we just filled out allowed signed exemption waivers on everything except the MMR vaccine.

Why? That is one combination one that wouldn't interest me. What was the reasoning.

[Melissa B]

Thank you Melissa. Do they require just one MMR vaccine' date=' or do they require a second dose? Thank you again!

 

Elizabeth, I hope you get the all clear today.[/quote']

 

Two doses were required.

[Barb_]

Why? That is one combination one that wouldn't interest me. What was the reasoning.

 

Measles run rampant on college campuses at times. Meningitis is another one. Diphtheria not so much.

[Candid]

We checked it at lunch time and it wasn't clear. We were going to call again, and I said let's check it one more time before we call. The hold was gone!!!!!! Hallelujah!!! :001_smile:

 

Good news!

[Melissa B]

Why? That is one combination one that wouldn't interest me. What was the reasoning.

 

I have no idea. My daughter had already had the two doses of MMR, so I didn't ask. It was the only "required" vaccination that didn't allow for a signed exemption waiver on the standard immunization form. Maybe it can be waived on a case-by-case basis only?

[LizzyBee]

I am so glad everything worked out. I hope your dd gets the classes she wants/needs. Good luck to her.

 

Ha, funny thing about that. She wanted to take 21 credits this semester. DH and I both told her that was insane and she should not take more than 18 her first semester. Fortunately, freshmen are only allowed to take up to 18 credits, so that ended that argument. She went to orientation and signed up for 13 credits. Her advisor told her to sign up for Calc 3, but it was already full. He told her to email the prof when she gets her AP scores and ask him to let her in. She got a 5 on the exam, but the prof said he didn't want to expand the class size. In the meantime, she signed up for another 2 credit class, so she was up to 15. She's been checking the website every day to see if anyone dropped the Calc class yet. Last week one day, she came running out from her bedroom dancing and singing because she got into Calc 3. I'm still shaking my head over that. I like math, but not that much. :tongue_smilie:

[LizzyBee]

Measles run rampant on college campuses at times. Meningitis is another one. Diphtheria not so much.

 

I don't remember seeing meningitis on the required list for dd's college. If it's not, I still want her to have it, because a meningitis outbreak in a college dorm seems to always result in at least one fatality. Thanks for the reminder even though you weren't replying to me. :001_smile:

[Barb_]

I don't remember seeing meningitis on the required list for dd's college. If it's not, I still want her to have it, because a meningitis outbreak in a college dorm seems to always result in at least one fatality. Thanks for the reminder even though you weren't replying to me. :001_smile:

 

No it's not on ours either, but that was the only booster I got her. She had her measles records. Meningitis terrifies me. In my lifetime, I've known of two people (not close--friends of friends), one child and one young teen, who deteriorated rapidly and died of meningitis.

[LizzyBee]

No it's not on ours either, but that was the only booster I got her. She had her measles records. Meningitis terrifies me. In my lifetime, I've known of two people (not close--friends of friends), one child and one young teen, who deteriorated rapidly and died of meningitis.

 

I checked with dd and she did get a meningitis shot in June, which probably means it's on the required list. I know a lot of colleges require it for students who live in the dorms. My bil had meningitis, and my sis seriously thought he was going to die. When we lived in Baltimore, it seemed like there was a breakout in a college dorm resulting in fatalities at least once a year.