Health Service

The Student Health Service is a Nurse-led, service providing on-campus primary healthcare to currently registered students of DCU. We have a GP on site Monday - Thursday. The Student Health Service aims to provide students with quality primary health care which is delivered in a caring, compassionate and confidential manner.

Services available on Glasnevin and St Patrick’s Campuses include:

Nurse/Doctor Consultations
Medical attention for all students who feel unwell or become ill on campus during normal working hours including emergency call-outs when necessary. An ambulance should be called on 999/112 outside these hours or for emergencies
Sexual Health - Contraception/Family Planning/STI screening
Mental Health Support
Health Promotion
Phlebotomy (blood tests)
Dressing Clinic / Suture removal
Ear Irrigation
Hepatitis B Vaccination Clinic / B 12 / Depo Injections
Medical Certificates
Referral, on request or where deemed appropriate to any services such as Student Counselling or services externally to DCU
Advice or support on any Health or Personal matter

Doctors’ Clinics: The Health Service provides students with a GP medical service during the academic year. This service is an ‘addition’ to the student’s own family doctor or specialist medical services and not a replacement.

All GP consultations/appointments are booked over the phone or by email. Our admin team will book an appointment for you to see to both the Nurse and the GP Our number/email is on our website. Appointments will be in person.

Nurses Consultations: Consultations can be booked by phone or email. You will be given an appointment to attend the clinic to see the Nurse in the health clinic.

Opening Hours during the semester for either campus - go to www.dcu.ie/health

Vaccines: Important Information:

Please see your family GP or register with the HSE portal to ensure you get your Covid-19 vaccine before you start college.

Important:

Please make sure you are up to date with your MMR Vaccines and Meningitis C Vaccine before you come to college. If you have not had 2 doses of the MMR vaccine you should attend your family GP before you come to college to make sure you're protected against Mumps, Measles, Rubella. If you notice a swelling in your cheek or jaw line you should attend your GP for review during the semester.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine are required to protect against Measles, Mumps, and Rubella. All students should have had these as a baby and a booster dose at age 4-5 years. Your parents/ GP or HSE should have the records of all vaccines given.

The Meningitis C Vaccine was introduced in the year 2000 and a booster dose has been given in secondary schools over the past number of years. Anyone under the age of 23 who has not had the Meningitis C Vaccine, should receive one dose of the vaccine before they come to college. The Meningitis B vaccine has been given to new babies in Ireland since 2016 and the MenACWY is now given to all secondary students in first-year starting in 2019.

https://www.meningitis.org/

The Flu Vaccine

The flu vaccine will be available in the DCU Pharmacy for all those who require it.

Urgent Appointments: If your problem is urgent, please call the Health Centre before 10 am or request to speak to the nurse on the phone. Should you need immediate medical attention by a nurse on campus during normal office hours, please dial

Glasnevin Campus: +353 1 700 5766

St Patrick’s Campus: + 353 1 700 9215

For Out-of-hours emergencies please ring an Ambulance directly yourself or ask one of your friends to do it - 999/112. The Emergency personnel will stay on the phone with you to get a history of the incident and also to support you or while you are with the person who is unwell.

Please ring Security - to let them know you or someone else is unwell. Give them details of your address on campus and also tell them that an Ambulance is on the way. Security will direct the ambulance to you on site.

A bystander can do this for you. Security will provide support and guidance in the event of an emergency.

Security (Glasnevin & St Patrick’s Campus)

T: +353 1 700 5999

Mental Health

Many of you will have heard the phrase ‘Your Health Is Your Wealth’. There is no time like your time at university when this phrase is more important. Sometimes you may feel unhappy, worried and/or experience stress or anxiety- all of which are normal emotions. However if you feel any of these on an ongoing basis, they may contribute to life becoming unbalanced and it is always best to seek help immediately. Your Mental Health is important and there are many people who can listen, advise, guide and help you through whatever you are going through. It is possible to see the light at the end of the tunnel and the advice from DCU is to ‘PLEASE TALK’! Talk even when you don’t want to talk - to somebody. There are plenty of people i.e The Students Union/Counselling and Personal Development/Student Health Centre in DCU who can support and advise you. There are solutions to every problem. Bottling things up can make everything feel much worse. And please don’t leave it until you are in a full blown crisis to reach out. The sooner you reach out the sooner we can try and help you - studies, personal issues, college life, whatever it is we can engage and encourage you to do your best and also find a manageable way to do it, along with ways to cope and thrive.

To help you settle in:

Please attend classes from the beginning. This is your number one priority. It will help you get into the flow of college life and get you into a routine which is very important. The importance of routine cannot be overemphasised.

Get involved in activities that will allow you to meet new people and make new friends. You can expect to meet new people at the Clubs and Soc’s events and meet people with similar interests as you.

Learn how to cook and look after yourself before you arrive. Have a few simple nutritious meals in your mind that you can prepare quickly. Your food is your fuel and is vital in keeping you well and as a protection against flus and colds. If your diet is mainly made of fast food on the run, then you will run out of energy and motivation very quickly. A balanced whole food diet full of essential nutrients will sustain you well. This will take a bit of planning and will save you money in the long run. If you are a vegetarian please ensure you take supplementation of B12. Vit D supplementation is essential between October and March. You can get these at any pharmacy.

Pace yourself for nights out. This is the first time you will be away from home and it is tempting to stay up all night socialising. Don’t let your college life slip. This will cause you stress and anxiety and affect your studies. The college academic programme is fast-paced and intense, so keeping up will enable you to stay in control and feel like you are accomplishing something in your own right.

Ask for help if you feel out of your depth. There are lots of people in Student advice to help and direct you to the right service. Don’t suffer in silence if you feel things are going badly. We are here to help and support you.

To make an appointment with a counsellor please contact: https://www.dcu.ie/counselling/appointment.shtml

After hours support: https://www.dcu.ie/counselling/afterhours/index.shtml

Further information: