For some time now, student health care facilities have been the brunt of jokes referring to inferior care.

Dr. Mark Blaedel, interim director of Iowa State’s Student Health Center since August 1997, said the name “student death” might stem from the assumption that Student Health Center physicians aren’t capable of working for a non-student health care facility.

“[Student death] might come from a traditional image of college health as being a practice where physicians go that can’t make it on the outside,” he said.

Blaedel said some people might have the notion that “college health is where the retirees go to do something easy.”

According to Blaedel, none of the physicians are retirees.

“I’m the oldest physician, and I’m 53,” he said. “We’re in the prime of our professional life.”

“College health is our occupation,” Blaedel said. He said Student Health Center employees don’t work there “just because we need a place to work.”

The Student Health Center currently employs eight full-time physicians which are “board certified,” and each has an area of specialization.

Except for Blaedel, all the physicians are specialized in family practice. Blaedel’s concentration is in pediatrics.

Blaedel said all of the Student Health Center’s physicians are certified, have passed the board exam and have completed their residencies.

The health center also employs one certified physician assistant, 13 nurses, two pharmacists, two medical technologists, one X-ray technician, two physical therapists, one registered dietitian and two health educators.

Dr. Mary Khowassah, director of Student Health Service at the University of Iowa since 1985, said students are at a “critical and cynical” point in their lives during college and that using the term “student death” is a catch-phrase that has been passed down from past generations.

“Students are at a time when they’re questioning everything.”

“They should be questioning the health service as well,” Khowassah said.

She said when most students try out the student health care facilities at their school they change their minds about student health care facilities being sub-par.

“I think [the term “student death”] is a total misconception,” Khowassah said.

Another widespread complaint from students is that the wait to receive care is too long.

Amy Kearns, junior in journalism, said she waited 45 minutes to see a doctor after she had a bicycle collision and injured her knee.

Though she wasn’t seriously injured, Kearns said she wasn’t sure how serious her injuries were when she arrived at the center.

She said her knee swelled up while she waited for care, but nurses didn’t offer her ice to reduce swelling or elevate the knee.

“They should increase the [number of] staff,” Kearns said.

“This year we are short on help,” Blaedel said.

He said the Student Health Center has seen 2 to 17 percent more patients per month this school year than last year.

Half of the physicians at the clinic attend to walk-in patients, and half see students with appointments, which decreases the amount of doctors available for walk-ins, Blaedel said.

Kristie Tesar, sophomore in architecture, said the wait at the Student Health Center is the same as the delay at most other health care facilities.

“That’s how it is everywhere,” she said. “It’s not any different than any other health place.”

Aaron Woell, junior in political science, said the service has been “courteous and quick” the four times he has been there.

Blaedel said the Student Health Center has been conducting studies on a case-by-case basis to conclude where backups occur.

“We are always looking at ways to cut down this wait,” he said.

One suggestion Blaedel offered is setting up a “self-help” station where students can obtain information about common ailments and their treatments.

He said this idea will help reduce the long lines to see physicians.

Blaedel said there is a way for college health facilities to lose the menacing title of “student death.”

“The only way [to lose the name] is to do a good job … that’s the constant struggle,” Blaedel said.

Blaedel said it will be difficult for the Student Health Center to drop the name from students’ vocabularies.

“‘Student death’ is not a good name for this place because we don’t kill patients,” he said.