Your Students' Health |
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What Students Should Know in Advance
We encourage students and their parents to discuss with their family physician how conditions – i.e., altitude, pollution, types of medical facilities, required immunizations, availability of pharmaceuticals – in their host city might affect their health. Additional information on health and travel may be found online through the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.
Medical Insurance Abroad
CEA Global Education requires students to purchase a mandatory medical insurance plan while abroad. CEA works with two international medical care providers to provide our students with 24/7 access to a global network of health professionals, many of whom are English-speaking and Western-trained. The cost is supplemental to the program price and differs depending on program length. The cost will be reflected on the students' invoice.
During orientation, international staff will provide students with an affiliated medical facility and health provider contact information. International directors ensure that the students have access to quality medical care in their host city and when traveling in the region. CEA staff abroad assist the students in making arrangements with English-speaking providers when possible and when necessary accompany them to appointments.
Prescriptions Abroad
The U.S. Department of State recommends travelers going abroad with a pre-existing medical problem carry a letter from their physician describing the medical condition and any prescription medications, including their generic names. Medications being carried overseas should be left in their original containers and clearly labeled. Your students should check with the foreign embassy in the host country to make sure any required medications are not considered illegal narcotics.
Students should pack medication and an extra pair of eyeglasses (if they wear them) in their carry-on luggage, in case their checked baggage is lost. A backup supply of medication can be packed in their checked baggage. If your students have allergies, reactions to medications, foods or insect bites, they should consider wearing a medical alert bracelet, and/or include that information in a letter from their physician explaining the necessary treatment should they become ill.
Flu Prevention
Recent research conducted by the Forum on Education Abroad found that flu and cold symptoms were the most common problems faced by students studying abroad. CEA Global Education has taken steps, including Guidelines for Pandemic Flu Prevention, to help students know how to do their best to prevent illness and how to deal with illness should it occur. For example, students are strongly recommended to have flu vaccines before they leave the United States, and each campus provides readily available hand sanitizer dispensers. CEA's on-site international staff also routinely stresses healthful behaviors.
Mental Health
Studying abroad will not fix any problems that students are having at home or at school. Students will not be able to escape their issues; they may even be amplified. When going into a new situation in a new country, students are likely to experience culture shock. Without their friends and family from home, students often suffer from an initial feeling of isolation that will fade with time.
Students with a past history of depression should make sure to note it on the medical questionnaire they fill out for CEA Global Education. International staff, if aware can help alleviate some of the students’ concerns and can provide local counselor information, including English-speaking counselors as available. In addition, on-site health and safety orientation sessions present information on “culture shock” including the stages of this anxiety, its symptoms and how to combat the stress produced by culture shock.
Disabled Students
Oftentimes, countries outside the U.S. do not have the legislation and infrastructure to accommodate disabled individuals in the way they are aided in the United States. Disabled students should investigate the conditions of their prospective host countries prior to applying for a program, and should check out the Mobility International USA online for additional information.
Students should be aware that in some situations there will be additional charges incurred for handicap accessible housing. They also should note that CEA Global Education has limited staff abroad and cannot guarantee that all activities and excursions will be handicap accessible. However, CEA staff will make reasonable accommodations when possible. Consequently, it is essential that students describe in their application the type of disability they have and the type of accommodation they would need to participate fully in the educational and cultural experiences of a study abroad program.
