About the Wellness Centre

Mount Allison University offers non-urgent primary health care support to students during the academic year (Sept.-April). The Registered Nurse at the Mount Allison clinic works in a collaborative practice, primary health care model of care.
 
The collaborative practice model in primary healthcare involves a registered nurse and physician working together (in-person or virtually) through consultations as a team to provide comprehensive care to patients. This model emphasizes mutual respect between both professionals.

The Registered Nurse contributes expertise in patient education, preventive care, and management of chronic conditions, while physicians bring the medical expertise to diagnose and treat illnesses. This collaboration aims to improve patient outcomes by leveraging the strengths of both professions.

At the Mount Allison clinic, the RN is responsible for managing and coordinating the health care needs of clients. This includes assessing, planning, testing, implementing, and evaluating the care plan for each patient.
 
In this University-based primary health care practice, the RN has acquired medical competencies that are delegated to the RN to work in an expanded role. An expanded role registered nurse is one in which a nurse has advanced education, training and clinical competencies that enables them to provide expanded or increased responsibilities in a primary health care practice area that enables a greater autonomy and clinical service delivery. In-person and virtual appointments are available.

Nursing appointments are typically 30-minutes in length, where the last 10 minutes of this appointment are reserved for the Registered Nurse to complete their charting. Appointment times vary by service and reason for visit.

Students with pre-existing medical needs who receive medical services external to the university are encouraged to explore a continuation of these services or to work with their health practitioner on appropriate transition. The RN cannot diagnose or prescribe. Anyone requiring urgent medical care is advised to call emergency services.

Mount Allison offers brief, solution-focused counselling services to students during the academic year (Sept.-April). Counsellors provide an open, supportive environment where students can share their concerns confidentially.

Topics supported through counselling, may include stress, anxiety, mood issues, loss and grief, self-harm, relationship concerns, adjustment to and pressures of university, loneliness, and strategies for self-care. In-person and virtual appointments are available.

Counsellors will ask students to book an initial meeting before the care and service provision commences. The purpose of these initial intake assessments is to assess your current situation and concerns, and to determine goals and treatment plans for ongoing care.

Some concerns fall out of the scope that can be addressed through Mount Allison’s short-term and solution-focused counselling model. Counsellors will use their discretion to refer students to external services where appropriate.

Students with pre-existing needs who receive counselling external to the University are encouraged to explore a continuation of these services or to work with their counsellor on appropriate transition. Mount Allison counsellors do not diagnose or provide assessments. Anyone needing urgent care are advised to call emergency services.

Counsellors are to hold the equivalent of 4 full sessions per day throughout the week (20 total). A full session is 60 minutes in length (50 minutes with a student and 10 minutes for notes). The number of sessions may vary each day based on scheduling and commitments. Other counselling models used may take the place of standard session hours (e.g. drop-ins). Time outside of one-on-one counselling time, is used for administrative work, team planning, etc.

Mount Allison may partner with external counsellors to support students. This may include students enrolled in Master programs and completing practicum hours through an accredited institution.

Mount Allison’s Social Worker provides non-urgent case management services to students during the academic year (Sept.-April). Case management is not counselling but includes navigation and connection to appropriate services both on and off campus.

Students may connect with the Social Worker through a self-referral or with a referral from a member of the Mount Allison community. The Social Worker also has a lead role with the Student of Concern Case Team (SOCCT), where they are the first contact for students referred through that program. In-person and virtual appointments are available.

Health, wellness, and accessibility staff work to educate the Mount Allison community on staying healthy and promote proactive strategies for both physical and mental well-being. Staff also work to provide resources for students who require support. Among other resources, Mount Allison has a Mental Health and Harm Reduction Outreach Coordinator and a student peer support network, NavigateMtA.

Counselling and social work services provided at the Wellness Centre, and where the service provider is an employee of Mount Allison University, are free.

External services advertised to students may be free or fee-for-service and should be confirmed directly with the service provider. Services provided by graduate students completing practicum placements at Mount Allison are typically free.

There are generally no fees associated with RN services, but some exceptions do apply. Any RN service requiring fees will be communicated to the patient.

Most fees associated with physician appointments are covered by provincial health card (i.e., Medicare card for New Brunswick, MSI Health Card for Nova Scotia, OHIP for Ontario, etc.). If a student does not have a provincial health card, they are required to pay out of pocket to the physician at the time of the appointment. The physician may charge for certain services, which will be communicated to the student. Students may be charged a fee for missing an appointment.

External service providers operating out of the Wellness Centre are generally fee-for-service. Many services have coverage through insurance plans and several direct bill. Some practitioners will require payment before the session begins or directly after an appointment. Please check with each service provider to confirm their payment type. The Wellness Centre only accepts Mountie Money.

To cancel an appointment, please use the online booking system, email wellness@mta.ca, or call the Wellness Centre at (506) 364-2163.

Please notify the Wellness Centre as soon as possible if you must cancel an appointment so that the appointment can then be offered to someone else awaiting care. The following cancellation requests apply for missed appointments:

• Counselling and social work: Please provide a minimum of 24 hours’ notice to cancel an appointment. Two missed or late-cancelled appointments in a row with the counselor may impact a student's ability to book another counselling appointment.
• Nursing: Please provide a minimum of 24 hours’ notice to cancel an appointment. Two missed or late-cancelled appointments in a row with the Registered Nurse may impact a student's ability to book another nursing appointment.
• Medical services: You must provide at least 24 hours’ notice prior to your scheduled appointment time to cancel, or you will be charged a no-show fee for your appointment with the physician.
• Other services: Check with the service provider for their cancellation policy. It is a client/patient’s responsibility to be aware of any cancellation or rescheduling fees.

The Wellness Centre staff may need to change an in-person appointment to a virtual appointment on short notice, due to personal reasons, weather, etc. All efforts will be made to communicate these changes to students with as much notice as possible, however, some short-notice changes may take place.

A student needing a space for an appointment can contact staff, who may be able to acquire a space for the student.

A University closure means that all business operations are suspended except for essential services. Wellness Centre services are not considered essential, and appointments are cancelled. A cancelled appointment is not automatically rescheduled.

Students are to re-book an appointment through the standard booking procedure if available. A service provider may work with a student to arrange the rescheduling of an appointment if deemed appropriate.

A campus closure means that campus is closed temporarily (due to inclement weather, a power outage etc.). During a campus closure, university operations continue but not on site (except for essential services).

Understanding that events causing a university closure may affect staff availability and productivity (e.g. childcare, power outages, personal circumstances, etc.), staff are working remotely.

Service providers will communicate with any booked clients/patients and advise If an appointment can be completed virtually.

Employees who are unable to work due to sickness will have appointments cancelled. Booked clients/patients will be advised by the service provider or another employee via email.

A cancelled appointment is not automatically rescheduled. Students are to re-book an appointment through the standard booking procedure if available. A service provider may work with a student to arrange the rescheduling of an appointment if deemed appropriate.

Consent for services

Consent for Wellness Centre services is obtained through an intake form and/or at an initial session. Afterwards, by continuing to participate in appointments and sessions with Wellness Centre staff, the client continues to consent to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information for treatment and care.

The Wellness Centre is a collaborative care clinic, meaning there are care providers from a variety of professional disciplines who work together to support students. Such collaboration may require the sharing of relevant health and personal information amongst Wellness Centre staff members when it is deemed necessary, without explicit permission from the client or patient.

Clients and patients of the Wellness Centre are provided with information on this model when completing an intake form.

Limits of confidentiality

Personal information will not be disclosed to any person outside of the Wellness Centre without consent. The information that is provided to Wellness Centre staff is private and confidential, with the following exceptions:

1. We are required by law to report to the appropriate authorities any suspicions that a child (under 19) or elderly person (over 65) has been, or is being, abused or mistreated.
2. If we suspect that you are in serious or imminent danger of hurting yourself or another person(s), we may need to reveal to an appropriate third party enough information to help you.
3. If you are involved in a legal proceeding, the court may subpoena our records. This is a rare occurrence, but you should be aware of the possibility.
4. If you provide written permission for information to be shared.

The Wellness Centre can release information about a student, including information discussed in sessions, to outside parties. Explicit consent from the student via a Release of Information Form is needed to share such information with a third party.

The Wellness Centre will not answer questions or provide information about any client to parents, family, friends, significant others, roommates, staff, faculty, employers, or external clinicians or care providers, without explicit written consent from the student.

In rare cases where there is a risk to a student or to the community, the Wellness Centre reserves the right to notify the Student of Concern Case Team and its members, campus security, the RCMP (Police), or local Mobile Crisis Services, especially if the student is in active danger to themselves and or to others.

Contacting parents, guardians and/or emergency contacts

Parents and guardians are not contacted unless the Wellness Centre staff have permission from the client/patient or if there is a risk to the client/patient’s safety. Wellness Centre staff understand and appreciate the severity of contacting parents and guardians; therefore, such a decision is only made in consultation with the Director of Accessibility and Student Wellness.

Typically, the student is informed of the contact to a parent or guardian; however, cases of increased level of risk or where the student’s capacity is impeded, may necessitate the call to parents/guardians or an emergency contact to occur without prior consultation with the student. Only information that aids in obtaining ongoing care and ensuring safety may be shared.

Protecting clients’ personal information

Discussion about private matters is limited to face-to-face communication, secure messaging via software platforms (e.g. Jane), or telephone communication. No method is 100% secure, but these methods are more secure than others.

Email communication with the Wellness Centre and Wellness Centre staff should only be used for practical purposes (e.g. to schedule or cancel an appointment, obtain information, request a callback, etc.).

Wellness Centre staff will generally not communicate with clients via text, unless a prior agreement has been made between the client and the staff member. Some exceptions may occur, for instance, the social worker has a dedicated work phone they can use to communicate with students as needed.

Social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc. are not appropriate means of private communication to or from the Wellness Centre and its staff. The Mount Allison Wellness Centre has social media presence to promote the clinic and share interesting information with others.

Automatic appointment reminders may be sent to students. Students can opt-in or out of this service.

All employees in the Wellness Centre are bound by a written and signed confidentiality agreement. Wellness Centre records will never be part of the students’ academic record.

Record keeping

The Wellness Centre staff share an online booking and electronic records platform. Patient records are visible to all Wellness Centre staff registered with the platform.

All Wellness Centre staff sign a confidentiality agreement that stipulates they have a collective duty to ensuring client privacy, which includes viewing only client information of students for which they are directly involved in their care. Audits can be performed to ensure compliance with this agreement.

Client files are kept in compliance with respective regulatory bodies. Clinical records will always be kept separate from academic records.

Staff may be under clinical supervision. Information from any appointment or session may be discussed in general with a clinical supervisor using non-identifying factors.

Any staff under clinical supervision will provide information on their clinical supervisor to clients.

Any concerns can be discussed with the staff or directed to the supervisor.

The Wellness Centre is an educational site, meaning that medical professionals completing educational requirements may provide services to students.

This may include, but is not limited to, resident physicians or counselling students.

These service providers will only be permitted to provide services if a part of an accredited program.

Termination of services automatically occurs when clients graduate or discontinue studies from Mount Allison University.

Clients can terminate services with Wellness Centre care providers at any time by indicating same to the provider or administrative assistant.

It is implied that a student has terminated all services with their respective Wellness Centre staff at the end of an academic year.

Wellness Centre staff may terminate services with a client if they have met the treatment outcomes of services.

Services may also be terminated if client needs are outside of a practitioner’s scope of practice. In these cases, staff may work with a student to locate services that more closely align with the specialized care that better meet their needs.

The Wellness Centre staff works to provide mental and physical health services to support the well-being of Mount Allison University students.

The Wellness Centre does not operate on a crisis-centre model.

Students book appointments or attend same-day non-emergency appointments to access services from in the Wellness Centre.

In the event of a physical or mental health emergency, please call 911 and contact Campus Security 506-364-2888, Mobile Mental Health 1-866-771-7760, or report to the nearest hospital emergency department.

Staff in the Wellness Centre make every effort to create a comfortable and safe environment for patients and clients. In turn, it is expected that users of the services will be respectful to staff and other users.

There is zero tolerance for abuse of any kind. Threatening, harassing, or disrespectful behaviour, may result to dismissal from the Wellness Centre, conduct complaints within the university, or external repercussions.

Substance use: The Wellness Centre takes a harm reduction approach to substance use; however, students are expected to attend appointments with a readiness to participate and work with their clinician. This relationship can be impacted under the influence of alcohol or other substances and your clinician may terminate an appointment should this occur.