UCSD Student Health Services

Dr’s are good but may as well be socialized medicine — People complain about how long it takes to get appointments in Europe and Canada — it’s no different with UCSD. I’ve never been able to get an appointment in less than one month.

There’s definitely people working here that I think should be fired, but then there’s also those I love. Here’s my experience of the UCSD clinic:
1. Nurse’s clinic: had to get some shots for travel and all of the nurse’s here were laid back and really nice. Nothing to complain about here.
2. Primary care: Let’s start with the good. I love Monica Garcia! She’s awesome and she really cares about you. If she doesn’t know the answer, she does the right thing by directing you to someone who does know. I didn’t have the classic symptoms of a flu but Monica thought I looked awful. She didn’t send me away with some cough syrup and tylenol; she gave me a flu test just in case. Lo and behold, I had influenza A. Every time I’ve seen Monica she’s been very caring and helpful.
Judy Gaspar, on the other hand, gives you her fake smile and makes you feel like you’re wasting her time. She refused to listen to another issue I had because I was scheduled in for a short appointment. She wrote a prescription without knowing what other problems I had! She wouldn’t even know if the Rx would interfere with any other health issues. I’m pretty sure that would be considered malpractice. Terrible, rude, and fake.
Charles Maletz makes you feel like you’re boring him. He looks like he hates his job and doesn’t care about his patients. Don’t let his credentials fool you. Manners and courtesy mean a lot more. I would never go to him again.
3. Optometry: Nothing to complain about here. Heather’s really nice and prices are right.
4. Pharmacy: Pharmacists are nice and prompt for the most part. The clerk, on the other hand, looks like she hates her job. I never know when she’s done with my transaction because she goes to do other stuff when I’m signing off on my Rx and then ignores me. I now take that as my cue to leave and not bother her. No bye or thank you, ever.

Avoid Charles Maletz. He is extremely ignorant and condescending. He made an uneccessarily rude comment, and refused to give me a referral to a specialist, which I needed for insurance purposes. Instead, he insisted I use over-​the-​counter medication for the problem, even though I told him I had already tried that years ago with no success.
I went to another doctor the same day, and was able to get the referral, although I still had a difficult time. It seems the doctors are not very willing to give referrals, most likely because they work closely with insurance, who don’t want to pay for outside procedures.
I would recommend buying insurance elsewhere, not through UCSD, which I am planning on doing next quarter. I would also recommend avoiding most of these doctors if you can.
At least the receptionists and nurses are very pleasant.

Before you read my review, here is the short version: THIS PLACE IS ONLY GOOD FOR FREE CONDOMS!
I have the SHIP insurance plan and it is $ 20 for an urgent care visit. If you go to urgent care outside of the student health services its $ 50… PAY THE EXTRA 30 SOMEWHERE ELSE!
Went there monday because i thought i had strep throat, it definitely did not feel like a regular cold otherwise i wouldn’t be there. I was first seen by a nurse who had to take my blood pressure 3 times, then another nurse, and finally i thought I would be seen by a doctor, but i was seen by a nurse practitioner.
She took a swab of my throat to be tested for strep and she told me it would take a couple day for the results. I called the next day and they said it wasn’t ready yet. Finally got a message 2 days later saying it was negative, and that i just need to get plenty of rest and blah blah. (BASICALLY GOOD LUCK GETTING WELL ON YOUR OWN AND F YOU) I was shocked because i was so sure that it would be positive because it had already been 5 days and I was just getting worse (I usually recover very fast)
I took her advice and tried to get better on my own (they are health professionals and know better, right?), but I only got worse and didn’t eat anything or drink much because it was so painful to swallow anything. Even a sip of water felt like acid washing through my cut up throat. Finally couldn’t take the pain and went to a different urgent care where they tested me for strep again and it turned out to be positive and the test only took 10 minutes! My throat was so swollen and I needed a shot of some steroid as well as a shot of antibiotics. (2 of the most painful shots i have ever received…). I literally felt so much better in just a day.
I was so angry because I had a gut feeling it was a bacterial infection and needed antibiotics but the Nurse Practitioner at UCSD made me believe it wasn’t that and so i suffered until it got so bad. Also why would they give me a test that takes 3 days when there is a quicker one??? DONT SUFFER LIKE I DID, GET REAL HELP ELSEWHERE!

Honestly, its as good as a clinic on campus would get, but I would really recommend Dr. Cowgill, he s very professional and takes the time diagnose you, and show you everything thats wrong, and is quick with answers, I immediately felt comfortable with him, and asked to be transferred to him after my previous experience with Dr. Malez, whom I never felt comfortable with.

Not really sure why I’m reviewing this because most UCSD students with student health insurance are forced to see the physicians or nurse practitioners here. I feel that this place is really a hit or miss. It really depends on the moods of the people working there that day, and which NP or MD you get assigned to. My advice is that if you find a good physician, always request them regardless of what group they’re in.
What I don’t like is that the pharmacy here doesn’t accept outside insurance so students who don’t have a car and don’t have student health insurance are pressured to buy the expensive meds. Luckily I had a car so I drove to a nearby pharmacy and just paid my co-​pay.
However, I will say that this place is super convenient because they have a lab. It’s great if you need to get your blood work done since the nurses or physicians can just send you over to the lab. Plus with rising insurance costs nowadays, paying fee for service for this place may be cheaper than seeing your own physician.

My primary care physician is Jan Pertschuk, so this review is based on my experiences with her. She is a very nice lady, but she’s not very good at giving answers. For example, I went to see her about a bump that appeared in my mouth. She said the salivary glands were «probably» blocked, but she didn’t suggest anything else.
With my urgent care visits, I received better service. The one that stood out to me was Deborah Lee (I believe that’s her name). She was very caring and helpful. It felt like she was taking her time with me and wasn’t rushing to her next patient.

As two other reviewers have noted, I strongly recommend avoiding Judy Gaspar. For some reason, I keep being forced to see her, even when I schedule an appointment with someone else! She doesn’t listen, she’s condescending, and worst of all she has completely misdiagnosed me and prescribed medication that led to me having to be treated by a specialist for 8 months. This woman should not be practicing medicine. I have a good friend who was also misdiagnosed and disrespected by Judy, so it’s clearly a trend.
Another one to avoid is Charles Maletz, who is very condescending.
On the flip side, Suzanne Ward is truly wonderful. I wish she did primary care, but she only does women’s health. I can’t say enough good things about her. She’s thorough, gentle, smart, and respectful. I feel completely comfortable and trusting with her.

UCSD Student Health Services consists of the most unhelpful and rude employees. Don’t get me wrong, the physicians are actually pretty friendly and TRY their best to help you (or so I think) but the rest shouldn’t be allowed to work there due to their poor judgment and services.
1. I fell off the stairs about two years ago and landed on my foot. I went to the health center and after taking about four x-​rays, they told me it was just bruised and should heal in a week. Couple days later, my foot was swollen three times its normal size and had turned green/​purple. I go back to the health center and they tell me that it might be fractured. I’m not a medic but shouldn’t they be able to tell whether my foot was fractured or bruised from the four x-​rays they had taken? Needless to say, they had no idea what they were talking about/​doing and I limped around for a year and a half with the help of the crutches they provided for me (thanks, I guess).
2. Several other instances when my assigned physician failed to know what was wrong with me and basically shooed me off to another useless medical facility on campus.
3. I had to speak to the insurance department — I called the line the first time only to reach the voicemail which asked me to leave my info and that someone would be getting back to me in 1 business day. Three days later, no reply. I call again and I reach the same message again. I call the third time to the main line and the lady had to physically go to the department office and ask them to pick up the phone. I start explaining my situation, she asks me a question and while I’m replying she interrupts me and says, «Hold on, hold on, can I finish explaining this to you before you interrupt me?» Excuse me? You just asked me a question and you tell me not to interrupt you? She then proceeds to talk to me in the most condescending, disrespectful tone (so much for customer service) and basically tells me to call the actual insurance company for information. So what’s the point of an on-​campus insurance department if they don’t know anything about their job?
Point is,
I’ve had the WORST experiences at UCSD Student Health Services and I wouldn’t recommend anyone to get checked here. But then again, we’re all poor college students who desperately need the discounted check-​ups so I guess we’re screwed either way.

UCSD Student Health Services are a huge BARRIER to care. I had a situation that required an immediate referral, however the NP refused to refer me without seeing me twice and ordering invasive exams when what I needed was a biopsy. After calling repeatedly (and never being called back) I finally received the referral (about 1 month later). When I complained about my care, the Director of Student Health said, «so this was a communication problem, not a care problem.» COMMUNICATION IS CARE! She also proceeded to tell me that Student Health over-​billed the insurance by $X amount each month, and they were stressing to use referrals as a last resource. UCSD STUDENT HEALTH PRACTITIONERS ARE JUST AS BAD AS THE HMO’S THAT DENIED HEALTH CARE IN THE 1990’s TO SAVE MONEY. I was told to my face, while extremely upset about what had happened, that this is a financial issue. She also told me that if this insurance didn’t fit my needs I should look into purchasing another form of insurance. Well I am a PhD student and can no longer be on my parent’s insurance, so this is all I can afford. How can the Director dare say that?!

Dr Walters — he went out of his way to help me many times when I was at UCSD. He actually cares about you! I would recommend him to everyone. You will not find a more empathetic doctor, anywhere! I LOVE HIM.
Dr Downs — she seemed highly intelligent but I just didn’t find I was able to connect with her very well, I don’t think she ever really understood me. I stopped seeing her after she was starting late, ending early, and was interrupted by phone calls, as I had to commute there and it just didn’t seem worth it to me.
Suzanne Ward, N. P — I saw her for my annual exam and pap smear, which I was SO anxious about. This was my first time having health insurance in about 7 years, so it had been awhile. But she made it… quick and easy! She even complimented my vagina! o. O …and of course I’m happy to be disease free and everything, too: D
I went to UCSD student health quite regularly for 2 years (2010 – 2011) and overall I had a positive experience. Most staff seemed to be friendly, helpful, and respectful. It was also always comfortable, clean, and usually not too busy (depending on the time of year…). From my experience, both Dr Walters and Suzanne Ward knew what they were doing and can offer the highest level of care for you and your health :)

UCSD Student Health isn’t good. But it’s all I can get as someone with GShip insurance. I’d say you have about a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ shot of getting someone somewhat competent, but that might be being overly generous.
Jan Pertschuck, N. P is absolutely terrible. She «diagnosed» me with migraines (which I absolutely don’t have) after about 10 minutes, and gave me a prescription for Depakote. Luckily I’m getting my PhD in Psychology and am not stupid enough to take 1,000 mg of Depakote for migraines that I don’t have. When I told her I wasn’t willing to take that serious of a medication, she informed me that she couldn’t help me in any other way besides prescribing serious psychiatric grade medication. I think that is an absolute joke. As a Doctor, if the only thing you’re qualified to do is throw those types of medications at me without anymore than 10 minutes and a refusal to hear me when I said I don’t have migraines, I’m afraid for the future of the medical profession.
However, when I’ve been to see other nurses and doctors (Bonnie O’Mera, for example), my experiences have been positive. The person who takes bood at the lab is awesome, and never has to stick me more than once, so that’s positive :)
Overall, this place is terrible. But if you are like me and are stuck with UCSD health insurance, choose your doctor carefully. If you are a woman, go to group III and see Suzanne Ward. She is absolutely excellent and cares about giving her patients quality care.

Came here a few times in the past for flu shot, personal issue, and visit friends.
The doctors here are pretty nice, even though they look mean!
The nurses here are friendly, even though they are very strict with the time!
The pharmacist… She gave me the medicine without explaining the direction. She just throw it at the counter.
The cashier is the nicest person here!!! After the pharmacist throw the medicine on the counter, the cashier helped me to ask the pharmacist how to use the medicine and some side effects. She was super nice and friendly!

It really depends on which Doctor you meet. I’ve been through several of them due to several health problems that STARTED ever since I went to UCSD (lol, college stresses the !@#$ out of me).
You are either satisfied with the doc you meet, or think that they are incompetent and as useful as googling what you think is wrong with you.
But the workers there are sooo nice; esp. during summer when everything is slow. During the year, it seems like a clusterf#$k due to so many students sick with flu, looking anxious due to stress or result of STD (just guessing) or injured (probably from trying to go running to relieve stress except they go too far), etc.
I would’ve been dead a long time ago if i didn’t go here, so i’m grateful.

My experience at UCSD Student Health Services has been mixed, but the several horrendous visits have far outweighed the few positives. I highly recommend Suzanne Ward for your women’s health needs and Eric Skoblar for sports medicine. The other nurses and doctors I’ve seen have been mediocre at best, the worst of them including Karen Kwak, Judy Gaspar and John Curington.
Starting with the good … Suzanne Ward is thorough, knowledgeable and pleasant — exactly the intelligent but personable doctor a woman wants for her annual checkups. If you’re an injured athlete, Eric Skoblar is your guy. He understands athletes’ needs, sincerely cares and knows what it takes to get you better.
I’ve had several downright terrible experiences with other doctors, but for the sake of brevity will share the gory details of just one such visit. As a high-​mileage runner for many years now, I was recently struck with an onslaught of injuries following a particularly intense marathon: a painful mish-​mash of knee, sciatic nerve and hip problems. Unable to run and miserable, I sought help from SHS. Before even examining me, the doc gave me the utterly ludicrous and lazy diagnosis that my injuries were unrelated and running is simply bad for me. Her treatment advice? Stop running and «pick a new sport». I of course ignored her in favor of some common sense and self-​treatment. After a bit of chiropractic and massage therapy I’m now back on the roads and happily training for my next marathon.
Bottom line: Student health is acceptable for your routine prescriptions, check-​ups etc … but if you’re looking for insightful, caring physicians look elsewhere.

I’m gonna have to take Student Health Services up a notch. In the last year especially, I’ve sadly had to use them A LOT. Graduate school is bad for your health, friends. So is walking off the back of a UHAUL truck bed and breaking your ankle to pieces.
So with my increased usage, I’m realizing that my initial impressions didn’t accurately represent how many of the nurses and doctors are really first rate. I had some rough experiences with an individual practitioner or two in the beginning, and I don’t take back what I said about some of the cranky and impatient gatekeepers (admin staff). But overall, the quality of health care is really high.
I especially recommend Dr. Cowgill on the doctor end of things and Suzanne Ward as a nurse practitioner, both of whom are usually with group 2.

Let me just say that I am not the most graceful person, nor am I the luckiest. I tend to just ignore my bruises for the most part, but every now and then something happens to force me to make an appointment with a medical professional.
Last fall I was having issues with my leg going numb, and pain when I put weight on it, but I ignored it as long as I could. If you have a parent in the health professions you’ll understand; we’re always being told it’s nothing and just wait it out. I also had an Ochem midterm to get through. Well, during that midterm my leg went completely numb. I had just pulled an all-​nighter but I figured it was better to figure out what was wrong before the weekend so after my test I finally went in. I was seen after about an hour by a woman who was convinced I had appendicitis.
Ummm… last time I checked peripheral neuropathy was not a symptom of appendicitis, but what do I know? Anyways, she told me to immediately drive to Thorton (drive myself? uh… OK. More like hobble to the bus stop and wait another hour for a shuttle). At this point lack of sleep and pain had driven me to tears, and I actually felt sorry for the poor woman, who didn’t know what to say to me and just stared at me for another half an hour. I don’t think she’d ever had anyone in her office cry before. Getting myself to an ER was, at least, sound advice, as at Thorton they discovered I had a serious DVT, or blood clot, in my right hip due to some rare genetic disorder.
I give UCSD SHS 2 stars, though, as at least they did have a good follow-​up treatment plan for me. I was introduced to a very helpful doctor who helped me get through the quarter, physically and academically, without having to drop out. However, if I can give any advice from my experience, screw SHIP and go to a real hospital if you’re having a real emergency.

Checking in to confirm what others have said: The physicians are great, and most of the rest of the staff is good too (with one bad apple exception in reception). They are genuinely caring people that listen and don’t rush.
Scheduling is another matter. It takes around 3 weeks to get an appointment here, sometimes more than a month. In addition, I had one appointment that was rescheduled twice due to a software error and then a physician calling in sick (you mean no one else can see me?) which delayed my appointment by another week.
At least SHIP is a pretty good insurance plan. Being restricted to the best academic medicine facilities (Thornton and Hillcrest) for referrals is a pretty awesome restriction, and deductibles are in the $ 100 – 200 range per annum, as far as I know.

I’ve had to come here a few times, and honestly, I don’t dread it like I did when I had Kaiser. The waiting can be a bit of a pain, but it’s definitely no worse than what I’m used to. The staff are all incredibly friendly, from the clerks to the nurses to the doctors to the x-​ray guy. They do actually take your time with you and show genuine concern, which I find pretty rare these days. I like that the co-​pay for appointments is ZERO, however, managing to get an appointment is pretty difficult so I usually end up doing urgent care, which is a 10 dollar fee. Still not too bad. I actually find SHIP to be a pretty affordable health care plan.
Don’t like that they make people attend a mandatory sexual health info session before getting birth control. Sometimes people need the pill for things other than sex, you know? Also havent figured out what I’m supposed to do when Student Health is closed, but luckily I haven’t had any emergency of that sort. Also the fact that we are unable to choose a doctor makes it slightly impersonal, and I miss having a doctor that knows everything about me, but this is good enough, and it gets the job done.

I have the UCSD student health insurance plan (SHIP), so I have to come here whether I like it or not.
I dropped by here this morning… because… well… the honest answer is that I’m a walking disaster area. I’ll spare you the rest of those particular gory details.
I’ll keep the rest of this review clean and concise:
**Pros**
–Friendly staff and physicians. They really care about every single student who walks in.
–Convenient hours. (Opens at 8am for early risers like me.)
–In-​house primary care: free.
**Cons**
–Not enough staff for a university this huge.
–Month-​long waits to get an appointment.
–Long waits in the office after checking in.
3 stars seems about right for UCSD Student Health. I was going to give 2, but the friendly folks who work here bring it up to 3.
But I’d still rather have more comprehensive insurance and then get to choose my own physician. That’ll have to wait until I have a real job. Grrrr.