✿Blossom✿
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Posts posted by ✿Blossom✿
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On 08.03.2018 at 9:02 PM, rising_star said:
I would contact your doctor and ask them how you should fill out the form. Don't assume there are no records whatsoever without first verifying this. And definitely do NOT falsify the records by making up the day and month.
Thank you. As a matter of fact, yesterday I went to the hospital where I had had my early childhood vaccines (not the ones administered to me when I was at school), but the employees told me that the hospital was obligated to safeguard the records for only 10 years - so there is a good chance that my records have been destroyed. We have also called the archive section of the hospital, but nothing came up. The people were also puzzled, in my opinion, and almost everyone I talked to expressed surprise, as - I presume - nobody had requested their vaccination records from 20+ years ago. So in my case, at least, it seems I will not be able to track my records down.
On 09.03.2018 at 2:45 AM, Comparativist said:I had the same situation and I made up the dates and years and got my doctor to sign it.
Up to you if you want to do the same thing. Hardly ethical, but I'm not going to be bothered to take a bunch of vaccines I had already taken.
I see that this is a viable option, but as you said - it is hardly ethical. I mean, technically it wouldn't be a lie, because if I've been vaccinated against varicella (which I have), the idea is that it is supposed to provide lifelong protection (which is not the case for all vaccines) and hence, the exact date on which I received this particular vaccine shouldn't matter. But still, I'd rather not do this. I feel uneasy about giving false info, even though it would practically not change anything as far as some vaccines are concerned.
On 09.03.2018 at 9:03 AM, ZeChocMoose said:My grad school would not let graduate students enroll in classes if they had not received their immunization form so I would check to see what the policies are for your school and not assume that they will be lax on it - especially since this is a state law and not an internal policy.
This is also the case at my school. You cannot enroll in classes, and nor can you stay in a dorm, unless you provide documentation of immunization.
On 09.03.2018 at 9:19 AM, DippinDot said:Something else I would add is that usually when people don't have documentations of their vaccinations, either your current physician or the physicians at your program would be able to run a panel that tests for antibodies in your system associated with the relevant vaccinations/illnesses. This antibody panel would act as documentation of what vaccinations you have received, and show what vaccinations you lack. Your situation is actually more common than some may think, so yeah definitely 1. talk to your current physician about your situation, if you have one. And if not you could consider going to same-day clinics or urgent care (you will have to pay out of pocket for the visit, however). 2. if you have no resources on your end, let your program know of your situation and they may be able to guide you with what to do from there (i.e. antibody panel, referrals).
I thought I had missing documents for vaccinations and was told by my undergraduate health center that the antibody panel is typically what they do for people who don't have proper vaccination records. But then I found my documents through lots of backtracking of hospitals I've been to since like age 5 so. haha yeah. The information pertaining to what to do when you don't have records still stands though. Of course I'm not a health care professional and I was already enrolled in an institution when that happened so take this info with a grain of salt. This is just what was told to me in my personal experience.
Oh and what @TakeruK said. Some of the vaccines they can just give you another one and that'll fulfill the immunization requirement. It's not harmful and in fact acts as a booster (in some instances). So depending on the situation you might not even need to do a panel-- just get another shot. I did this for Hep A when I thought I didn't get it as a kid. Turns out I actually did, and the doctor said that it's totally fine and just acts as a booster shot.On 09.03.2018 at 9:26 AM, E-P said:First off, once you get what records you can, I'd call your university. You're not the only international student they have, so they probably have a set suggestion for "How to deal with it if you can't get the documentation." There may also be documentation in odd places. I was looking at my high school transcript the other day, and it has documentation of vaccines on it. Go figure. Your various primary schools may be able to send you records too.
Secondly, I'm surprised nobody has suggested this: Couldn't you also just re-get the vaccines that you don't have documentation for? I'd be hard pressed to get physical documentation of vaccines at age 5, but I doubt there would be deleterious health effects if I got them again. Presumably, your doctor could advice which ones would be "safe" to double up on.
Welcome to the US! I hope you enjoy it. You're in a good place to get help adapting; I have found that everyone here really genuinely wants to help people get acclimated, both to their programs and to their new homes.
Thank you for these suggestions. After some consideration, I have also decided to take all those vaccines, as this appears to be the only option that will work.
I'll just write down why I made this decision, as it might help someone else in the future who browses the forum to find an answer to a similar question.
There are 5 vaccines that are required by my school, and these are MMR, Tdap, varicella, Hepatitis B, and meningococcal.
First of all, Tdap is not a kind of vaccine that gives you lifelong protection, it protects you for 5-10 years, and your immunity to the diseases that this vaccine protects you from cannot be proven via blood tests (titers) - so I'll have to take this vaccine. (And I really should, because it's been over 5 years since the last time I received this vaccine.)
The same goes for meningococcal - the FAQ section of my school says that immunity to meningitis cannot be shown via blood tests, so unless I have proper documentation to prove that I have taken the vaccine (and I don't), I should take it (which I will).
Technically, my immunity for measles/mumps/rubella, varicella, and Hepatitis B could be proven via blood tests, if antibodies are found in my blood. BUT, I have read online that the results of these blood tests can sometimes be "equivocal." And if this is the case, I will have to get vaccinated again. Now, such blood tests are not inexpensive in my country. I called a lab a couple of days ago to get pricing information, and it turned out that a blood test for checking immunity for measles, mumps (curiously enough, rubella is not included), and varicella would cost me several hundred dollars. "Several hundred dollars" may not sound like too much to you, perhaps, but considering the currency exchange rate in my country, this is like a small fortune for me. And at the end, there is always the risk that my blood tests will yield equivocal results, and I will have to re-take the vaccines anyway - in which case I will have just poured my money down the drain. All in all, it seems that taking these vaccines will be both cheaper, and much less of a hassle. And as you have pointed out, I may have the additional advantage of having them as "boosters" - which doesn't harm.
Also, thank you @E-P, for your kind words. I am looking forward to coming to the US!
And also many thanks to everyone who has posted in this thread to help me - I appreciate your advice, and it has helped me make up my mind about this issue.
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Hello everyone!
I am an overseas student and I will start my PhD in the US in Fall 2018. My admit package was saying that, in accordance with the health laws of the state in which my school is located, I should be vaccinated against a number of diseases. I didn't care about this much, as I had taken all these vaccinations on the list (MMR, Tdap, Hepatitis B, etc.) in my home country. But when I went to the website of my university's health services to download the forms I have to fill, I saw that they want a much more comprehensive documentation of my vaccinations than I had initially expected.
The biggest problem is that they want me to specify when exactly (MM/DD/YYYY) I received a vaccine.
Now, the problem is, I have received all these obligatory vaccines in my schools throughout K-12, and this is how it happened: On a pre-specified day, healthcare professionals from a nearby public hospital visited our school and basically vaccinated every student. This is how I received ALL my immunization shots. As an individual student, I was not given a certificate of vaccination - so I cannot technically prove that I have been vaccinated, nor can I show the exact date on which I have been vaccinated. I also don't know how well official records of school vaccinations are kept in my country but I suspect I couldn't get any info on this from any official sources.
So how should I go about filling these forms, actually? I should be writing the dates of my vaccinations, and my doctor has to sign this document. Would it be OK if I only specified the year in which I took the vaccine (as this is fixed for many vaccines in my country - for example MMR is given in 1st and 5th grades, if I am not mistaken - I'll check this again, though) and left out the day and month info? And would I get into trouble if I made up the month and day info just to submit a complete form?
Thanks in advance for your help!
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13 hours ago, fuzzylogician said:
No one will think you're weird for arriving with multiple suitcases. You could look into overseas shipping, which is usually slow but cheap. If you have an address for your residence hall, you get ship stuff out before you even move, or you can have someone send you stuff once you're there. So have a plan for what you'll need to get started, and also try to figure out what will already be there. Lots of apartments are at least partially furnished. Do you need towels and sheets of your own? Maybe having just one is enough to get started. I would personally not bring furniture or kitchen supplies. You also don't necessarily know that your winter clothes will be warm enough, unless you are moving to a familiar climate. You could take one coat with you but not pack it. Most things you should probably just buy here; there are thrift stores and dollar stores to get you started, or things might be supplied by a residence hall or a roommate might have them. Bring stuff you can't replace: pictures, some stuff to remind you of home, a bit of memorabilia. Other stuff you can replace.
Thank you! Your advice is both wise and sweet. I will certainly look into shipping as an option. As I will start the semester in late summer, I guess I could ask my mother to send me some winter clothes after I have arrived there. I also don't think I will take kitchen utensils with me.
1 hour ago, AnxiousNerd said:For fluffy sweaters - buy some space bags
This is also brilliant advice, thank you!
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2 hours ago, avraven said:
Hi! I'll also be starting my PhD in the US as an international student, but I've moved abroad before on my own so I might be able to help.
Firstly, no one will think it's weird if you arrive with 3 giant suitcases, especially since you're an international student!
You could consider taking the clothes you're likely to need in the first few months, and have the rest shipped over later? Since you're committing to a long time in another country you're likely to want quite a lot of things from home with you anyway.
In terms of towels, etc. I'd recommend taking just a travel towel so you have immediate access to one, and buying more later since they're bulky. I'd take a coat as hand luggage to save space. Only take a few travel toiletries and buy the rest when you arrive - things like that really do take up space.
Having said that, it really is normal to have a lot of luggage when you move, especially when you're moving abroad, so I wouldn't worry!
2 hours ago, TK2 said:I can't imagine anyone is going to think you're 'weird' for having three suitcases of clothes when moving for years to foreign country!!!
To the contrary, I'm worried people will think I'm a freak when I make a trans-continental, long term move and show up with a single carryon, which is the one mid-sized backpack of stuff that I have. I've been travelling a fair amount for work for the past few years and kind of de-accumulated. I tend to buy a very small set of very cheap basics (I don't really need anything more formal than jeans and a t-shirt on a daily basis), wear them until they're floor rags (about four-six months, usually) and then start over. And I have serious dearth of winter stuff, being from a hot climate and mostly working in same. I actually started a list of all stuff to take as some weird procrastination - this is specific items. The black shoes. The blue dress with the pattern - and have managed to get to 21 items. Including, like, that pair of expensive warm hiking socks and my nice grownup pantyhose that I wear for conference presentations. Er. Adulting. And that's the expanded, 'optional' list.
A couple clothes tips I got, was thrift shops (salvation army, etc) and ordering expensive items off-season (like, apparently now is the best time for serious winter gear, so order it and have it shipped to friends to sit around until needed.)
I'm actually more stressed about building up a semi-usable kitchen - I've never had to get everything from scratch. Pots, pans, forks, glasses, dish towels, can openers...there are so many things you don't realize you need until you don't have them...
Furniture I can take or leave, to be honest - most of my apartments have essentially consisted of a mattress and pile of clothes in a box - though I think I'm having some weird nesting instinct at the thought of being in one place for four+ years. A friend got me coasters (coasters!) for Christmas and I was actually delighted (I mean, they're cute and have a pattern that matches my studies, which is why she got them, I was just surprised to be excited by them as coasters, rather than as design per se, you know?) and suddenly imagining the mugs to go with them and the table they'd stand on and having friends over and making them hot drinks in the mugs on the coasters on the table, which might be on a rug...etc. Ok just this train of thought freaks me out. What the hell. (I used to live in an anarcho-marxist commune. I have issues with stuff.) I think its something about the solidity and attention to comfortableness of American life and built environment though - I mean, take driers. They're ridiculous by any measure. No one should even need a drier. And then you get your clothes dried and my goodness, it's delightful. So maybe i'm having this sense of...If I want to do the full experience of this moving thing- get coasters and rugs and dry your clothes and own more than 21 items of clothes. Dunno. Minor existential crisis over here.
Ok, that was a weird digression.
Tl;dr - take your clothes. Suitcases are fine. Just check if its cheaper to ship a mass of items over or take them on the flight.
Wow, thank you folks! Your posts really sound reassuring. Well, I believe I'll soon have to buy a couple of big and sturdy suitcases
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Hello everyone!
This is my first post here, so apologies if I make a mistake. I am an overseas student and I will be starting my PhD in the US in Fall 2018. This might sound like a silly question, but what do you think is the ideal number of clothes, shoes, or similar items of textiles that one should put in one's suitcase when one moves to a different country? I tried to imagine this, and I was dumbstruck when I thought about how much space some items would take - especially fluffy stuff like sweaters (a necessity for the cold climate of the city I'll live in). Add to that one coat for the winter, at least one bathrobe and maybe 1-2 bath towels... Well, you get the idea.
On the one hand, I know I will be on a rather tight budget as a grad student, and therefore I want to take as many clothing items as I can, just so I won't have to go shopping for clothes (and clothes happen to be much cheaper in my home country, just like everything else. Why spend my meagre stipend on clothes?). On the other hand I don't want to attract attention in the residence hall by arriving there with 3 giant suitcases. O_O
I would like to know about the experiences of other grad students, if possible. Is it really as weird to take many clothes with you as I fear it might be? Also, could you recommend some stores where I could find cheap but decent clothing, in case I DO have to shop for clothes?
Thank you!
[Psych Students] IRB Approval
in Officially Grads
Posted
Hello folks!
I am an international student who will soon start doing a PhD in psychology in the US. Since I am working in the field of psycholinguistics (language acquisition), I will also have to test native speakers of my language for my research - which means that I will have to regularly travel to my home country to recruit participants there and to conduct research with them. Now, here is the thing. I have met my advisor last week, and among other things, we have also talked about the issue of IRB (Institutional Review Board, aka Ethics Committee) approval for research. In the studies I did for my BA thesis and then for my MA thesis, I have always received an IRB approval from my former institution, and I was thinking that my future studies would be similar, i.e., this time I would get an approval from the IRB of my new university (the one in the US), come back to my home country, and conduct my tests. (I thought no other institutions and bureaucracy in my home country would be involved, because my job basically depends upon contacting the participants (and their parents and teachers) in their nurseries and/or schools and obtaining their approval for testing them. At this point, the IRB approval does only two things: (1) establishes trust with the participants and their legal guardians and (2) saves the university from getting into any trouble over having neglected their legal responsibilities in this regard.)
But my advisor seems to think that getting an IRB approval from my US university may not be sufficient and I might also have to contact local authorities - which I find really confusing. If an IRB approval is required, I think the one that I would obtain from my US university should be enough - and frankly, any other option seems weird to me. Because can you actually get an IRB approval from a university with which you are not affiliated at all??? Are there any international psychology students here who have had to obtain two different IRB approvals from (1) their current university abroad and (2) from a local university in the country where they conducted their research?