Get your child’s permission in writing for medical information to be shared. Or you could be in the phone 1,000 miles away with zero information.

In the early 1990s I was admitted to the university hospital for what turned out to be a very dangerous reaction to a medication. I was then sent by ambulance to another hospital and put in isolation for several days. My mom drove 9 hours to get there in record time.

We live a 5 hour flight away from both kids. If they get admitted and it’s a serious issue we will go. If it’s just an ER trip there’s not much we can do.

DD#1 had to go to the ER (during Covid) once because she was having issues breathing-she didn’t have covid. She was there for a few hours and released.

DD#2 has T1. Odds are high she will have to go to the ER at some point during college. She done it before and knows what to do. If she would ever be admitted I’d absolutely go.

Yes. I got on a flight immediately.

Anonymous wrote:

I’d be more concerned about the availability of medical care than the ability to fly to your kid.

I agree with this.

I'm blown away at how supportive our kids' friends and RAs have been to their classmates who have been hospitalized-- a wonderful support group.

This was a huge worry during early days of Covid. Definitely a good question.

Our son was hospitalized for one night and handled it fine on his own, including recovery and follow-up visit with the doctor.

If it were a longer duration or he wasn't in a position to advocate for himself, I would fly out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I know who had a child hospitalized at school at least one parent flew to be with them.

I will add, the vast majority were sons who had their appendix removed.

How many do you know of? Are you in some kind of professional position where you interact with college aged students with health care problems?

(I only know of one case personally - student had bad food poisoning that worsened before they finally figured it out, I think)

My young relative is in that situation right now. Broke a bone badly and needs surgery. The college health center said they could recover there when they’re discharged. The school will drive them to and from classes and help them get meals. They can stay as long as they need.

My roommate and I took our other roommate to the ER when she was having severe pain that could suggest appendicitis. We took turns staying with her until she was discharged. Luckily, it wasn't anything that required surgery, but we all took care of getting her there and back and helping her in the aftermath. I think b/c it wasn't severe (and maybe b/c we were all girls), it was OK without parents there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP, are you concerned about your own kid going off to college next year and what might happen in the event your kid was hospitalized? Or does your kid have any specific condition that could land them in the hospital so you're worried? If you have specific questions around that, let us know and I'm sure you'll get some good input here.

I was wondering how frequently it happens...

My situation is that it is extremely, extremely difficult for me to leave home overnight and would be even harder for me to leave for more than one day. So if my child goes away to school (or anywhere for that matter) and is hospitalized, it would be very difficult for me to just drop everything and fly there.

I am contemplating buying membership in something like MedJet to fly them home in such an emergency, therefore.

I think this is extreme and showing some type of anxiety in your part. How often are your children hospitalized here? Then put yourself in your child’s shoes - they don’t want to be ripped away from their school life and end up with all of the follow up appts at home. The odds are slim there would be such an emergency you’d need to be there within 24 hours, and if there was, it should be treated there, not medivacced and wasting time in the air.

I wasn’t admitted but spent the day at an ER when I was in college for severe food poisoning where I wouldn’t stop throwing up. I also went with friends to the ER twice for different medical issues, none were mental health.

This was pre cell phone days and none of us called parents immediately. Friends and/or boyfriends were there. We told our parents later. I told mine not to come because I just needed to sleep and recover when they found out and immediately wanted to be there. One of my friends parents came and withdrew her from school afterwards, but it was a bigger ongoing medical issue that landed her in the ER.

I was diagnosed with a critical illness Junior year. Rural SLAC, about an hour away from a research hospital and airport, and six hours from home (by car). My parents helped me find specialists, but I went by myself. Once I had a diagnosis, my parents flew out for the first few treatments, but after that, I managed on my own, with my friends and boyfriend helping. I had a car at school though, which made accessing doctors manageable.

I moved even further away for grad school, but to a big city. At that point, I was navigating everything on my own.

This past September my niece who is immucompromised was hospitalized for COVID across the Country because she couldn’t breathe. Her RA took her and a family friend went to the hospital and assured her parents there was nothing they could do there (wouldn’t let anyone in the room). She was released 3 days later. One of the criteria for college for her was access to a premier medical hospital.

A friend’s daughter her Freshman year got a blood infection following emergency oral surgery and was essentially sent by medivac home. Her father is a doctor and pulled many strings to get her home and a fellow doctor flew with her back home. She spent months in recovery and had to take the semester off.

I’d be more concerned about the availability of medical care than the ability to fly to your kid.

My DC had a concussion on one occasion and, on another, went to the ER with what the doctor there initially thought was meningitis (thankfully, it wasn't -- it was some other virus). Thankfully, she had a lovely boyfriend who took good care of her. The college was also very supportive, and she was given some accommodations while she recovered. I was all ready to fly out over the meningitis scare (although that turned out not to be serious) and drove out to be with her when she got the concussion.

I spoke to one of her professors, who assured me the college would support her if she needed to be hospitalized. Thankfully, she never was, but the college had a clear protocol to assist students with critical health situations.