Students are required to complete a "Student Health and Wellness" Questionnaire. Once your responses are received, a nurse will review your health history and itinerary, and provide you with up-to-date information about the health conditions at your destination and pre-travel advice on immunization and medication requirements and recommendations. The nurse will also review destination-specific travel tips and cultural considerations.

Please note that outstanding college vaccine requirements must be complete or in the process of completion prior to travel abroad.

In order to advise you regarding health planning, Worth will need the following:

1. Detailed itinerary with length of stay, specific destinations, and excursions
2. Up-to-date copy of vaccinations/immunizations/shots
3. Record of current medications with names and doses

Once the Worth Health Center reviews your response to the Student Health and Wellness Questionnaire, they can notify you if an in-person travel health consultation will be required.

In-person consultations are not always required but can be necessary for students with specific study abroad locations or medical circumstances. Depending on your needs, an in-person travel consult may include travel vaccinations and/or program-required physical exam forms.

Ideally appointments for a travel health consult should be made at least six weeks in advance of travel. Schedule early since many times follow up visits and vaccine appointments are necessary. Most vaccines require several weeks to take effect, and some can’t be given at the same time. So, it’s best to plan your first visit early. Be aware that the Worth Health Center is closed over the summer (late-May to late-August).

By appointment, students can arrange for a physical (for visas or other purposes) or to have additional health forms completed that may be required by their study abroad programs. Appointments should be made as early as possible to avoid delays. Be aware that the Worth Health Center is closed over the summer (late-May to late-August).

This depends on your location and planned activities.  If you have not yet begun the travel health consultation process, you can look up information by country and sub-region through International SOS. 

If you are traveling to a country with required immunizations that must be staggered over a period of time, you should make this appointment as early as possible. Your immunization and other travel medicine needs will be reviewed, including what supplies you should take with you. Do not put this off until the last minute. Some immunizations need to be administered over a period of weeks or months. 

Please be advised that the Worth Health Center does not carry all of the vaccines that may be required to visit every foreign country. If you require vaccines that Worth does not carry, you will be directed to a site where you may obtain them.

A travel health nurse at Worth will help to navigate the best location to obtain vaccines. Some vaccines can be given on-campus. You may be referred to an off-site clinic to receive other vaccines. Prescriptions (such as malaria prophylaxis or antibiotics) can be given to you or sent to a pharmacy.  You can also use GoodRx to compare costs between health services and nearby pharmacies.

You are responsible for any out-of-pocket healthcare related expenses, including vaccines and/or medications required to participate in your program. In general, it is important when planning to remember that some expenses associated with your program will be your responsibility, including costs for medical requirements.

Swarthmore’s Student Health and Wellness Center offers certain vaccines on-campus to students, and provides a cost sheet for planning purposes.

Most insurance companies will cover childhood vaccines and routine boosters.  However, travel-specific vaccines are typically not covered by insurance.  These vaccines can be quite expensive and often require a series of multiple injections (for example: the rabies series costs nearly $1,000).  Students should check with their individual insurance carrier regarding the travel vaccine reimbursement policy for their plan.

All students/faculty/staff engaging in approved Swarthmore Global Travel will be enrolled in Swarthmore's travel medical insurance. 

Participants will be registered automatically (once they have completed all pre-departure requirements).  Additional registration for travel medical insurance will not be required unless a traveler needs supplemental coverage before/after their official program dates.

Yes, there are exclusions pertaining to high risk activities such as certain forms of mountaineering where ropes or guides are normally used, hang gliding, sky diving, parasailing, bungee jumping, and racing (horse, auto, motorcycle). There are also specific coverage limits regarding charges due to pre-exisiting conditions.  

Travelers should review information identifying what is not covered by Swarthmore's Travel Medical Insurance. 

NO. Students are expected to remain on the insurance plan they would have if they are in their home country or at Swarthmore. This additional insurance may be needed if students' circumstances change.

If you have a health condition that may require treatment while you are abroad, you will need to determine your medical needs beforehand, and make all related preparations. Do not assume that you will have access to the medications and care that you receive in the U.S.; you must verify that will be the case. The possibility exists that your needs cannot be met at all overseas sites. Bring copies of all pertinent medical records to take with you. 

You will also need to make arrangements to take any required prescription medications abroad. Arrange with your insurance company to purchase and take with you an ample amount of medication. Consult with the Worth Health Center. They can help you communicate with your insurance provider about this.

Additional Reading/Resources:
7 Tips for Studying Abroad with Chronic Conditions

Access to Medicine In-Country
Pharmaceutical regulations vary from country to country. Some countries have limited availability of certain drugs or prohibit their importation. A limited number of countries prohibit certain (commonly used) prescription and over-the-counter medications. These can not be imported nor are they available. This can include ingredients found in inhalers, and cold/cough/allergy/sinus medications.

Shipping Medications
Shipping medications could easily result in the medications never getting out of customs and therefore not reaching you. Many countries have restrictions on unregistered drugs (i.e., those not approved for use in that country) coming into their country by mail. A family member sending medications may also be putting themselves at legal risk. In the United States, mailing prescription medications anywhere is illegal unless you are a registered distributor.

It is a traveler's responsibility to ensure that your prescriptions medications are not considered to be illegal narcotics by the foreign country. Some medications that are legal in the US might be illegal in another country. For example, controlled substances such as stimulants and psychotropics are completely prohibited and thus not available in some countries (e.g., Indonesia, Japan, Russia, UAE, Zambia). Possession of even small amounts of these substances for personal use during your time abroad may result in arrest, incarceration, and charges of drug trafficking. Banned ingredients classified as stimulants can include pseudoephedrine, levmetamfetamine, dexromethorphan, and dextroamphetamine.

Additional reading and resources: 
CHADD - Know Before you Go: International Travel with ADHD Medications

Be sure to bring your medications in your carry-on, not in checked luggage, to reduce the chance of theft. You should travel with a written prescription AND a letter from your doctor that explains your need for any prescription medications that you bring (this should include the generic names of the drugs). Always bring medications in their original containers with clear labeling. Students can contact International SOS for advice on traveling with medications.

Living abroad represents many new challenges as well as changes to familiar routines. If you currently see a counselor, it is extremely important to discuss your plans to study or live abroad. Ask your current counselor for advice about locating ongoing therapy and/or access to medication at your abroad site. Do not assume that you will have access to the same level of availability of services and access to specific medications that you have in the United States. Both CAPS and staff of the Worth Health Center can help you with questions concerning your physical and mental health needs while abroad.

Everyone should keep in mind that cultural adjustment is a normal part of living abroad. However, if your period of adjustment begins to effect your relationships, your academic work, or your daily life, you should seek to talk to a counselor.

CAPS does not offer distance counseling or psychotherapy to students while outside of the United States (due to state licensure laws).  Likewise, federal regulations prevent access to certain services (such as Scheduled Therapy or Psychiatry) through Swarthmore's TimelyCare partnership.  

However, study abroad students do have access to TalkNow, to access on-demand support from a therapist at any time.  General information on accessing virtual care is available on the CAPS website. 

TalkNow is a service through CAPS partnership with TimelyCare that allows students to connect with a licensed provider by phone or video in less than five minutes, to talk through any concerns they may have.  There are no session limits for the TalkNow service – students can call as many times as needed for concerns of any nature.  This service is confidential and secure, with no fees for Swarthmore students. To access TalkNow, log onto timelycare.com/Swarthmore or download the TimelyCare app and log in using your Swarthmore credentials.

In the event of an acute mental health concern, study abroad students have access to the CAPS 24/7 on-call phone service: 610-328-7768.  CAPS may provide consultation services to students who are established CAPS clients in coordination with the Global Engagement Office and the host program.  However, in most cases, CAPS consultation would be auxiliary to any assessment or evaluation that the host program might require, and would not serve a primary diagnostic or evaluative function.

Appropriate mental health professionals may not be available to visitors at all international locations, but are available in many. 

Support through your program
If participating in a study abroad or other "hosted" activity/project, consult with your host program or university in advance to clarify what services will be available. 

Finding Counselors through International SOS
To access mental health support through Swarthmore's global assistance plan, students should consult with International SOS for guidance in locating vetted counselors.  Coverage is provided for an allotment of outpatient sessions.  Contact the GEO office if you have questions about this benefit.