College Move-In Health Checklist: 9 Things to Do Before You Go
9 Health Things to Do Before College Move-In
College move-in comes with a long to-do list.
Between packing clothes, buying dorm supplies, coordinating roommates, setting up class schedules, and figuring out transportation, health needs can be easy to forget. But once the semester starts, it can be harder to track down records, refill medications, or figure out where to go when symptoms come up.
A simple college move-in health checklist can help students and families feel more prepared before the school year begins.
Here are 9 health things to do before college move-in.
1. Save Your Insurance Information
Before school starts, make sure your student knows where to find their insurance information.
This may include:
- Insurance card
- Pharmacy benefit card, if separate
- Primary care provider information
- Emergency contact information
- Medication allergy information
- Preferred pharmacy information
- Any important medical history
It can help to keep a photo of the insurance card on the student’s phone and a physical copy somewhere easy to access.
If a student gets sick away from home, having this information ready can make it easier to schedule care, fill prescriptions when appropriate, or answer basic health questions.
2. Check Medication Refills
Before move-in, review any medications your student takes regularly.
Check:
- How much medication is left
- Whether refills are available
- Whether the prescription has expired
- Whether the student knows how to refill it
- Which pharmacy they will use near school
- Whether they need a backup plan while traveling
This can be especially helpful for allergy medications, asthma inhalers, migraine medications, birth control, acne medications, stomach medications, or other regular prescriptions.
If medication questions come up while a student is located in Oregon, Oregon Telemed may be able to help talk through options and next steps.
Oregon Telemed does not prescribe controlled substances, including ADHD/ADD medications.
3. Find Immunization Records
Many colleges require immunization records before students begin classes or live on campus.
Oregon college immunization requirements
Before move-in, make sure your student knows where to find:
- Immunization records
- Any forms required by the school
- Health portal login information
- Documentation for exemptions, if applicable
- Contact information for their primary care office, pharmacy, or local public health department
Oregon Telemed does not provide school or college immunizations, but checking records early can help avoid last-minute stress.
For Oregon students, you can review Oregon college immunization requirements through the Oregon Health Authority. Students should also check their college health portal for school-specific requirements.
4. Choose a Pharmacy Near Campus
A nearby pharmacy can be easy to overlook until someone needs it.
Before move-in, help your student identify:
- A pharmacy close to campus or housing
- Pharmacy hours
- Weekend or holiday hours
- Whether the pharmacy accepts their insurance
- How to transfer prescriptions if needed
- How to request refills
This is especially helpful for students who take regular medications or may need prescriptions while away from home.
Telehealth may be able to help with some medication questions when appropriate, but prescriptions still need to be filled by an open pharmacy. Planning ahead makes that easier.
5. Pack a Basic Health Kit
A small health kit can make sick days easier to manage.
Consider packing:
- Thermometer
- Pain reliever or fever reducer, if appropriate
- Allergy medication, if used
- Electrolyte packets or oral rehydration solution
- Bandages
- Hand sanitizer
- Tissues
- Cough drops
- Any regular medications
- Extra glasses or contact lens supplies
- Menstrual products, if needed
- COVID tests, if your family uses them
- A list of important care contacts
Students do not need to pack everything, but having a few basics on hand can help them avoid a late-night pharmacy run when they already feel unwell.
6. Know Campus Health Options
Every school is different, so it helps to look up care options before symptoms start.
Before move-in, check:
- Where the campus health center is located
- How to make an appointment
- Whether there is a nurse advice line
- What after-hours care options are available
- Which nearby urgent care clinics accept your insurance
- Which pharmacy is closest to campus
- What to do in an emergency
Students may not think about these details until they are already sick, stressed, or overwhelmed. Saving the information ahead of time can make it easier to act quickly when needed.
For general student wellness information, MedlinePlus has college health resources that cover common health topics for students.
7. Know UTI Symptoms
UTI symptoms are one of those things students should not ignore.
Common symptoms may include:
- Burning or pain when urinating
- Needing to urinate more often than usual
- A strong or urgent need to go
- Lower abdominal discomfort or pressure
- Cloudy, bloody, or strong-smelling urine
- Pelvic discomfort
If a student thinks they may have a UTI, it is a good idea to check in rather than waiting to see if symptoms get worse.
A virtual visit may be able to help review symptoms and discuss next steps. Depending on symptoms and health history, a provider may recommend testing, prescription options when appropriate, in-person care, or another level of care.
Seek in-person care right away for UTI symptoms with fever, chills, back or side pain, nausea, vomiting, pregnancy, symptoms in a child, or symptoms that feel severe or rapidly worsening.
For more information, the CDC has guidance on UTI symptoms and when to seek care.
8. Review Allergy or Asthma Needs
If your student has allergies or asthma, move-in season is a good time to review their plan.
Consider:
- Are inhalers or medications expired?
- Does the student know how and when to use them?
- Do they have enough medication on hand?
- Do they know what symptoms mean they should seek care?
- Could dorm dust, smoke, pollen, pets, or shared spaces trigger symptoms?
Late summer and early fall can bring allergies, wildfire smoke, respiratory viruses, and new indoor environments. For students with asthma or breathing symptoms, it is especially important to know when symptoms need attention.
Trouble breathing, severe wheezing, chest pain, blue lips, or symptoms that feel urgent or rapidly worsening need in-person or emergency care right away.
9. Make a Sick-Day Plan
Getting sick away from home can feel overwhelming, especially for students who are managing care on their own for the first time.
Before school starts, talk through a basic sick-day plan:
- Who should the student call first?
- Where should they go for non-emergency care?
- Where should they go for urgent care?
- What symptoms mean they should not wait?
- Where are their medications and insurance information?
- Which pharmacy will they use?
- What care options are available if campus health is closed?
A sick-day plan does not need to be complicated. It just needs to make the first step easier when someone is tired, sick, or unsure what to do.
When a Virtual Visit May Help
A virtual visit may be helpful for non-emergency symptoms, medication questions, or situations where a student is not sure what to do next.
Oregon Telemed may be able to help patients located in Oregon talk through:
- Cold, flu, allergy, or sinus symptoms
- UTI symptoms
- Stomach symptoms
- Headaches
- Mild heat or dehydration concerns
- Medication questions
- Symptoms that are not improving
- Whether home care, monitoring, testing, or in-person care may make sense
Oregon Telemed can only see patients who are located in Oregon at the time of the visit.
If a student is attending school outside Oregon, they will need to use care options available where they are located.
When to Seek Urgent or Emergency Care
Some symptoms should not wait for a virtual visit.
Seek urgent or emergency care right away if symptoms feel severe, urgent, or rapidly worsening, including:
- Trouble breathing
- Chest pain
- Blue lips or face
- Confusion or trouble staying alert
- Fainting
- Severe dehydration
- Severe abdominal pain
- Repeated vomiting or inability to keep fluids down
- Severe allergic reaction symptoms
- A serious injury
- Symptoms that feel unsafe to manage alone
When in doubt, choose the safer option and seek in-person care.
How Oregon Telemed May Be Able to Help
If your student is located in Oregon and a non-emergency concern comes up, Oregon Telemed may be able to help.
A virtual visit can help students talk with an Oregon-based provider from their dorm, apartment, home, or wherever they are located in the state.
During a visit, a provider can help review symptoms, ask questions, discuss next steps, and determine whether home care, monitoring, medication options when appropriate, testing, or in-person care may make sense.
Same-day appointments may be available.
Book online: oregontelemed.com
Call/text: 541-919-8444
Oregon Telemed can only see patients who are located in Oregon at the time of the visit.
If symptoms feel severe, urgent, or rapidly worsening, seek in-person or emergency care right away.
Final College Move-In Health Checklist
Before move-in, take a few minutes to check:
- Save your insurance information
- Check medication refills
- Find immunization records
- Choose a pharmacy near campus
- Pack a basic health kit
- Know campus health options
- Know UTI symptoms
- Review allergy or asthma needs
- Make a sick-day plan
College is a big transition. A little health preparation now can make it easier for students to know what to do if they start feeling sick later.
If a non-emergency concern comes up while a student is located in Oregon, Oregon Telemed may be able to help talk through symptoms and next steps.