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Emergencies & After-Hours Care

Student Health Services is NOT an emergency room. Emergency situations should be handled as follows:

Call 9-1-1. This will summon immediate assistance and dispatch emergency medical transportation to the nearest emergency facility.


According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, the following are warning signs of a medical emergency:

  • Unconsiousness, nonresponsiveness
  • Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, or choking
  • Profuse or continuous bleeding
  • Coughing up or vomiting blood
  • Suicidal or homicidal feelings
  • Severe or persistent vomiting
  • Chest pain
  • Upper abdominal pain or pressure
  • Change in mental status (such as unusual behavior, confusion, difficulty arousing
  • Head or spine injury
  • Sudden, severe pain anywhere in the body
  • Sudden dizziness, weakness, or change in vision
  • Ingestion of a poisonous substance
  • Sudden injury like motor vehicle accident, severe burns or smoke inhalation, near drowning, deep or large wound, human or animal bite

Other Emergencies:


The nature of emergencies is that they arise without warning! Be prepared!

  • Enter the telephone number of the campus 9-1-1 operator (Campus Police) into your cell phone NOW. That number is 609-771-2345. Use it for on-campus emergencies.
  • If you have a medical problem that could result in unconsciousness or a altered state of cons io us ness, wear an medical alert bracelet or necklace, at all times. IDs can be purchased at various stores such as American Medical ID .
  • Tell your roommate, housemates, friends and professors about your medical problem and what to do should you need immediate assistance and cannot speak for yourself. Help them be prepared to assist you to get the help you need FAST.
  • If you have a life-threatening allergy , carry an epinephrine injector pen (or two) with you at all times, whether you are in class or out on the football field, and make sure you know how to use it. Make sure the medicine in the injector has not expired. DO THIS BEFORE YOU NEED IT. If you do not have one, contact your personal physician or schedule a visit to Health Services. Don’t hesitate to use your injector pen if you may have come in contact with the substance to which you are allergic. TELL someone to call 9-1-1 immediately or if alone, call 9-1-1 right after you use your injector. Remember that allergic reactions return once the medication wears off, sometimes hours later!
  • Learn to recognize the signs of an emergency. When in doubt, call 9-1-1. Being prepared and understanding the situation will increase the effectiveness of your actions in an emergency. But deciding to act is crucial. It means being ready, willing, and able to help someone until emergency service arrives, or the crisis has passed.

Local Medical Facilities

Emergency Care: Call 9-1-1


Urgent-Care (Student Health Services lists these facilities for your convenience but without any recommendation or endorsement)

  • InFocus Urgent Care – 100 Campus Town Circle, Suite 100, Ewing, NJ – 609-799-7009
  • CVS Minute Clinic – 2721 Brunswick Pike (inside CVS Pharmacy), Lawrenceville, NJ – 1-866-389-2727

Want to Do More?

  • Feel more confident! Take a CPR and/or First Aid course offered in your community or on campus. Contact TCNJ Emergency Medical Services for upcoming course dates.
  • Be generous and participate in your local blood drive! There are many opportunities on campus throughout the semester to do this and blood is always in short supply. For more information about what happens during the procedure and donor eligibility, check out the American Red Cross website.

Action can mean anything from calling paramedics, applying direct pressure to a wound, performing CPR, or splinting an injury. Never perform a medical procedure if you are unsure of how to do it. Handling an emergency can be scary. We feel powerless and unable to help loved ones at a time when they need it most. But if we all take preventative measures and prepare for the worst, we can help defuse the effects of a medical emergency before they start.

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