College of Medicine leaders updated faculty, staff and students on July 6 about the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
This Week’s Updates:
Weekly testing to begin for unvaccinated students
Students who have chosen not to get the COVID-19 vaccine or have declined to disclose vaccination status are required to participate in ongoing weekly COVID-19 testing. This testing will remain in place for an indeterminate period of time and any modifications will be based on disease prevalence.
Hershey campus students are required to pick up their tests from Student Health at the 845 Fishburn Road facility between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., each Monday, starting July 19. Students are to complete the monitored testing process at home via Vault testing.
Due to the one- to three-day processing time, students are expected to pick up their test and submit their completed sample to Vault by Tuesday of each week in order to ensure enough time for the results to be reported to Student Health and the student to be cleared for participation in on-campus and in-person campus related activities for the following week. Students will need to forward their test results from Vault to their program administrator. Each individual program will be monitoring the weekly test results and conducting outreach to any students on the undisclosed or unvaccinated list who do not meet the weekly testing requirement.
University Park medical students are required to follow a similar process, but will visit the walk-up testing site on Penn State University Park Campus Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Pegula Ice Arena. Students must request a PCR test upon arrival. Students are asked to complete their test by Wednesday of each week and should forward their test results, upon receipt of them, to Kristen Horn at khorn1@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
Return-to-Work Authorization
Effective immediately, managers are no longer required to fill out the return-to-work authorization form for employees to return or be on campus. If on-campus, all employees and students should continue to follow the daily check-in process by wearing a mask at all times and attesting to the lack of COVID symptoms daily at med.psu.edu/checkin. If you have COVID symptoms, please contact Employee Health or Student Health and do not come to campus.
Domestic travel to scientific meetings by graduate students and post-doctoral fellows
Trainees are now permitted to travel domestically to present their original research at scientific meetings. Trainees should submit requests for research meeting travel to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies (chl1@psu.edu). Requests should contain the following information:
- Name
- Conference location
- Conference dates
- A description of COVID safety protocols that will be followed while traveling and at the meeting
- Funding source to defray the cost of registration
- Travel and accommodation details
- Trainee vaccination status
This policy is reviewed on a routine basis and trainee travel may be suspended depending on COVID-19 pandemic conditions. Trainee travel to international meetings is still not permitted.
In-person seminars by external speakers
Because of lingering and emerging COVID-19 concerns (e.g., delta variant, new student arrival and lack of information on vaccination status) as well as uncertainty related to departmental budgets for AY 2021, departments should not invite outside speakers to give departmental seminars at this time. This guideline will be reviewed after finalization of the AY 2021-22 budget and will depend on COVID-19 pandemic conditions.
In-person seminars by internal speakers
Seminars given by internal speakers are currently permitted in the College of Medicine, but must adhere to masking and physical distancing requirements. The number of in-person attendees should not exceed the listed maximum room capacity.
MD students returning July 12
On Monday, July 12, the incoming MD students arrived on-campus for orientation. Please join us in welcoming them to the College of Medicine. We are happy to report that the majority of incoming students are arriving fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and ready to be a part of of COM learning community.
Continue to wear your masks
Wearing your masks while on-campus (inside and outside) continues as a requirement until further detail is provided. Given the College’s proximity to the Penn State Health patients, clinicians and staff, safety precautions continue to include being masked while on-campus. We appreciate your cooperation while working on-campus.
Get vaccinated and enter to win prizes
If you are not yet vaccinated, please consider doing so. Penn State is strongly encouraging faculty, staff and students to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and to upload their vaccination status to the University after they receive their final dose. The University is offering a number of incentives to faculty, staff and students who receive a vaccine and share their vaccination status. It’s important to note that all students and employees at all campuses who are already vaccinated for COVID-19 — not just those who get a vaccine in the future — and share their vaccine status with the University will be eligible. Each week, drawings will be held for the following prizes (subject to taxes for employees):
- $1,000 payment
- $100 gift card to Barnes & Noble (four winners per week)
- Football signed by Penn State Football coach James Franklin
Having COVID-19 symptoms?
Guidelines on reporting COVID-19 related illness have not changed. Anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms is reminded not to come to work. Faculty, postdoctoral fellows and staff are required to contact Occupational Medicine (814-863-8492) while all students should contact Student Health (717-531-5998).