1. Health Centre
  2. Medical Clinic Services
  3. Student Illness Notes

Student Illness Notes

See also Course Withdrawals

How to Protect Your Academic Record in the case of Short-term Illness

StepsDetails
Contact us to make an appointment- it is best to call us first. If we are closed see After Hours Care.
  • Illness notes are a courtesy that the University of Lethbridge Health Centre can provide for students.
  • Illness notes will not be provided for illnesses not seen/discussed with staff at the time that the illness is occuring
  • If your illness is one where we instruct you to stay at home to recover (such as diarrhea or certain viral illnesses) you may obtain your medical note upon your return to campus. Note that it is still your responsibility to email the instructor and let them know of your illness.
  • Notes are not generally provided for illnesses of 1-2 days duration; 3+ days is more the norm

Types of Notes Available at the Health Centre

  • 1 day illness
  • long term illness situations
  • mental health
  • large scale communicable disease
  • chronic illness situations
  • Work Notes

1 day Illness- If you are ill and know that your require a note for your missed classes/academic situation, call the Health Centre on the date of your illness. We do not provide notes for illnesses not seen or discussed by our staff.

Long term Illness- in a situation where your illness is long term, you must immediately contact your advisor to make a plan for your situation. This may include contacting the Health Centre for your health concerns and talking to your Professors.

Mental Health affecting Academics- For some types of illnesses, including anxiety, grief, depression, you can also access assistance through Counselling Services

Large Scale Communicable Disease-(such as mumps and H1N1) The U of L has made extraordinary efforts to ensure academically continuity for students. Should a campus-wide event occur, please follow specific instructions on protecting your academic record that would be up around campus on TV screens, noticeboard, posters, etc.

Chronic Illness Situations- Any student with a chronic illness should be seen at the Health Centre (by one of our Nurses) within the first month of school or when diagnosed with a long-term illness. The procedure for illness notes in this situation will be explained to you when you come talk to the nurses.

Work Notes- Most clinics charge for any notes given for school or work. As our Health Centre deals with the illness first and notes are secondary, we seldom (but yes occasionally) charge for notes for work.

Each professor and teacher should have information for you on their syllabus on how they want you to deal with illness while you are attending their class.
  • Some classroom situations do not absolutely require your attendance at each class therefore no note is required; other situations may be have marks associated with attendance and notes may be mandatory.
    • Labs
    • Presentations
    • Examinations (including pop quizzes)
  • You are responsible for contacting advisors, counsellors and/or the Health Centre about problematic illnesses
  • You are expected to be pro-active about planning your academic recovery from any lost time
When you return to the classroom you must provide your professor with your illness note. Be sure to retain a copy for your own records.