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Ensuring students' well-being Former emergency room physician Laurie Reitman now directs the Student Health and Counseling Service By Neil Schoenherr Many people grow up knowing exactly what they want to do with their lives. For others, deciding on the perfect occupation can mean choosing among several passions.
Reitman, M.D., director of the Student Health and Counseling Service (SHCS), has been at the University for 10 years. Prior to that, she was a full-time emergency room doctor at Missouri Baptist Medical Center. She loved her job, but she knew something was missing. "I was always interested in business as well as medicine, and I struggled deciding which path to pursue," Reitman says. "So I decided to go into medicine, and I really enjoyed what I was doing. "But after a period of time working in the emergency room, I knew I wanted to do something more and I wanted to somehow combine my interest in business with my interest in medicine. I was looking for a position that would allow me to utilize skills in both areas. "That's when I decided to come to Washington University." Reitman earned a master of business administration degree from the Olin School of Business in 1995 and is relishing being able to combine her love of medicine and her love of the business world. "Dr. Laurie Reitman is a superb physician, a creative and skilled administrator and a nationally recognized leader in the field of college health," says Karen Levin Coburn, assistant vice chancellor for students and dean of the freshman transition. "We are fortunate that she has chosen to use her multiple talents and creative energy on behalf of the health and well-being of our students." Reitman's duties vary greatly. She runs a staff of more than 40 medical and mental-health professionals, develops projects, implements new policies and procedures and performs marketing, recruitment and promotions for the office. She also regularly advises doctors, nurses and counselors on special cases, provides emergency support and has sat on several national subcommittees, including the American College Health Association Committee for Continuing Medical Education. Reitman says the best part of her job is working with students. "I think working with people at this stage in their lives is very rewarding," she says. "There is so much opportunity to really make a difference.
Part of working with students includes her responsibilities as medical director for the Emergency Support Team (EST). "EST is a volunteer student organization that is the first responder to illness and injury on the Hilltop Campus," Reitman says. "Most of the students get their EMT license, and all of them are certified in CPR and standard first-aid. They contribute a significant number of on-duty hours each week to provide this emergency service to our community." The team consists of around 40 students from various academic majors. A three-person team responds to cases of sudden illness or injury on the Hilltop Campus, 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the school year. "I love working with EST," Reitman says. "It allows me to get to know many of the students during their time on the team, and I keep in touch with many of them after they graduate. It's very rewarding to watch them grow and mature during their time at the University and beyond." In addition to her administrative duties and working with EST, Reitman has taken on the responsibility of being an adviser for undergraduate Arts & Sciences students. "I really enjoy advising," Reitman says. "It sheds a whole new light on the work that I do. It's an opportunity to work with students on a different level and understand their experience here in a different way. It's one more way I can be involved in their lives." Reitman grew up in the St. Louis area and graduated from the six-year medical school program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She completed her residency at St. Mary's Health Center with a specialty in internal medicine. Reitman is married to Steve Hadzima, vice president and chief medical officer of Christian Hospital, and has two children -- 12-year-old Alyssa and 6-year-old Linzie. Reitman lists her hobbies as reading, Pilates and traveling. But when she is at the University, her main area of interest is the welfare of students. "Our office really focuses on putting together projects that will better serve the student population," she says. One example of that is the merger of the Student Health Service and the Student Counseling Service five years ago.
Another recently introduced improvement to the office is a partnership with MDhub, an Internet message center that makes it faster and easier for students to get a prescription refilled, obtain test results or request an appointment. SHCS began using MDhub in January, and Reitman says it has been a big help. When students use MDhub to request a prescription renewal, lab-test results or to schedule an appointment, the request comes to SHCS via fax. The fax is picked up, put with the student's chart, and given to the appropriate nurse. That nurse makes the response, clicks on MDhub, and the service gets back to the student. "It's been very successful, Reitman says. "The students who have signed up enjoy it, it's easier on them and it's more convenient for our staff." Reitman is constantly searching for ways to improve SHCS, and her staff appreciates her hard work and dedication. "Dr. Reitman and I have worked together for the last two years here at the University and for nearly five years in the emergency room at Missouri Baptist Medical Center prior to that," says Deb Harp, SHCS associate director. "I have enjoyed working with her in both settings and hold high regards for her as a physician and the director of SHCS. The University is truly fortunate to have her as the director of SHCS." Reitman says that more than anything, she loves working with the people at the University. "I really enjoy my colleagues and the administration, and of course the students," she says. "The people are really what keeps me here." |
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