Upon arrival, program leaders should have an on-site orientation meeting centering on health and safety information. Suggested topics include:
Emergency Preparedness
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Distribute the wallet-sized Emergency Card you received from OSA as part of your travel advance meeting. Ask students to record your cell phone number and, if applicable, the number of the resident director or another trusted local contact. Also provide all students in your group with the local telephone number(s) that they should use to contact emergency services (i.e. the equivalent of the "911" that we use in the U.S., which provides access to police, fire and emergency medical services). To find the local emergency numbers, visit Emergency Telephone Numbers. Also note that "112" is a worldwide mobile emergency number.
Students needing immediate emergency assistance should attempt to reach local contacts first, as this will lead to a quicker response. While students are often inclined to call their parents, particularly in a medical emergency, parents are not generally in a position to guide a response given their lack of local knowledge. If students in crisis cannot reach a program leader or on-site contact, they should call MSU’s 24/7 Emergency Assistance Line at 517-353-3784. Note there is also space for students to record their individual Certificate number located on their HTH insurance card.
The Buddy System
Almost all the critical emergencies you will face will be the result of a student being alone, either on purpose, or most often by accident. Strongly encourage your students to employ the buddy system, especially when going out at night. Suggest a “leave no man (or woman) behind” approach to keeping each other safe.
Communications
Many students now travel with cell phones that work overseas. For students who use pay phones or have rented an international phone on-site, help them figure out how to call the United States. If most of your students have cell phone, take time to collect their phone numbers and create a communications tree. Make sure those that don’t have a phone will still be able to get information shared by the “tree.”
Emergency Action Plan
As discussed in the program planning section, this is the time to share your Emergency Action Plan (link to new page) with students.
Medical Needs
Explain to students the most common “emergency” that programs face is medical in nature. Most often, students just need advice on making an appointment with a local physician for non-emergency care. Remind the students about their international medical insurance coverage through HTH Worldwide and refer them to the section of the on-line Student Guide to arrange for “routine medical care abroad” or respond to “medical emergencies abroad.” Add that OSA highly values a student’s right to medical privacy—disclosures of a student’s condition will be made only to the most appropriate individuals with the highest level of discretion.
Paying for Medical Care Abroad
Remind students that HTH Worldwide can usually arrange for direct-billing of hospital expenses when a student is admitted to a facility for long-term care. However, HTH must be notified of the need at admission, not discharge. Refer again to the instructions in the online Student Guide under “medical emergencies abroad.” If HTH is not informed of the need for direct-billing in a timely manner, the student may be required to pay upfront and seek reimbursement later.
Students should be prepared to pay for non-emergency care out-of-pocket and seek reimbursement upon return to the United States. To obtain a full reimbursement, students must retain all receipts and the care must have occurred during program dates.
Incident Reporting
Tell students they are required to inform you about any real or perceived emergency or critical incident. Even if the incident is not life-threatening, it is important to notify OSA because exaggerated rumors of the seriousness of the incident may reach parents, who will contact OSA for details. A list of examples is available.
If a student requires medical attention on site, but does not warrant emergency treatment (i.e. just an office visit), please contact Julie Friend friendju@msu.edu and copy your OSA Study Abroad Coordinator so OSA is aware of the situation and can act quickly if the student's condition should worsen. You may also ask the student to do this – especially if he/she needs advice about reimbursement for medical expenses.
Parental/Family Contacts
Inform students that your, as a program leader, cannot make direct, initial contact with their parents or family members about an emergency or critical incident without student permission. Students should be encouraged to communicate directly with their parents about a critical incident or emergency abroad. In special circumstances, OSA may choose, in consultation with the program leaders or on-site representatives, to inform emergency contacts about a potential emergency abroad without the student's permission.
Discipline or Behavior Problems
Communicate to students the applicable codes of conduct and consequences of noncompliance (which can include dismissal from the program). Refer to the Statement of Responsibility, which every student signed as part of the application process. Also mention that you will follow OSA’s guidelines for minor behavioral problems such as tardiness, to major behavioral problems such as disruptive behavior. MSU has a low-tolerance for misbehavior abroad.
U.S. Embassies/Consulates
Remind students that OSA registers their program-related travel with the U.S. Department of State which serves as the central point for all embassies.
It is useful to know the location of the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate in each location on your itinerary because it is common for students to lose their passports during the program. Specific guidelines for replacing lost or stolen can be found on each embassy or consulate’s web site.
In addition, strongly encourage students to register their personal travel (before or after the program) with the U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).
Dangers, Risks and Accidents
Advise students to avoid travel to or through any location where tensions exist and travel may be dangerous. Experience has shown that students may benefit from a security briefing provided by an embassy or consulate employee. Such briefings help to reinforce your message to students that travel to dangerous areas should be avoided. If you are interested in arranging for a consular officer to speak to your students on-site, contact Julie Friend friendju@msu.edu several weeks prior to your program’s departure.
Also discuss preventable accidents with students, emphasizing such things as traffic patterns, pub and drinking culture, drug laws, unsafe swimming, and the types of things that can happen when walking down a street alone at night in a foreign city. Be very specific about safe and unsafe behaviors such as certain types of sexual behavior and how to dress and behave to avoid unwanted attention.
Refer students to the information in the online Student Guide under “everyday safety tips."
Return to the Study Abroad Program Leader Guide index
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