Students

The following webpage contains COVID-19 guidance developed for students, faculty, staff, residents and fellows at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). This guidance was periodically reviewed and updated between March 2020 and June 2024.

Last Updated: 02-02-2023

---

Student and Program COVID-19 Protocols and Testing Instructions

I. Student Testing and Exposure Protocol - If you have COVID-19 symptoms, think you were exposed to COVID-19, or have been asked to follow EVMS COVID Protocol

II. Education Program Protocol

III. Communications/Questions

What students and programs should do if a student has COVID-19 symptoms or thinks they may have been exposed to COVID-19 in a non-clinical setting.

I. Student Protocol – – If You Have COVID-19 Symptoms, Think You Were Exposed, or Have Been Asked to Follow EVMS COVID-19 Protocol

All students must continue to monitor their health daily and follow all masking and social distancing guidelines.

If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or had close contact (15 minutes or more at less than 6 feet distance) with a confirmed positive individual (whether at EVMS or outside of EVMS), complete the following steps.

Step 1: Go home or stay home and contact your program

• If you have symptoms, GO HOME (if on campus or at a clinical rotation) or STAY HOME.
• Contact the appropriate person in your program, as indicated below, and advise them that you will not be in the learning environment until cleared by Student Health.
• Health Professions students (other than Medical Masters students) should contact their program directors.
• Medical Masters (MM) and MD students should complete the EVMS MD and MM Leave Policy Reporting Form.

Step 2: Take the Screening survey and note your disposition

• You must complete the REDCap EVMS/EVMS Medical Group Exposure Survey and follow your disposition recommendations.
  • Symptomatic students should NOT report to rotations, classes or other academic activities.
  • Students who had exposures and are asymptomatic can continue to attend rotations, classes, and other academic activities, BUT must be tested per EVMS protocol and must wear a mask.
• If you tested positive with a home test or with a test from the community (drugstore, testing center, physician’s office), you must also complete the Exposure Survey and follow the instructions of Student Health.
• If Student Health has not contacted you within two business days after you submitted the survey, call them at 757.446.5700.

Step 3: Formal testing and positive result survey

EVMS does not accept home rapid antigen or PCR tests. 

If you test positive on a home test, you must complete confirmatory testing at the EVMS Drive-Through Clinic or another formal testing center.

• If you test positive: You must take the EVMS/EVMS Medical Group COVID-19 Positive Results Survey.
• If you test negative: You must be cleared by Student Health before returning to classes or clinical activities.

Student Health will be receiving a copy of your survey and will contact you Monday-Friday during normal business hours.

YOU MAY NOT RETURN TO CLASSES OR CLINICAL ACTIVITIES UNTIL YOU EITHER RECEIVED A REDCAP DISPOSTION STATING THAT YOU CAN CONTINUE WITH YOUR ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES OR (IF YOU WERE SYMPTOMATIC) YOU ARE CLEARED BY STUDENT HEALTH.

*If you are unsure or want to double check, contact Student Health at 757.446.5700.

Back to top

II. Educational Program Protocol

If you are notified that a student thinks that they have COVID-19 symptoms or thinks that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 or if you notice a student with symptoms:

Step 1

• If the student is on campus, at a clinical rotation or at home and notifies you that they have symptoms: Tell them to stay home or go home and complete ALL of the above steps of the student protocol.
• If you notice a student with symptoms: Send them home immediately and direct them to complete ALL of the above steps of the student protocol.
• If the student is at home or at educational activities and tells you they think they have been exposed to a COVID-19 positive person: Tell them to complete ALL of the above steps of the student protocol.
• If the student tells you they have been tested at an outside testing facility (Velocity Urgent Care, Patient First, etc.) and has been instructed not to return until they have test results: They must follow program leave protocol and provide a doctor’s note and a copy of the test result to Student Health AND must be cleared by Student Health before they can return to educational activities.

Step 2

• Low-Risk Disposition Alert: Student may remain at educational activities or, if at home, return to educational activities on the schedule agreed upon by you and the student.
• High-Risk Disposition Alert:
  • Student must go home immediately or, if at home, remain home and may not return to educational activities until cleared by Student Health.
  • Send the student the Template Email.

Step 3

• If the student has been in the classroom or in other on campus activities complete the COVID-19 Housekeeping Protocol/Request Form for Cleaning/Disinfecting.

Back to top

III.  Communication/Questions

Q. Does everyone in the building with or who may have seen the COVID-19 positive student need to self-quarantine?

A. No. If you had close contact with someone who tests positive, you will be notified and instructed on your next steps. Close Contact is defined as: a) being within 6 feet of a person with confirmed COVID-19 for more than 15 minutes where at least one of the parties is not wearing a mask or b) having unprotected direct contact with infectious secretions or excretions of the person with confirmed COVID-19 where at least one of the parties is not wearing a mask.

Q. Will EVMS notify the entire campus that a student has symptoms or thinks they have been exposed?

A. No. EVMS as an institution has to balance the requirements of the privacy of personal health information with the need to notify students of potential risk. In general, EVMS will not be sending out campus-wide communications about individual incidents that are determined to be low risk and limited to a particular lab or set of offices. EVMS will work with exposed or infected students and the Virginia Department of Health to identify other students who will need to self-isolate and self-monitor. 

Q. What if a student fails to follow the protocol or to return the required Close Contact Report?

A. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, students are required to follow the protocols outlined and could be subject to disciplinary action for not following EVMS directives.

Back to top