Choosing a Primary Care Provider
If a House Staff needs to establish themselves as a new patient with a Vanderbilt primary care physician, please send an email to pc4newHS@vumc.org and state that you are VUMC House Staff. You will get a reply email that may ask for any preferences you have. You also may sign up for My Health at Vanderbilt (the patient portal) and request a PCP through the portal at https://www.myhealthatvanderbilt.com/.
Call 615-936-2187 to set up an appointment with Vanderbilt Internal Medicine Group (Medical Center East, 100 Oaks, or Brentwood locations). You may also use the links at https://www.vumc.org/health-wellness/resource-articles/choosing-primary-care-provider to find a provider close to you within the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network who is on the health plan and covered at the highest benefit level. Finally, the Occupational Health Clinic and Health Plus can assist you in finding a health care provider to meet your needs.
Go for the Gold Benefit
The Go for the Gold benefit is available to members of the Vanderbilt David Williams II Recreation and Wellness Center (DWRWC), https://www.vanderbilt.edu/recreationandwellnesscenter/operating-policies/ . House staff can receive partial reimbursement of $90 per quarter toward membership fees to the facility. The current membership rate at DWRWC for House Staff is $135 quarterly or $45 per month (subject to change). With the partial reimbursement of $90 per quarter to offset, the facility fee expense drops to only $15 per month. Please see https://www.vanderbilt.edu/recreationandwellnesscenter/membership-cancellation/ for facility and membership information. Note: Incoming House Staff are eligible up on hire and until the first Go for the Gold deadline after start date.
Health and Wellness Resources
VUMC Faculty and Staff Health and Wellness: https://www.vumc.org/health-wellness/welcome
VUMC Health and Wellness Information Portal: https://www.vumc.org/health-wellness/compliance-status-check
Sleeping and Transportation Options available for House Staff too Fatigued to Return Home Safely
Patients and illness unfortunately don’t follow a usual regular working day cycle. And because of this, there will be times in your training where you are exhausted. This tends to get accentuated as we move into the winter months with cold weather and darker days, which is happening now….
If you are too tired to work, and you are concerned it may impact your health or that of your patients, please seek immediate help from your program director and/or administrative residents.
If you are at the end of a call period which has been particularly tiring, and too tired to drive home, don’t drive. Take a nap in a call room or in the House Staff lounge (TVC 2806, ID badge access required) until it is safe to drive. If you don’t have an alternative to driving yourself and must get home, we have taxi services for use in these specific situations—you can find these easily on the web (publicly available, search “VUMC House Staff Manual” or use the link below) and we’ve put an excerpt below.
The excerpt below outlines options and how to make transportation arrangements and charge directly to GME. The full House Staff Manual can be found at https://www.vumc.org/gme/house-staff-manual. Please don’t hesitate to contact GME with any questions at gme.office@vumc.org or 615-322-4916.
SLEEPING AND TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS FOR HOUSE STAFF TOO FATIGUED TO RETURN HOME SAFELY - For House Staff who are too fatigued to safely return home, several options are available through the Office of Graduate Medical Education including the following:
Call Room space is available on an as needed basis for House Staff who are too fatigued to safely return home. There is also space with recliners in the House Staff Lounge, located in TVC 2806. Please notify Environmental Services via the number posted in the room if the bed should be changed after your nap before the evening for the next House Staff, and please notify the GME Office if any issues in the House Staff Lounge (615-322-4916).
For House Staff too fatigued to safely transport themselves home and for whom resting in a call room is not an option, transportation home with a return trip the next day is available through Music City Taxi Company from VUMC or any affiliated site at which you are rotating. Call (615) 256-7000 for a pick-up and be specific about your location and that you are a House Staff at VUMC and the GME account should be charged. The Office of Graduate Medical Education will cover the cost of the transportation, but you must indicate to the dispatcher and driver to charge the GME Account. Please note that the cab that arrives for you may be branded any of the following: Checker Cab or American Music City Taxi. Rides taken through others, such as ride-share apps and/or companies, may not be reimbursed.
VUMC Appointments Direct
VUMC Appointments Direct - If you are a member of the VUMC health plan and need to see a Vanderbilt Health provider, you can “jump the line” with Appointments Direct — a dedicated phone number that gives you preferred access to appointments with Tier 1 providers. Call 855-724-2454 to schedule an appointment and be seen within a week. See https://www.vumc.org/health-wellness/resource-articles/choosing-primary-care-provider