In response to a resolution from the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA) in 2014, the university developed a new procedure to make it easier for graduate and professional students to get the assistance they need when they are injured on university property or while engaged in a university-sponsored activity.

What to do if an injury occurs
What should graduate and professional students do if they are injured on university property or engaged in a university-sponsored activity? First, get medical help. Then, file an accident report with the Cornell injury report system. Filing the report triggers involvement by appropriate offices across campus so students receive the services and support needed for recovery while keeping them on track academically. The full set of updated procedures for responding to graduate and professional student injuries is available online.

“We heard that students were often confused about where to turn for help when they were injured,” said Barbara A. Knuth, senior vice provost and dean of the Graduate School. “Through the combined efforts of the Graduate School and Environmental Health and Safety, with GPSA leadership involved in review of the process as it was under development, we implemented a simple procedure that streamlines the process for graduate and professional students to formally record an injury and facilitate access to the appropriate support structures and resources.”

The procedure, first implemented in July 2014, allowed Cornell to collect data on graduate and professional student injuries with the goal of improving access to care, understanding the conditions in which injuries occurred, and preventing future injuries.

“Injured students might require support from multiple resources,” said Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Life Janna Lamey. “For instance, students might need academic accommodations and help getting to classes. By filing an injury report, different offices are notified and can contact the injured student to make sure that their needs are being met. When I reach out to the graduate students who have been injured, they have been quite responsive and pleased that someone noted they were injured and that they are receiving the support they need.”

A review of data from the academic year 2014-15 (the procedure was announced in July 2014) revealed that 41 graduate and professional students reported injuries, ranging from [animal] bites to bruises. Of these, 63 percent were veterinary students, 34 percent graduate students, and 3 percent business students.

 

In four cases, students had medical costs associated with injuries they incurred while they were performing services for Cornell. In all four of these cases, medical treatments were paid through Cornell’s Worker’s Compensation program.

Understanding how students get injured and preventing future injuries is one of the main goals of the new procedure. “Injury data lets us identify trends and creates opportunities to intervene and reduce the risk of similar injuries,” said Tim Fitzpatrick, Cornell’s Occupational Health, Safety and Injury Prevention Director.

“For example, we are seeing a number of injuries related to handling of needles and sharps. The EHS Bio-Safety group has responded by revamping the information available on our ‘Safe Handling of Sharps’ Web page, developing a YouTube training video on needle injury prevention, and working with researchers to identify inherently safer needles and sharps devices. I strongly encourage all students to report injuries so that future injuries may be prevented.”