The first step for taking care of a health issue will often be to make an appointment to see your primary care physician (PCP) at the health center. However, typically, after such a visit, if you require further care, you will be referred to a specialist who is more equipped to help deal with a particular issue. While your PCP will often have particular providers that they refer to regularly, occasionally you will have to search for your own provider. Typically, the best way to do this will be to go through your insurance's website . For example, those on the United Healthcare plan can search here for a provider on their network based on their particular plan.
Orthopedic Issues
For many orthopedic issues, physical therapy (PT) is a typical, non-invasive resource for rehab. Frequently the health center will refer patients to Pivot in College Park. The PTs there are extremely friendly, but be warned that it is often difficult to schedule a first appointment (it often takes weeks or up to a month to get in initially). If you are having trouble getting an initial appointment, there are other options in town, such as "Physical Therapy and Hand Rehabilitation" in Riverdale Park, but be sure to check with your insurance to make sure they will cover that location.
If PT is insufficient to address your concern, it will often be necessary to find further care with an orthopedist. Luckily, the University of Maryland, as a large university, has a medical school and an associated University of Maryland Medical System. Their faculty physicians are, for the most part, extremely friendly and capable. Unfortunately, they no longer have an office in College Park. The nearest office is in Columbia, so if you want to get care there, make sure you have adequate transportation to and from.
Other Specialists
As always, be sure to check with your insurance whether the doctors here are covered by your policy.
Gastrointestinal issues: At least one physics grad student had an excellent experience with Dr. Rahul Gilotra. His office is in Wheaton. One way to reach it is to take the WMATA C8 bus north from campus and get off at Randolph Rd + Grandview Ave, then walk south for about ten minutes.
If you had a particularly good experience with a specialist or have other tips on ways you found care, let us know on the Contact Us page! For example, information about non-orthopedic specialists, such as allergy doctors, endocrinologists, etc. might be helpful to students.