All students enrolled in the School of Medicine complete a program on Universal Precautions and the appropriate handling of blood, tissues, and body fluid during their first-year orientation program and again at the UWSOM required clerkships’ orientation sessions. As part of the student’s professional development, they are responsible for incorporating these precautions into their routine while in patient care situations and must become knowledgeable of what is available at each hospital at their WRITE Site. The student should speak to the WRITE preceptor about the Universal Precautions process that the UW expects them to use and become familiar with their WRITE site’s process. In the event that a student has contact with blood, tissue, or body fluids, they have been given a card giving instructions on how to proceed. The UWSOM Blood-borne Pathogen Exposure Procedures can be found at http://www.uwmedicine.org/Education/MDProgram/StudentAffairsAndServices/Universal+Precautions.htm

Contacts following occupational exposure to blood/body fluids for students include:

• MEDCON (800) 326-5300 (if away from Seattle)
• UWMC Campus Health Services (206) 598-4848 (7:30 am – 4:30 pm, M-F)
• UWMC Emergency Department (206) 598-4000 (24 hrs/day)
• If your questions are not fully answered, call Dr. Doug Paauw (206) 598-6190 Pager or Dr. Amy Baernstein (206) 663-1909 Pager

If testing, prophylaxis, or counseling is deemed necessary and the WRITE training site cannot absorb these costs, bills for initial testing and preventive drugs may be forwarded to:

Kathryn Waddell, Director of Finance and Administration, Health Sciences Administration, Box 356355, Seattle, WA 98195-6355, (206) 543-7918, Fax (206) 543-3473.