Carol Drews: ‘Tis the season to stay healthy

Home News Carol Drews: ‘Tis the season to stay healthy

It’s cold and flu season, and Carol Drews is here to help.
Three years ago, Drews came to Hillsdale, not as a student, but as the registered nurse for the Ambler Health and Wellness Center.
A native of Hillsdale County and a nurse since 1997, she officially joined the college in 2011 as the registered nurse after working per diem for 10 years. However, she didn’t always want to be a nurse.
“I fell sideways into it,” Drews said. “I thought I wanted to be a pharmacist — the medications, how they work, the science behind it has always been interesting to me. However, I found that I needed more interaction with people. I didn’t want to be behind a counter counting pills, so nursing seemed like the thing to do.”
Drews’ co-worker, Office Assistant Linda Snoes, has been working at the health center since 2002 and said that Drews has great rapport with the students.
“Carol is wonderful,” Snoes said. “She can really relate to [students] and gives them good advice all the time.”
As a registered nurse, Drews said that the health center on campus sees almost everything you’d find in a regular doctor’s office — everything from liver failure to pre-existing conditions such as diabetes — but that “by and large, students are healthy.”
“I tore my ACL last February.” Junior Forester McClatchey said. “The doctor made sure I had pain killers and kept off my foot.”
Drews also mentioned that the flu is always a worry during the winter season, and that this year it is as important as ever to get flu shots.
“Ebola came at an interesting time, because suddenly you’re screening people at airports for a rise in temperature, and some symptoms that are very similar to the flu,” Drews said. “I think like anything else, media can work for you and media can work against you. [Ebola] is very difficult to transmit early on…but we have to be aware. I encourage flu shots for all students.”
College living is also a worry for students living on campus and trying to stay healthy, Drews said.
“Communal living is just another complication at college. You eat, sleep, exercise, and shower about 4-5 feet from everyone,” Drews said.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the respiratory droplet that transmits flu can travel 6-8 feet in a cough or sneeze. The most important key to staying healthy, according to health center handouts, is prevention. Drews advised students to drink plenty of fluids, stay away from people who are sick, get rest, and stay up-to-date with flu shots.
Exercise and handwashing are also important to do to stay healthy. After exercise, there is a rise in immunity titers for about 20 minutes, according to the CDC.
As well as endorsing regular exercise, Drews encourages eating a balanced diet.
“People think they need echinacea and vitamin C,” Drews said. “But the truth is that your body does all that for you if you’re caring for it well.”
Drews also mentioned the important distinction between “stomach flu” and influenza. “Stomach flu” is a gastroenteritis and usually lasts about 24 hours. Medical professionals often refer to it as the stomach flu, but true influenza has a cluster of symptoms including a fever of up to 102 accompanied by coughing.
“You really look and feel like you’re going to die,” Drews said. “If you have to ask if you have the flu, you probably don’t. I know it’s really hard [to stay healthy] when you have finals or midterms due and you still have reading,” Drews said. “But you need to consider it an investment, because if you’re well you’re going to perform better than you would if you were sick.”