Notes on being sick

By Matthew Bossons [travel bureau chief]

As another semester begins and classes are back in session, we, the students of Kwantlen, must again listen to the rules and expectations of our teachers.

While most of these rules are well founded, I would like to question the age old ritual of doctor’s notes.

A doctors note is generally presented to a teacher when a student is absent from class due to an illness to prove the student is being honest and allow them to make up missed work.

Now, in a day and age when hospital waiting lists are growing, walk-in clinics are jam-packed and doctors are in short supply, should teachers really be sending students to the clinic to get a note for a cold?

You have to wonder if a common cold needs diagnoses in the first place. In fact, it’s probably better for the student to rest in bed for the day than to go sit in a clinic waiting room for three hours, where they are likely to contract a far worse illness than just a sniffle.

All I have to say is that when I feel sick the last thing on my mind is to go sit in a musty, poorly lit medical clinic to get a doctor’s note that costs $15 for a lecture I can read from the textbook on my own time.

I recommend students stay home if they find themselves sick with a common cold this semester, save our medical system the unneeded strain, and have a nap and a bowl of chicken noodle soup instead.