Academic Live Care

All enrolled DMU students have access to Academic Live Care (ALC), which includes:  

• 24/7 “in the moment” counseling with Master’s level clinicians via phone, video, text, or email.

• Unlimited Teletherapy- Students can schedule unlimited visits at a no cost with licensed psychologists or therapists to receive individual or family therapy.  Patients are seen in regular scheduled sessions to address mental health concerns, varying from depression and bipolar disorder to family therapy.

• Unlimited Telepsychiatry- Students can schedule unlimited visits at a no cost  with board-certified psychiatrists focusing on medication evaluations and ongoing medication management in accordance with laws, regulations, and Medical Board rules.

• Unlimited Nutrition Counseling- Staffed with highly trained Registered Dietitians (RDs), students are connected to structured, personalized meal plans and recipes.

• Unlimited Urgent Care telehealth- Students can see a doctor for a variety of common conditions for no cost, from the flu to colds and rashes, keeping students out of the emergency room and instead giving them access to adequate in-network care via telehealth. ALC providers support, diagnose, and treat a variety of urgent health concerns, as well as issue prescriptions in accordance with laws, regulations, and Medical Board rules.

Please visit the ALC page on Pulse for access information. 

Cafeteria

Summerfield’s, the on-campus cafeteria, provides a morning coffee bar and lunch service. A self-service check out option is available outside of those hours. Summerfield’s only accepts credit cards and ID badges.

Campus Store

The Campus Store features a selection of reference books, scrubs, school supplies, medical instruments, lab coats in a variety of styles, branded apparel, gifts and diploma frames. 

The store works with faculty and the library staff as the lists of required and recommended texts and supplies are submitted by the departments. With input from the instructors the group orders are designed to offer student buy pricing for medical equipment and supplies. Additional information is available on the store website- www.dmubooks.com

Center for Educational Enhancement (CEE)

Mission Statement: The Center for Educational Enhancement provides services and resources dedicated to improving competence, performance, and/or patient care within the University and health professions community.  

The Center for Educational Enhancement (CEE) provides student support, faculty development, library services, and continuing education.  CEE is comprised of Library services, the Academic Support team, and the Continuing Medical Education program.

Library Services

The Des Moines University Library is both a virtual space and a physical place that actively serves and supports the University's medical and health education programs. It provides a broad range of digital resources, accessible both on and off campus, including thousands of e-books, e-journals, and a wide variety of databases such as ClinicalKey and Access Medicine. The library also provides access to point of care databases like 5 Minute Consult, UptoDate and VisualDX.  Specialty resources like JoVE, OrthoEvidence, Transparent Languages and Natural Medicines are also available to students as well as multimedia resources like AnatomyTV, Academic Video Online. The library licenses online question databanks like ExamMaster and BoardVitals, in addition to the Board Review Series, Case Files and numerous flashcard resources to help students prepare for their board exams. Study aids for checkout include bones and anatomical models, white boards, noise-cancelling headphones and more. If the Library does not own or subscribe to a resource, it will try to obtain a copy from another library.  These services are free to faculty, students, and staff.  Requests for articles are usually filled within five business days. 

The Library offers group or one-on-one consultation services for students and faculty as well as access to helpful online guides on how to effectively find and use library resources and a variety of other topics including citation practices, conducting literature reviews, assisting with research identity and scholarly publication metrics, and identifying avenues for publication. Additional information on library resources and services is available on the Library’s website.

Continuing Medical Education

The Des Moines University (DMU) Continuing Medical Education (CME) mission is to provide evidence-based health education and professional development opportunities that encourage interprofessional collaboration and enhance learners’ competence, performance, and/or patient outcomes. The focus is on compassionate, lifelong learners and advocacy for the health and welfare of diverse populations. The goal is to improve patient outcomes in the people served by the health providers we educate.

Please visit the CME website to learn more about the DMU CME program or register for an activity.

Academic Support

The mission of CEE Academic Support team is to support excellence within Des Moines University’s academic community through innovation and collaboration enhancing instruction, student learning, and assessment. They offer a broad range of support services and programs to help students and faculty achieve their academic goals. Students are offered one-on-one and group learning opportunities, tutoring, presentations, and workshops on board preparation, study skills, time management, test-taking, and course-specific guidance. More information about the student support services provided by the Academic Support team as well as contact information can be found at the Student Support Pulse page. 

Reasonable Accommodations

DMU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities as recognized under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA). Students in need of accommodations to meet technical standards or other curriculum requirements should apply for Accommodations & Temporary Assistance in Educational Programming. Students seeking accommodations or temporary assistance are responsible for reaching out to an Accommodations and Educational Support Specialist in the CEE Academic Support team. Please reach out in person, by e-mail (accommodations@dmu.edu), or by calling Academic Support at 515-271-1516. An Accommodations and Educational Support Specialist reviews all requests for accommodations through an individualized, interactive process.

Please note students who are granted accommodations must still meet the applicable technical standards, with or without accommodations, for their academic program.

Clubs and Organizations

Clubs, local chapters of national groups, honorary societies and other organizations offer students a chance to get involved. Student participants engage to meet peers, learn more about a professional organization, voice an opinion or volunteer in the community. Student clubs and organizations offer the ability to attend national conventions, advocate for a cause and more. All clubs and organizations are free to join although some may have a mandatory national or chapter fee. Most clubs and organizations welcome students from all programs however some are program specific. All clubs and organizations have students in a leadership role with a designated faculty advisor as support.  The Office of Student Affairs provides annual training to ensure policies and procedures that govern clubs and organizations are understood and consistently applied.

Diversity and Multicultural Affairs

The University is committed to fostering a community and campus climate that values and actively supports diversity, equity, and inclusiveness. The office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs provides co-curricular and extra-curricular programming and trainings designed to increase understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures, raise awareness, educate, and promote social justice.

DMU students have many opportunities and experiences to develop skill sets that will enhance and contribute to their personal and professional development. Part of that development is to learn and acquire cultural competency/humility skills. It is important to recognize that becoming culturally competent is an ongoing process. Students are challenged to examine their own cultural biases and stereotypes throughout their educational journey.  One of our goals is to equip and empower students to be a part of a global health care system that responds appropriately to and is inclusive in delivering positive health outcomes for a diverse and ever changing society.  Additional information is available on the office’s website.

Faculty Advisor

All students are assigned a faculty advisor who provides assistance, advice and counsel, as needed, and who serves as a liaison between the student and the academic and administrative communities. Based upon students’ needs and requests, faculty advisors are available to monitor academic achievement and provide guidance and assistance in meeting academic requirements; serve as a mentor to the student; provide referral information to other student support/departments as necessary; and inform appropriate departments of student concerns.

Global Health

The Department of Global Health seeks to promote an understanding of issues in health care and health equity both domestically and globally. This includes creating, developing and facilitating global opportunities for students to learn about medicine, health care systems and the social determinants of health.
How do we do this?
• Hosting international medical students and scholars in Des Moines.
• Facilitating courses and providing programming to help students become ethical and globally conscious health care providers.
• Offering research opportunities for students to hold distinguished internships at prestigious organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control(CDC) and the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).
Additional information is available on the Global Health Pulse page.

ITS Resources

Information Technology Services (ITS) maintains network accounts for all enrolled students. The account allows access to a wide variety of University resources, including Microsoft Outlook for email and calendar, our campus-wide SharePoint Site (Pulse), Office 365, Desire2Learn (D2L), Zoom, Panopto, LinkedIn Learning, and various other university supported applications

The ITS Solutions Hub serves as a “one-stop” center for resolving campus technology problems and also as a call-center for other technology resources on campus. All requests for IT support services are logged through the Solutions Hub.  ITS Solutions Hub has both on-campus support, 24/7 phone support and an online Knowledgebase.

Our University SharePoint Site, Pulse, contains general university and program specific announcements, links to valuable Library Resources, schedule information, the ITS Service Catalog, and many additional links useful to students’ education at DMU.

Each student is assigned an e-mail account.  This account is accessible through their DMU computer (as applicable), Office 365, Pulse and Outlook. Microsoft Outlook email app may also be installed on personal mobile devices with DMU credentials. The University-assigned e-mail address will be used by departments and programs as the official communication link with students. The University does not maintain a list of alternate addresses and does not support forwarding of e-mail to other accounts.

DMU provides access to several technology tools related to teaching and learning. D2L is the learning management system to which instructors post supplemental course information, quizzes, grades and other helpful course information. Panopto is our video management system and provides access to lecture recordings and other video content across campus.  Zoom is our web conferencing solution that is available to all DMU faculty, staff, and students. Check out the ITS Service Catalog on Pulse for additional teaching and learning tools available at DMU. (Faculty, staff and student only)

Student Counseling Center

The Student Counseling Center (SCC) provides mental health services to enrolled students who are located in the state of Iowa for a wide variety of concerns, including (but not limited to) stress management, adjustment, anxiety, depression, and grief/loss. Partners of students may also participate in relationship counseling sessions. Psychiatric services are available through a contract with Central Iowa Psychological Services. The SCC also provides psychoeducational workshops and hosts campus events on topics such as stress management, healthy relationships, and preventing burnout. All SCC services are free and confidential, and the SCC’s records are not a part of any academic or university records. Additional information regarding the SCC’s services is available on their website and Pulse page. The SCC is available by Phone: 515-271-1392 or Email: counseling@dmu.edu during business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:00-4:30). Students outside of the state or who would like expanded provider availability also have access to Academic Live Care. Their services include: 24/7 “in the moment” counseling via phone, video, text, or email, unlimited access to ongoing teletherapy, telepsychiatry, and telenutrition counseling, and unlimited Urgent Care telehealth visits. ALC’s services are also free of charge and available nationwide.

Student Government

The Student Government Association (SGA) is the official governmental body for students enrolled in each College.  The University has three SGA organizations reflecting the three distinct colleges.  Upon admission, students are automatically members of the SGA, which is governed by elected representatives.  The purpose of the SGAs, as defined in each organization’s respective by-laws, is to provide students with a forum to express ideas concerning the academic, social and service aspects of the college.  Each SGA is allocated money for their budget and decisions regarding the utilization of these funds are based on the vote or decision-making authority of the governing body.

Student Handbook

The Student Handbook is issued as a web-based publication to serve as a guide for enrolled students.  It contains links to general information, policies and procedures to ensure that students understand and are meeting expectations for graduation and successful careers in health care. Specific information for courses/systems is available in each course syllabus.

The policies and procedures are defined to ensure that students succeed academically and attain the professional standards necessary to practice as a health care professional.  Therefore, students are responsible for becoming familiar with the contents of the handbook and for abiding by the Student Code of Conduct and all other policies and procedures.  During the registration process, students sign a statement that they understand and agree to uphold all University and program regulations as stated in the handbook.

Student Health Insurance

DMU requires students in all programs, with exception of those delivered completely online, to provide proof of active comprehensive health insurance. All students must enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan or submit a waiver request. Only those students who meet the waiver requirements will be allowed to waive the plan.  Plan rates, Benefit Summary, Waiver Requirements and other information about the Student Health Insurance Plan can be found by visiting the DMU Student Health Insurance page.

If students do not enroll or waive by the deadline, they will automatically be enrolled and billed for the Student Health Insurance on their DMU student account.

To meet the waiver requirement, students must verify coverage through the following:

• Parents or spouse/partner group plan.
• Tricare (Military)
• An individual plan that meets the hard waiver criteria.
• Iowa Medicaid will only be accepted during didactic years.

University Health Clinic

In addition to the many heath care options in the Des Moines metro area, students have on-campus access to primary care at DMU's University Health Clinic. Clinic services include well visits and physicals, immunizations, lab testing, treatment of acute illnesses and injuries, management of chronic illnesses and coordinating care with specialists, provision of basic women's health care, including Pap smears for cervical cancer testing and contraception, and medication management. TB skin testing and flu immunization are available to students at no charge.  All other available services will be billed to the student’s insurance plan. For more information call 515-271-7883 or visit Pulse at University Health Clinic. 

Wellness Center

DMU’s state-of-the-art Wellness Center at 8025 Grand in West Des Moines is open 24-7 and the 3200 Grand location in Des Moines provide extensive opportunities that are free to the campus population. Wellness opportunities offered to all students, at any fitness level, include wellness incentive programs to promote healthy lifestyles; fitness classes; intramurals; body composition testing; individualized exercise programs; health coaching consultations; personal/athletic trainers; individual Personal Wellness Profile (PWP) – an assessment tool that identifies personal health risks and provides strategies for reaching health and fitness goals; massages for a nominal fee; plus a Plus One option available for all students and much more!  Additional information is available on the centers' website.