Iowa Specialty Hospital

Schedule Early, Scramble Less

June 6, 2017

Teen boy at doctor's office talking with nurseSchool is out and the last thing you want to think about is fall, but now is the time to plan ahead and schedule your children’s annual required physicals and any physicals needed for sports participation.

The benefits to scheduling now means you won’t be scrambling later, possibly meaning your child missing out on activities because of full appointment schedules toward the middle to end of summer.

Required school physicals include a preschool and/or kindergarten physical and a 7th grade physical. The State of Iowa just revised their required vaccinations for 12th graders as well requiring two doses of the Meningococcal vaccine before entering 12th grade. You can read more about these new requirements here.

For children in sports, an annual physical will need to be completed before participation is allowed.

Even if your child doesn’t play sports or are not in need of a required physical for school it’s important to teach your children healthy habits by scheduling annual check-ups. Many immunizations and screenings should be completed by certain ages, including a cholesterol screening with the rising prevalence of child obesity, and the highly recommended HPV vaccine for both boys and girls.

Annual check-ups also allow you and your child the opportunity to bring up any concerns, make sure all required immunizations, such as Tdap and Meningococcal, are up-to-date, and understand their overall health better. 

Many times parents are encouraged to attend these appointments, but remember to also be respectful of older children’s wishes and privacy as well. They may not open up to their physician with a parent in the room, but parents will need to be present to sign any Consent to Treat forms.

Stay ahead this summer and schedule your children’s annual appointments now and enjoy the rest of your summer! To schedule appointments, call 844-474-4321.

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