Why Your Student Needs a Yearly Checkup

We make appointments to see our doctors for many reasons, and while most often we see him or her for specific reasons or concerns, our physician can provide much more. A yearly physical exam for your student is an important practice to establish and maintain the overall health of your child. With his or her close proximity to other young and growing children, making sure your student is in good health can help protect them from disease and illness that may be lurking in the schoolyard.

Here are some reasons a yearly checkup is important for your student:

1. Prevent health problems – Annual physicals allow your doctor to review any changes that have occurred over the year and encourage healthy choices for your child. Also, your doctor can help identify risk factors that can lead to future health problems and offer expert advice on how to manage them.
2. Strengthen doctor/patient relationship – Helping to establish a good relationship between your student and their doctor can create an open and honest dialogue, allowing the doctor to provide the right advice for your child.
3. Establish baselines – a routine physical will help establish a health baseline that will aid you, your child, and your doctor make future healthcare decisions.
4. Save money – if a doctor can detect a problem early, before it gets serious, it can save money on medical bills down the road.
5. Update vaccinations – staying up to date on vaccinations will prevent illness and reduce missed school days.
6. Review and renew medications – reviewing your medications with your physician, to include over-the-counter medications, will ensure your child is being treated the best way possible and can help prevent possible side effects and medication interactions.

The best medicine is preventative medicine, which is possible, in part, with a yearly checkup.