What to Expect at Your Physicals

There are several reasons to schedule checkups or health physical examination for children. It may be time for routine vaccinations. There may be a particular physical or behavioral issue of concern. It may be a requirement for participation in sports or camp. Whatever the reason for the appointment, all checkup visits have the same goal: to evaluate your child’s health and educate both parent and child for optimal growth and development.

Before your checkup, make a list of any concerns you want to discuss with the provider. Gather pertinent records (vaccine records, information from other physicians), any camp or sports forms that need to be signed, and names and dosages of current medications. For infants 2-18 months of age, you may give a dose of acetaminophen (Tylenol) before the visit as they may be getting vaccines. Click here for dosing guidelines.

We also encourage you to get online and read up on vaccines.

All checkups start with vital signs: weight, height, head circumference for babies, blood pressure for children 3 and up, and heart rates before and after exercise for sports physicals. Children ages 3 and up will need to provide a urine specimen. Kindergarten physicals also include hearing and vision screens. The nurse will then ask some questions concerning your child’s development, nutrition, any recent illnesses, or concerns you would like the provider to address.

The provider will evaluate your child’s growth, development, and immunization status. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU PROVIDE US WITH AN UP-TO-DATE COPY OF YOUR CHILD’S VACCINES. Then all children receive a head-to-toe examination (this includes teens for sports and camp). We allow our teen patients to decide whether or not they would like their parent to remain in the room for the exam. (helpful hint: if your child is embarrassed to be examined in their underwear, have them wear a bathing suit instead) Afterwards, we can discuss any concerns you may have about your child. Again, for teens, we request some time for the patient to have the opportunity to discuss any issues alone with the physician that they may not want to discuss in front of their parent. Remember, many of the things teens ask us about in private are NOT the world-changing issues you may be worried about.

NOTE:

  • For parents who have extensive concerns about their child’s behavior or school problems, we suggest a “parent conference”. We schedule these immediately after lunch so we can have extra time to discuss these complicated issues.
  • After the provider is finished, the nurse will return to perform vaccines and blood work. Most infants will receive vaccines at 2, 4, 6, 12, 15 and 18 months. Children typically receive vaccines at age 4 or 5 years, then again when they are 11 or 12 years old. You can follow the links provided to get more information about the different immunizations offered at each visit. You can also visit the CDC website, www.cdc.gov,  for additional information.
  • Please remember to bring your pre-participation forms for sports or camp, so we can fill these out during your visit. Make sure to complete the “medical history” section prior to the checkup (it MUST be complete before the physician can sign off on the form). For school sports in Georgia, you can download and print the sports physical form here on our website.
  • For infants and toddlers receiving vaccines, we recommend giving Tylenol every 4-6 hours for the 24 hours following the injections. The most common vaccine side effects are fever (usually low grade), crankiness, sleepiness, minor swelling at the injection site. Your nurse and physician can discuss vaccines with you in more detail during your visit.
  • Checkups should be fun (at most ages) and informative, not just a requirement to be completed. Please feel free to ask ANY questions regarding your child. We’re here to help you and your child.
  • You may want to print the Sports participation forms from our website, fill them and bring them with you. This will shorten the time you spend during your visit.
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Recommended Well Visits And Physicals

At PrimeCare Pediatrics, we believe in and emphasize the importance and value of regularly scheduled well-visits for all children; this includes newborns, infants, pre-teens, and teens according to guidelines provided by the Bright Futures initiative of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for excellence in pediatric care for the prevention and health promotion for infants, children, adolescents, and their families .

These wellness visits are designed for the health supervision of your baby. Recommended immunizations are commonly given at these visits. They afford the physician the opportunity of providing you with important information regarding the growth and development of your child. They are also a means of identifying problems or potential problems and providing early intervention if necessary.

The typical periodicity of well visits as recommended by the AAP for all children from birth through 18 years is given below. You may click on Recommendations for Preventative Pediatric Health Care to access the full details.

Your child’s schedule may vary slightly. This is mainly because the immunization schedule is usually updated from time to time by the government and other regulatory bodies and may vary from the previous year. Other reasons include vaccine availability and the fact that different states and offices may also adopt a slightly modified schedule.

At Birth – Newborn Hospital visit

Dr. Tega will visit you in the hospital and examine your baby soon after birth, once our office is informed. The hospitals that we currently cover are Piedmont Newnan Hospital, Piedmont Fayette Hospital, and Southern Regional Medical Center. Make sure you inform the nurses during registration, at check-in and at the delivery ward that your baby’s pediatrician is Dr. Tega, so the hospital can contact us once your baby is born.

Circumcision: If you elect to have your newborn son circumcised, Dr. Tega will be happy to perform this surgical procedure for you.

First Office Visit

Once your baby is discharged from the hospital, you will need to follow-up in our office within a week, usually in 1-3 days. The importance of this visit is to examine your baby thoroughly again and make sure that baby is healthy and both baby and mon are off to a great start. The baby’s feeding schedule will also be reviewed including weight and color check for jaundice.

After this initial office visit, the typical schedule is as summarized below.

1 month well visit

Review your child’s growth and physical development.

2 months well-visit

This visit is important because this will be the time that your baby starts the immunization series. Usually a number of shots are given.

4 months well-visit

Immunizations – first booster doses are given

6 months well-visit

Immunizations – booster doses continue

9 months well-visit

Focuses on your child’s physical development as well as issues regarding infant-toddler safety; includes tips for home safety and a comprehensive review of Child Home Safety Check List. We will also address your home’s childproof measures and safety concerns, and car seat safety issues if any.

12 months well-visit

The first in the series of vaccines for Chicken-pox and MMR prevention are usually given.

Child may also be screened for anemia.

15 months well-visit

Immunizations – booster doses continue

18 months well-visit

Initial series of immunizations may be completed at this visit

24 months well-visit (2 yrs)

Child may need to receive additional immunizations to catch-up

3-18 years well-visit

A yearly wellness physical is recommended.

Highlights:
4-5 yrs – Booster doses of immunizations given
11 yrs and beyond – Booster doses of Tetanus and other vaccines are given. Girls will need the HPV vaccine. College age kids will need to be vaccinated against meningitis.

Prenatal Visit

PrimeCare Pediatrics encourages all prospective mothers and parents-to-be, to make an appointment to meet with Dr. Tega and our office staff during the third trimester and before the arrival of their baby. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to meet with their pediatrician. It also provides us with the time to personally get-to-know the prospective parents and address any concerns they might have with regard to the expected baby.

Sports Physicals/College/Camp Physicals

These types of physicals are provided as needed.

Please contact us or your health care provider if you have any questions or need additional information.

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