Sunday, April 15, 2012

Sports Physical Appointments at a Walk In Clinic

Today's athletic physicals can be set up at a walk in clinic instead of a primary care physician's office. Kids tend to keep parents on their toes and everyone has a busy schedule. Who wants to hassle with trying to find a date and time that work for the doctor and your family? In some cases, there is no need to make an appointment when you can just drop in for the physical instead.
Reasons for a Sports Physical
You may see your child as physically fit and ready for soccer, basketball, or football. They eat well, maintain a healthy weight and have plenty of energy for their activities. In spite of your observations, a doctor still needs to examine your child and make sure that he or she is ready to participate in sports at school. They work much like a regular physical but the doctor may discuss the sport with the child and ask specific questions about it. For example, the doctor may want to stress the importance of a helmet and proper equipment to a child going out for football.
If there are any issues that could cause sports to be a problem, the doctor can identify them and work on a treatment. If there are any past medical concerns, the doctor can revisit those issues and check to see if any progress has been made. For most parents, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Seeing a doctor at the walk in clinic can give you peace of mind when you send your child out onto the field or court.
Procedure
In some cases, a walk in clinic will not require an appointment for a sports physical. A parent and child can drop by any time and wait to see a practitioner. The wait is usually not more than 20 minutes, so those with a difficult-to-accommodate schedule also find this to be the best option. If a parent has the ability to make an appointment, call the walk in clinic to see how that would work.
At the time of arrival, a medical history will be requested as well as any health insurance information. Be sure to have anything necessary to fill this form out readily available. For most people, this will not take much time and the parent takes the form back when meeting with the doctor.
If the school has provided a release form, be sure to bring this along as well. The doctor can sign off on the paper when the exam is complete, releasing the child to participate in sports at school. Often a walk in clinic will have a form that will suffice when it comes time to turn in the paperwork to the school. It outlines the child's health and allows them to join in on the activities.

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