Laura Truelove, M.D. Galen North Pediatrics

As summer ends and school starts back, there are always several things to complete before your child’s first day. A back-to-school physical or an annual wellness exam is something you should add to your back-to-school checklist. Yearly physicals are a great time to have your child checked out to make sure they are growing and developing at the appropriate rate.

What to expect during an annual wellness exam?

During the wellness exam, your pediatrician will:

• Complete a physical exam, including height and weight.
• Check blood pressure, vision, and hearing.
• Ask about your child’s development (speech, communication skills, motor skills, etc.), nutrition, exercise, and sleep habits.
• Review your child’s medical history & vaccination status.
• Supply age-appropriate safety information & health education.
• Observe the standards set by the American Academy of Pediatrics (APP) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The annual wellness exam is tailored to your child’s age and is an excellent time for you or your child to express any concerns.

Immunizations

Your child’s annual wellness exam is a great time to make sure they are up to date on their immunizations. To help avoid the spread of diseases and keep kids of all ages healthy, your child needs to get vaccinated. Your pediatrician will review your child’s immunization history and ensure your child is up to date on all immunizations, as well as administer any vaccines they need.

Sports Physicals

Your child’s annual wellness visit is the perfect time to make sure your child gets their sports physical completed. Any issues related to exercise, such as injuries, nutrition, training, and exercise programs, are addressed during this time.

How to Prepare for Your Visit

Make sure that you have all the required health forms for your school district ready for the appointment. If your child is getting a sports physical, please bring that form as well.

Galen is Chattanooga’s Pediatrician

Our goal is to promote a healthy lifestyle and reduce infant and child illness. Our pediatricians strive to earn the trust of both parent and child while providing evidence-based treatment in a caring, comfortable, convenient, and cost-effective setting. We want you to know our pediatric offices are maintaining safety and hygiene standards so we can safely care for your children.

Call your pediatrician’s office today to schedule your child’s Annual Wellness exam!