A Yearly Checkup: Before, During & After a Doctor's Visit
This video explains what to do before, during, and after a yearly checkup with a doctor or health care provider. This is a health care visit you should have every year with your regular doctor or nurse practitioner, even if you’re feeling healthy. These visits are also called annual well visits. It’s great to talk to a parent or guardian before the visit and even have them in the room with you. It’s also okay to ask for time to talk to your health care provider one-on-one about important (and sometimes sensitive) questions you have about your health. That could include things you’re embarrassed to talk with your family about like mental health and sexual health. Many of these conversations will be kept confidential. [AMZ-178]
This video was produced in partnership with Teen Health Hub WA here. Each link on that page is vetted by Washington Department of Health’s Adolescent and Young Adult Health Team and reviewed by young people ages 13-22 who serve on their Youth Advisory Council. That’s how you know you’ll find quality, accurate information on health topics that are important to you.
Youth
You may know of annual sports physicals, but did you know they’re different from yearly checkups? Yearly checkups, also called well visits, are time to check on your growth and development, get you the shots you need, and identify any conditions or behaviors you might need support with. The health care provider may ask about substance use like smoking or vaping, mental health problems, sexual health needs, and if you have any safety concerns like bullying.
Many people schedule their well visits at the same time every year – like right before school starts or at the same time as their sports physical– so they don’t forget. Your trusted adult might make this appointment for you, or as you get older, you can call and make the appointment yourself. Be sure to call 1-3 months in advance for scheduling to be sure you can be seen when you want.
To prepare for your appointment, think about the health concerns that are most important to you, and make a list of questions to bring with you. Your list can include topics like nutrition and exercise, sports injuries, stress, puberty, sleep, and stomach problems. You can also ask about social and emotional topics, like healthy relationships and friendships, anxiety or depression, birth control or questions about sexual health, or anything that’s on your mind.
Other materials you may want to bring, if you have them, are your insurance card, photo ID, and a list of medications you are currently taking. Be sure to plan to arrive at the appointment 15 minutes early to let yourself get settled in or fill out any paperwork they may give you.
Arrive to the appointment 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork they may give you. Once you are in the exam room, a provider will listen to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope, check your tonsils and abdomen (aka your stomach) with their hands, and look in your eyes, nose, and mouth with a scope. This is to make sure everything looks healthy. They’ll also ask if you’ve been feeling down or depressed, if you’ve used alcohol, drugs, or tobacco, if you’re sexually active, if you’ve experienced any physical or emotional violence, and other questions that might feel really personal or even uncomfortable. These screening questions help catch health concerns early on or prevent them before they even start.
It’s important to be honest so you can get the health services you need. Your provider’s job is to get you support and resources if you need them, and to make sure you know how your behaviors affect your health. If you want to know why you’re being asked certain things, it’s totally ok to ask! If your provider’s questions don’t feel relevant (for example, if they ask you questions about sex that only apply to heterosexual, cisgender people, and that doesn’t apply to you) it’s ok to say so.
You have the right to have one-on-one time with your health care provider to ask about things you might not want to talk about in front of your family. Most providers will let your trusted adult know it’s time for one-on-one time. If they don’t, you have the right to ask for it. It can help to give your trusted adult a heads up that you hope to have a private conversation with the provider. You can say something like, “I trust you. But some of these topics are embarrassing, so it’s easier by myself.”
And remember, privacy isn’t just about what you discuss out loud. You may also want to keep the notes, bills, and other documentation from your visit private. You can request to have any written documentation sent to your email only and not mailed to your home address. Ask the clinic for help with any paperwork to maintain your privacy. Clinics usually use the word, ”confidentiality,” to talk about maintaining privacy, so you may want to use that word too.
You might also get some vaccinations, like TDAP, MMR, and HPV, which usually involve a shot or two in your upper arm and a bandaid. Getting shots for illnesses like the flu and COVID can help you avoid taking sick days off from school or work, and allows you to enjoy fun events! Other vaccines, like the HPV vaccine, prevent cancer. If you have questions about any vaccine, you have the right to ask!
After your exam and screenings are complete, your provider will let you know how they think everything is going with your health. They will share any health concerns and will give you recommendations for next steps. If you have questions, be sure to ask your provider – and you can also ask for help and support with anything they recommend. For example, you can ask them to get you more information on any specialists they refer you to, or about how any new medication will affect you. You can also ask for alternative options, or to talk about anything that concerns you.
It’s a good idea to keep an eye on any issues identified during your visit and follow your primary care provider’s advice. Get your trusted adult to help you to stay on track.
And remember that staying healthy is about so much more than visiting the doctor—it also includes enjoying spending time with friends and family, setting goals for yourself, learning how to talk through problems, and finding ways to deal with stress. Being part of a community—whether it’s a team, club, or group of people who live nearby—is an amazing way to give and receive support that can help you stay healthy in between annual well visits!
FAQs
You can talk with your health care provider in private about so many things. You might choose to talk about changes happening with your body during puberty or serious issues, like abuse or relationship violence, substance use, coming out as LGBTQ, or being harassed or bullied in school. Because confidentiality laws can vary, be sure to ask what your health care provider can or cannot keep confidential. Knowing this will allow you to make an informed decision about how much you want to share.
It is really hard to know unless you ask outright whether your information will be protected and kept confidential by your medical provider. That said, you can look for cues in the way your health care provider treats you that help you determine if they are open to talking about sexual health and confidentiality. Do they express care and non-judgment? Do they have materials or rules in their office that state they’re open to discussing sexual health? Often something as simple as a rainbow sticker or poster can let you know that it’s a safe space where you can talk about issues like sexual orientation. These cues provide an opening to talk with your health care provider about confidentiality.
Sexual health is more than pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention. It’s also keeping up with reproductive health and hygiene, as well as any other routine checkups you might need. For example, the HPV vaccine is recommended for all young people ages 9 through 14, regardless of whether or not they have had sex. Paying attention to your sexual health now is the perfect way to be prepared for anything in the future that might need more attention as you get older.
It can be difficult to find support for sexual health in areas that have limited resources or that have generally sex-negative attitudes. When this happens, finding even one trusted adult who can help you could make all the difference, as can taking advantage of free information resources that exist online or that can be downloaded to your phone. Between apps, websites and hotlines, you can find answers to many of the most basic sexual health questions you might have, and even ones you might not have even known you had.
It is totally normal to feel embarrassed to talk about these topics with your parents, especially if your family has never talked about puberty and growing up. However, it is important to remember that adults were your age at one point in their lives, and they have a lot of experience with these topics. You may be surprised how open and willing they are to talk.
If you still don’t feel like you can talk to a parent, you can identify another adult that you trust to have these conversations with. This might be another relative, a teacher, a coach, a guidance counselor or even a friend’s parent.
Check with your provider’s office staff for financial assistance and support. You can also search online for, “How do I get Medicaid in my state?” to see if you qualify for free health insurance. Washington state residents can apply for free or low-cost health insurance through Apple Health at any time by visiting wahealthplanfinder.org and selecting the “Apply Now” button.
A primary care provider, also known as a primary care physician (PCP) or general practitioner (GP), is a health care professional who practices general medicine. PCPs can be doctors, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants. A PCP is a person’s first stop for medical care. You can visit your PCP for routine checkups, when you’re not feeling well, and to get preventive care that keeps you from getting sick in the first place.
Parents
Check out the video we made just for parents here!
Parents can involve their child in preparing for an annual checkup together. It can also be very helpful to brainstorm questions to ask the clinician on the way to a visit, and/or step out of the room for part of a visit so their adolescent has a chance to ask the clinician any questions they may have.
“One-on-one time” (time during a healthcare visit without a parent in the room) is an established best practice in adolescent care. This time should be a regular part of preventive visits starting around age 11 or 12. However, it doesn’t always happen. It’s important to know that 1) One-on-one time is a standard practice recommended by the American Academy of Pediatricians, and 2) time alone with a healthcare provider is part of developing skills and responsibility. Remember, a healthcare professional is legally required to tell you anything concerning about abuse, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts. In fact, a young person might be more likely to share that important information without a parent present – just think back to when you were their age and if you would ask a potentially embarrassing question in front of your parents.
It’s also important to know that health care professionals are “mandatory reporters,” meaning that they are legally required to report child abuse and neglect concerns. Washington parents and guardians can learn more about mandatory reporting and child abuse prevention on this poster (also available in Spanish, here).
TALK: Toolkit for Adolescent Care supports conversations between healthcare clinicians and teens, and between parents and teens. TALK resources go one step beyond generic advice, like, “Make sure you talk to teens about sex” and offer ideas for starting those actual conversations. The “TALK Tools” are one-page resources parents can access freely online here. Each TALK Tool contains additional resources at the bottom of the page.