Seth Ammerman, MD, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, says that teens and their parents should choose a time each year to talk about adolescent health needs and THEN make an appointment with a doctor familiar with adolescent health issues. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that healthy teens visit their physicians yearly to discuss concerns the teen or parents may have about issues including growth, development and behavior.
Many people forget that a checkup can come at any time during the year.
But realistically, doctors can't see all their patients in the late summer months. It might be easier to schedule a visit in the late fall, winter or even spring. For healthy adolescents, most 'permission' slips for sports and other activities are good for a calendar year, so they can be done at any time, Ammerman explains. Teens will become due for an MMR and tetanus booster sometime during the teen years. Schools often keep records, and physicians hand out those yellow public health service cards to record immunizations.