Back-to-School Health Checkups at Direct Med Clinic

The first week of school is officially over! Parents and guardians will have shipped their students off to kindergarten, elementary, high school, and fortunate parents: college! Some key components for good health include preventative care, good hygiene, sufficient sleep, and affordable, direct access to a primary care doctor. No matter the age, it is key to keep children in school healthy and strong for success. A back-to-school health checkup will verify your child is on the right track.

Table of Contents

1. Preventive Care in Schoolchildren
2. Keeping Good Hygiene in Schoolchildren
3. Getting Enough Sleep For School-aged children
4. Back-To-School Sports Physical At Direct Med Clinic
5. Affordable, Year-Round Access To A Doctor

Preventative Care in Schoolchildren

Preventative care is for generally healthy people with no signs of illness, identifying potential health problems before symptoms arise.  All parents and guardians want to ensure that their children are healthy and have normal development.  Hence, children ages 5-17 are encouraged to have a wellness checkup at least once per year with their primary care physician, with younger children, ages 1-4, multiple times within a year. Through a routine physical or wellness checkup, patients receive preventative care. Checking for signs of hearing or vision loss is a preventative measure. After the preventive screening, if abnormalities are detected, patients will then receive diagnostic care. A child with a hazy or doubled vision or difficulty hearing could require glasses or hearing aids. Bringing these concerns to a doctor for a diagnosis is diagnostic care. Direct Med Clinic conducts year-round vision screenings and wellness checkups as a part of our Direct Primary Care model.

Keeping Good Hygiene in Schoolchildren

Healthy children who pass physicals and wellness exams are still susceptible to illness by exposure to other infected children. With school children always surrounded by unwashed toys, door handles, sandboxes, playgrounds, and other breeding grounds for bacteria, your student will inevitably get sick. At the very least, he or she will catch a common cold or get diarrhea. You might see a rash or blisters one day after an extended school field-trip in the sun. Your kid could come home with a fever, abdominal pain, or cramping. Then, there’s the dreaded measles, mumps, or chickenpox. Even if vaccinated, at some point, your son or daughter will come in contact with an illness that manifests symptoms worthy of a primary care doctor’s visit. Regular visits with a Direct Primary Care doctor will limit the spread of infectious disease and prevent sickness by keeping your child in good health from the beginning. Direct Med Clinic gives year-round walk-in physical and wellness exams. With membership, regular visits are affordable. Direct Med Clinic ensures that your student receives the visit time necessary to assess risk factors or symptoms that may be the cue to take more precautions.

Getting Enough Sleep For School-aged Children

School-age	Recommended Hours of Sleep
Preschoolers (3-5)	10-13 hours
School-aged (6-13)	9-11 hours
Teenagers (14-17)	8-10 hours

Preventative care is essential for a child, and so is a peaceful sleep. It’s no secret that lack of sleep negatively affects the immune system. Children trying to stave off a cold will have a harder time with less rest. Sleep is required for the recuperation of the mind and body. Without it, the body cannot perform certain functions. During sleep, the body releases hormones that drop blood pressure, making the heart work less. The body also relaxes the muscles and reduces inflammation when you go to sleep. Antibodies fight infectious disease during sleep, and stress levels even lower from the hormones released.

As students prepare for success, their brain cells will rely on a good night’s rest to recall information from the previous day. Making sure they have had plenty of water and rest is essential for the start of a good year. The body deserves a genuine opportunity to revitalize itself to carry on with the physical demands that can come from extracurricular activities and subjects such as soccer or P.E. Get the kids into bed earlier than planned, and turn off devices on time in order to increase sleep time. Let the body do its job!

According to studies done by the National Sleep Foundation, only 15% of teens get the daily amount of sleep recommended for their age groups (8 1/2 hours). Studies have also been done on the impact of school start time changes on adolescents’ mood, self-regulation, safety, and health. Surprisingly, the study found that starting middle school 30-minutes earlier was not associated with any apparent changes. Delaying secondary schools and high schools by 50-minutes, however, was associated with higher mood levels, a decrease in drowsy driving, and less breakfast skipping. As food and sleep are fuel for the brain, this finding is significant.

Although parents cannot control the start time of school, some measures can be put in place to ensure that students go to bed on time. Having the full amount of recommended sleep available to students will keep them on the path of success. Students will have more energy in their day. The charge from the previous day will prevent students from falling asleep and allow them to step into the classroom prepared. 

Get Your Sports Physical At Direct Med Clinic

Good ways to combat illness begin with staying healthy from the start, a concept that school administrators understand. Parents take student health checklists to a local clinic, hospital, or facility. They make sure that their children have the basics covered from shots to vision and hearing tests. To ensure that students are prepared to go into the classroom to learn, various school districts have requirements for joining school sports and general admission into the school. Health requirements keep students from struggling in school and catch injuries off the field.

Direct Med Clinic is happy to provide a physical examination for your child.

Please be sure to bring the pre-participation physical evaluation sheet that corresponds to your school district.

Affordable, Year-Round Access to a Doctor

You don’t have to wait until the start of a new school year to get a wellness checkup, employment/sports physical or a vision screening. Through Direct Primary Care, Direct Med Clinic offers the chance to have a relationship with your family doctor to slow down the emergency visits and keep medical conditions from spiraling out of control. At $177 per month for an entire family up to 8, the cost is now affordable. Now you have the convenience of keeping the continuity with the same doctor and nurse for your children. Don’t miss out on this chance! This fall, start the school year off right.

Join Direct Med Clinic and get a medical membership for your family today.