How to Schedule Annual Physical Exam?

Scheduling your annual physical exam might be the best thing you do this year for yourself. When you are going about your days, juggling work, picking up the children from soccer practice, and worrying about if you drank enough water for the day, scheduling a physical exam with your physician is not a top priority. However, it is recommended everyone get a physical exam once per year, regardless of age or health. If you are on the fence about scheduling your physical exam, let us explain How to schedule annual Physical Exam?

Learn what your normal health baseline is

An imperative reason why you should schedule a visit is to understand your baseline numbers and measurements. Whether that is your heart rate, blood pressure, weight, height, lung sounds, blood and urine collections, physicians have this data collected for if and when you become ill or have an injury. During the visit, physicians will also take the time to discuss your daily habits, exercise, food and water intake, your past medical history and family medical history. The more your physician gets to know and understand you and your unique health picture, the chances of detecting anomalies that may cause concern greatly increases.

Get Up to Date on Vaccinations

While we get a baseline of health, annual physical exams also include keeping up to date with vaccinations. Most often than not, adults believe after childhood, you do not need vaccinations anymore. However, there are vaccines that you need to keep up with throughout your life.

Some of the vaccines you need to keep current throughout your life are:

Pneumonia
COVID-19
Flu
Shingles
Hepatitis A and B
HPV
Tuberculosis
Tdap

When scheduling your annual visit, remember to bring your vaccination card the day of or discuss with the scheduling coordinator in advance if there are any vaccines you need. That way, you can receive the vaccinations during your visit.

Establish Doctor- Patient Relationship

Have you ever been afraid of going to the doctors? You are not alone. Anxiety around medical professionals is a common trend but living in fear to visit a doctor is not healthy. Annual visits are a great way to overcome that hurdle. Physicians are normal people just like you and seeing them annually will facilitate creating a relationship. They are more focused during annual visits on your overall wellness and preventative care to stay healthy. It is the chance for your doctor to get to know you and connect, and likewise. In addition, take this time to talk to your physician about areas of concerns you may have and use this opportunity to create a health plan.

Health Prevention and Screenings

Reviewing numerous reports, almost half of cancer patients receive a diagnosis after their cancer has reached the matured stage. Imagine catching this before the later stages ultimately preventing cancer. Keeping up with your annual visits will increase your chances of detecting cancer or pre-cancerous cells in the earliest stages when it is most treatable. Taking into consideration your age and risk factors, your physician may recommend cancer screenings.

Cancer screenings include:

Skin cancer
Breast cancer
Gynecological cancer
Colon cancer
Prostate cancer
Lung cancer

It is imperative to discuss cancer screenings during your annual visits, especially as screenings and treatments are continuously changing and being evaluated.

Establish Annual Health Goals

Like fitness goals when ringing in the New Years, annual physical exams is an investment in your health and future where you can set your unique health goals. Whether it is to stop smoking, lose weight, reduce your cholesterol levels, or ultimately get back on track to a healthier lifestyle, discussing your concerns with your physician will have you creating a plan and holding yourself accountable until your next visit.

Our Team