Why are school and athletic physicals important?
Yearly medical physicals for school are a great opportunity to become confident in your child’s growth and development. It can be a timely opportunity, as well, to address any concerns and identify potential health issues before they become more serious.
Your child’s first physical is important in order to obtain certain information about the child’s health, but also because it provides an opportunity for the medical team to establish a warm and trusting relationship with the patient and their family. We want patients to feel comfortable sharing their questions and concerns, and so that they understand we have their whole health as our priority.– Jessica Koedam - Clinical Operations Coordinator
When is the best time to schedule physicals?
Summertime – is the right time.
Promise encourages our patients to schedule school physicals NOW, to have them all done before school starts next year! As the summer winds down and the school year gets closer there are more and more families calling in for school and athletic physicals. To ensure your children get their physical appointments done and all paper work handed in, it is best not to wait until August to call for an appointment!
Also sports physicals are required every 12 months for all children participating in sports. Students cannot play sports without an athletic physical on file, so it is important for those fall sport athletes to make sure and have the paperwork all handed in.
The biggest issue for students is getting it done on time. Unfortunately, if they are not done before the last one expires, their child has to sit out of their sport.– Sarah TeGrotenhuis - Sioux Center High School Nurse
How can Promise Community Health Center help?
Promise Community Health Center’s staff are ready to help parents make the process of getting school and sports physicals easier. Below are some of the ways Promise can help:
- Translation assistance with your appointment and filling out paperwork
- Personalized care through just a phone call, our staff can help you set up appointments for each family member
- Financial Counselors who can meet with families new to the U.S. or Iowa
Every visit at the clinic is an opportunity to build trust with patients, we want to make sure that all their questions are answered and any concerns they have are addressed. It’s a great time to look at their overall health and recommend any routine screenings or vaccines. It’s also a great time to discuss with parents what to expect in developmental milestones before the next physical is due.– Jessica Koedam - Clinical Operations Coordinator
What are the physical requirements per grade?
Click here for a visual, broken down list of Iowa’s Student Health Screening Requirements
3rd Grade
7th – 12th grade
9th Grade – 12th Grade
- Dental
To prepare for your child’s athletic physical or school physical appointment, parents can print out the forms linked below in English or Spanish, provided by Iowa High School Athletic Associations. You can also wait until you get to your scheduled physical appointment as Promise has these forms already printed and ready to be filled out.
Iowa Athletic Physical Examination
Now is a great time to schedule your family physicals to check that off your to-do list. Don’t hesitate to call Promise Community Health Center and set up appointments for your children!
Contact Promise to schedule your appointments at 712.722.1700.
