It’s that time of year. August is notorious for back to school shopping and supplies. But, don’t forget your child’s back to school physical and immunizations!

If your child missed their annual physical last year, then this one is going to be the most important physical yet. Why? Because physicals are a great way to determine if they’re healthy, up to date on immunizations, and cleared to participate in school sports.

AFC Urgent Care Malden is your go to local urgent care for physicals, and immunizations. Bring your child’s health forms and we’ll do the rest.

If your child skipped their physical last year, it’s time to catch up!

Going back to school in-person means the risk for spreading germs increases. Although schools are sticking to COVID-19 safety precautions, it doesn’t mean your child won’t get sick. At all!

Think about it. In the 2019 to 2020 school year, we had cases of colds, flu, and other respiratory illnesses. Don't treat this school year any differently. We want to make sure that your child is physically ready and as safe as possible going into the new school year.

Playing catch up also means updating their medical records. Now is the time for your little ones to build up a medical file so that in case they do need to be seen for a medical emergency in the future ( we hope not),  a doctor will know what to do next in terms of treatment.

Your child may need to renew immunizations before going back to school

Everyone has a vaccine schedule. Specifically, children in elementary and teens in middle school and highschool should follow their recommended immunization schedule.

The CDC lists the most common vaccinations a child has to get from ages 0-18. Here are the most frequently required immunizations from schools around the country:

• Meningitis
• Hepatitis B
• Influenza
• Tetanus
• Diphtheria
• Pertussis

What about college students?

Colleges for the most part,  follow similar requirements to the list above. Vaccination requirements might slightly differ from college to college for incoming college Freshman who will be living in the dorms. If you don’t know what’s required for your child’s particular school we suggest that you look on the college’s website for Health Services where the requirements will usually be listed. If not, contact them directly.

COVID-19 vaccines may be required for students depending on your school

At this time, The CDC recommends ages 12 and up to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Although as of the end of July,  the United States is roughly around 57% vaccinated with at least one of the doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, there are still plenty of people who are not vaccinated.

At this time, only select colleges and universities around the U.S are mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for college students when returning in the fall,  although with the Delta variant on the rise, we suspect that these numbers will increase as we get closer to the fall.

This state by state list is here.

My child already got a sports physical this summer. Can they skip their annual physical?

Sports physical and an annual physical serve two entirely different purposes. A sports physical only covers the athlete's capability to participate in sports. This means gauging their physical fitness: their heart rate, weight, height, flexibility, posture, lungs, blood pressure, etc.

A  full physical on the other hand, is more comprehensive,  covering everything from head to toe. You can have both a sports physical and physical done in SAME visit however!. A full physical will cover sports, and everything else unrelated to sports, like lab work, testing, vaccinations and overall well-being.

Make the most out of your child’s doctor visit by requesting both to be done

Checking off my child’s back to school physical at AFC Urgent Care Malden

Get a physical without the wait. If you’re looking for a quick, convenient and reliable place to get your child a back to school physical, they can come to our AFC Urgent Care center in New Bedford, MA any day of the week.

Our AFC Malden center is located on 219 Centre Street (Route 60 East) Malden, MA 02148. We are open 7 days a week with extended hours on the weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm and we have weekend hours from 8 am to 5 pm. There is no appointment needed when visiting our center.

Just remember to bring your school forms and any sports forms and we'll take care of the rest!