Routine exams help to keep your child is healthy and safe during the school day as well as outside during school sports. If parents don’t complete either exam, your child can’t enroll in school or participate in a sport they are passionate about.

Most schools, both private and public require students to have an annual physical in order to enroll in the school year and play sports, respectively. Without these exams on file, your child’s school is unable to enroll them.

But what parents may not understand is that school and sport physicals are critical to ensuring  a safe environment for your kid year-round. But what should parents know about school and sport physicals? What do they exactly help with and where can they get them completed?

Sport physicals help your child’s coaches to create a safe sporting enviornment

A sport physical is used by athletic trainers and coaches to avoid any injury risks based on your child’s current overall health. Coaches and athletic staff consult the information from you  child’s physical to create a healthier athletic internment for your child.

Sports physicals can also flag for any injury-prone medical situations your child may have, which can help athletic trainers keep your child safe and ready to participate with reduced injury risks.

Back-to-School physicals help both your child and the school as a whole remain safe.

A back-to-school helps teachers and nurses keep up-to-date on your child’s medical information and maintain a healthy learning space for your child.

For example, if your child has an allergy the school can use the information from the physical to create safer dietary options (if they buy lunch) and help reduce your child’s contact with allergens. Additionally, the physical can help a teacher to determine if they need to administer medication, address an allergy, or handle another potential medical situation.

School physicals also help to prevent the spread of infectious diseases by requiring advised vaccine updates, monitoring vaccine information, and making sure that the rest of the school is properly vaccinated.

School and sports physicals can be completed on the same-day at urgent care

The good news for parents is that you don’t have to wait for a doctor’s appointment to get a school or sport physical. By visiting an urgent care center, parents can get their child a completed physical on the same day as their visit. This is because most urgent care centers provide walk-in clinic access that help patients get checked-in for care ASAP.

Make sure to keep your child up-to-date on their physicals to ensure a happy, healthy, and safe school year!