Regular Doctor Visit (Ages 11 – 17)

Regular doctor visits are an important part of ensuring children and teens are healthy and developing normally. This is why it’s important to find a family doctor.

A regular doctor visit, sometimes called a check-up, physical or wellness visit, focuses on prevention and catching potential health concerns early. This is different from an appointment for an illness or injury. If you are ever concerned about a health issue, don’t wait for the next scheduled visit — call your doctor.

How often should children and teens have a regular doctor visit?

Most healthy children should have a doctor’s visit every year or two. Most healthy teens should have a doctor’s visit every year to discuss their changing bodies and emotions. . It is important to talk to your doctor to set an appropriate schedule. Some doctors may offer a more complete physician exam every other year, but want to connect for a shorter check up in between. Generally, these visits last 10 to 20 minutes. If you think you will need more time to discuss additional concerns, let your doctor’s staff know when you schedule the appointment.

Your child may start noticing some changes to their body and you may notice some changes to their mood, temperament and interests. Puberty does not happen at the same time for everybody but generally girls start between 8 to 13 and boys between 9 to 14. They will have lots of questions about their changing body so make sure to review these resources about typical pubertal development and ask your doctor any additional questions you may have.

This can be a stressful time for your child. Make sure to discuss any behavioral changes with your doctor such as changing mood, interests, sleeping patterns, eating patterns or exhibiting a lot of worry or anxiety. Your teenager will want to start taking ownership of their life and make more decisions, this is normal. But it’s important to discuss positive habits like avoiding smoking, alcohol or drugs, developing positive relationships, having safe sex, getting lots of sleep, eating nutritious and healthy food, getting at least 60 minutes physical activity and exercise per day and limiting recreational screen time to no more than 2 hours per day. Most teens start to delve into social media at this age, it is important to discuss with them the potential harms of social media and how to use it correctly and critically. Make sure to talk to your doctor if you have any questions.

What happens at a regular doctor visit?

At these visits, your doctor will do a physical exam, check weight and height, and ask about any changes or concerns since the last visit. Vaccines are generally offered in school for school-age children, but you can always ask your doctor questions about vaccines and alternative ways of getting them.

As children get older, your doctor may ask to speak to them privately. Doctors want to ensure older children and teens are comfortable discussing things like puberty, drugs, mental health, safe sex, or other concerns they may have.

Learn more

• Caring for Kids is a resource for parents and guardians from the Canadian Paediatric Society. 

• AboutKidsHealth is a resource from the Hospital for Sick Kids in Ontario.

Please note: The advice in this article draws on evidence from the research literature, as well as recommendations from the Canadian Paediatric Society and Choosing Wisely.