Annual Exam Specialist

What are annual exams?

Annual exams are a very important step in keeping your child happy and healthy. Unlike sick visits, annual exams do not necessarily address current symptoms or illnesses. In fact, you can bring your child to an annual exam when they are perfectly healthy.

During your child’s annual exams, the team at Nevada Pediatric Specialists reviews your child’s personal and family medical history. They also perform a comprehensive physical exam to evaluate their health and development. 

During your child’s annual exam, the team can identify and treat complications with your child’s health. They also make sure your child is growing and developing physically, mentally, and emotionally. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s health and well-being, annual exams are the perfect opportunity to address them with your child’s pediatrician. 

What happens at an annual exam?

Once you start bringing your child in for annual exams, you know what to expect at each subsequent visit. The team may give you a brief questionnaire to fill out about your child’s developmental milestones and certain lifestyle factors. 

A team member measures your child’s height and weight at the beginning of the appointment. They also check your child’s blood pressure and heart rate before their practitioner arrives to perform the exam. Each annual exam includes:

• A visual physical exam of your child’s outward appearance
• Vision screening
• Hearing test
• Developmental screening
• Health education

If your child shows signs of a mental health complication like depression, anxiety, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the team might recommend a mental health review as part of their annual exam.

The team will also remind you of upcoming immunizations that your child needs. They follow vaccination schedule guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control. 

When should my child have their first annual exam?

Up until age three, you should bring your child in for more frequent exams than once a year. Their first exam should happen several days after you bring them home from the hospital as a newborn, and you should attend additional exams at two weeks, one month, two months, four months, six months, nine months, and one year. 

Between the ages of 1-5, exams become less frequent for your child. You should book visits at 15 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months, and three years. After that, annual exams are enough to check in on your child’s growth and development. The team at Nevada Pediatric Specialists sees children for annual exams up until the day before they turn 19 years old. 

Book your child’s next annual exam by calling either Nevada Pediatric Specialists location or using the online scheduling tool today.