well-child exams
Well-child exams are recommended on a regular basis in order to help children and teens grow into healthy adults. Before the start of the school year is a great time to make sure your child is current on his or her well-child exam.
What is a well-child exam?
Well-child exams are regular checkups designed to assess your child’s growth and development. During a well-child exam one of our skilled providers will discuss stages of development, assess vision and hearing, review questions and concerns, discuss nutrition and safety in the home and school, and discuss recommended immunizations.
How often should my child receive a well-child exam?
Well-child exams should begin when a child is a few days old and continue until he or she is 18. Your child's healthcare provider can tell you when your child is due for an exam.
Can a well-child exam also serve as a sports physical?
A well-child exam covers everything that is needed for a sports physical. To ensure your child is cleared for school sports, simply bring school-required forms to your appointment and we will help you complete them.
What can I expect at my child's exam?
When you bring your child in for a well-child exam, your child's healthcare provider will:
- Measure your child's height and weight
- Check vision and hearing, depending on their age
- Ask questions about the environment in which your child is living
- Give immunizations that protect your child from certain diseases
- Answer questions you may have about your child's well-being
- Gauge your child's development and encourage early reading through the Reach Out and Read Program.
To schedule a well-child exam, please call 715-463-5353.
Reach Out and Read Program
In addition to assessing your child's health, developing critical early reading skills is one of our goals during well-child exams at Burnett Medical Center.
All primary care providers at Burnett Medical Center are trained in Reach Out and Read - a national program that promotes early literacy and school readiness by making books and reading aloud a standard part of pediatric primary care. The Reach Out and Read Program begins at the 6-month well-child exam and continues at each visit through age five. At the appointment, the provider allows the child to select a book and uses the book as a tool to gauge the child's developmental level. This book is then given to the child to keep and read at home with his or her family. The child receives one new book at each well-child exam.
Reach Out and Read families read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed, with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills. According to Reach Out and Read, children served by the program score three to six months ahead of their non-Reach Out and Read peers on vocabulary tests.