As your child approaches adolescent and teen years, we will work with your teenager to assume more responsibility for his or her own healthcare. While a parent or guardian is required to accompany all patients age 18 and younger to appointments, your child will be encouraged to meet with the clinician without a parent present for the majority of the visit starting with his or her 13 year check-up. Parents will be asked to fill out a comprehensive questionnaire about their teenager and will have an opportunity to discuss major concerns with the provider; however, the majority of the visit will be conducted without the parent present. Based on a specific child’s needs, on occasion, there may be exceptions to this plan. Additionally, teenagers will always have the option of requesting a nurse or medical assistant to be in the room.
It is important to empower your child with the confidence and experience they will need once they become an adult and are responsible for managing their own healthcare. You can help them by empowering your adolescent or teen child to know and to understand their own pertinent medical and family history. We encourage you to inform and educate them about their chronic medical conditions, any medications (including vitamins and supplements) they are taking, and any allergies they may have. Being able to manage one’s own health care as an adolescent is an important step in the process of eventually transferring to adult-centered care.
All patients will be encouraged to transition to an adult primary health care provider between the ages of 18-21. We are happy to provide you with referrals to other primary care providers in the University of Michigan family for your convenience.