For Teens

About Adolescent Medicine

Adolescent medicine encompasses the care of patients from junior high through college graduation. As physicians interested in the care of adolescents, we are happy to see new patients 18 years of age or younger, and to continue to care for established patients until they turn 23.



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You may find it surprising that pediatricians care for 20-year-olds, but pediatricians have special training in adolescent problems. Further, at many colleges (Yale, for example), pediatricians and Pediatric Nurse Practitioners care for all undergraduate and graduate students in the health service.

Suggested Schedule of Visits

With the exception of the first two years of life, more physical, intellectual, and emotional changes take place during the adolescent years than any other period. We therefore strongly recommend annual screening examinations for all young people through college graduation. Regular visits also help to establish a trusting relationship with the adolescent so that he or she feels comfortable in contacting the physician or nurse practitioner about confidential problems. By following the schedule outlined here, we are not only able to meet these ends, but also to satisfy the requirements of camps, jobs, sports teams, colleges, etc, for annual exams.

In addition to a routine interval history and examination, special attention is given to the following areas:

  • Timing and progress of puberty (physical development)
  • Sex and drug education and counseling
  • School and social development
  • Updating immunizations
  • Screening for scoliosis and hypertension
  • Lab screening for diabetes, kidney disease and anemia

Ideally, all family members should be able to freely and openly share their concerns and problems with each other. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. Although we strongly encourage our adolescent patients to share their problems and concerns with their parents, as physicians, we are legally and morally bound to honor the older adolescents’ requests for confidentiality, and we do encourage them to initiate calls directly to us about their problems. While we generally see adolescents alone (at least initially), we hope that parents will accompany them to the office, especially for routine visits. This not only gives us an opportunity to discuss our findings with the parent and adolescent together when appropriate, but also to obtain information the adolescent may be reluctant to discuss.

For additional health information, visit:

 

Essex Office One Wildwood Medical Center
35 Saybrook Road
Essex, CT 06426
Tel: 860.767.0168

Hours:
8:30 am to 5:00 pm M-F
8:30 am to noon Saturday


Ped-I-Care After Hours Care
Available in Our Essex
Office

Hours:
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm M-F
Noon to 5:00 pm Saturday
11:00 am to 4:00 pm Sunday & Holidays

Old Saybrook Office 30 Elm Street
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
Tel: 860.388.4545

Hours:
8:30 am to 5:00 pm M-F

NCQA Recognized