Why make their own doc appts?

[Anonymous]

It's also good practice because at some point they're going to want to make an appointment to discuss something they don't want you to know about. Hard truth.

[Anonymous]

When my son went to college, he'd never made a medical appointment in his life.

He got sick the third week and he figured out how to make an appointment with the college health center, and then when he needed a sports physical, he figured out how to make an appointment with CVS for that, as well as Uber his way to/from. So much of appointment making is online now, it's not that big of a deal.

[Anonymous]

Weird. My mom made mine through high school. It’s not like I never could figure out how to do it after that. My first job had health insurance. Easily found my own new doctors, dentist, etc

Do your children have special needs? College kids know how to find the school health center, etc.

The problem might be you have helicoptered so much the kids aren’t self-sufficient.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's also good practice because at some point they're going to want to make an appointment to discuss something they don't want you to know about. Hard truth.

Um. Yeah. And finding planned parenthood to get birth control was simple. I didn’t need to frickin practice making appointments.

Sounds like kids that have never worked or done chores or handled problems with teachers or a coach by themselves.

Back up the snowplow.

[Anonymous]

Oh, i didn't know kids under 18 can go to the doctor's office without parents. I would totally teach my kid to at least make an appointment.
Some doctor's office can book appointments online and that is a very current skill/task that teens can do cause they don't have to talk on the phone like normal people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, i didn't know kids under 18 can go to the doctor's office without parents. I would totally teach my kid to at least make an appointment.
Some doctor's office can book appointments online and that is a very current skill/task that teens can do cause they don't have to talk on the phone like normal people.

None of our docs allow it.

[Anonymous]

So, when your kid has a headache, sunburn, cut, congestion, etc., you never explained the OTC medication/remedies you had them take? You just had them do it without discussing why you selected what you did and never asked them if it was working? You must be in the small minority because this is how most people/kids learn to take an analgesic when they have pain, avoid medication that doesn't agree with them, that steam helps congestion, etc.

I had my kid make their own appointments when they got their driver's licenses. Some kids figure things out easily and on their own. Other kids, like some of mine, found it challenging to do at first. Why wouldn't I want to be sure they were comfortable doing it before they left home? Why wouldn't I want to provide structured support so they can build competency/confidence that they can then generalize to other situations? Why should I continue to do their administrative work when I've got plenty of my own? Finally, having worked in a doctor's office for year, I assure you that messages that many people leave are inadequate. I want to make sure my kids know how to leave a message that is easy for the recipient to understand and that they don't have to listen to multiple times to get all the information/contact info. It's a lifeskill like any other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, i didn't know kids under 18 can go to the doctor's office without parents. I would totally teach my kid to at least make an appointment.
Some doctor's office can book appointments online and that is a very current skill/task that teens can do cause they don't have to talk on the phone like normal people.

None of our docs allow it.

They do and legally they must

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They went to college at 16? I'm talking about teens in high school. Obviously, nobody is flying to another state to drive their kid to the campus health center.

But if you don’t teach them at 16, how do they know how to do it at 18? Also please dont assume parents aren’t flying to California for a college kid’s cold. They absolutely are in egregious cases.

They use their brains and figure it out. It’s not rocket science. I have 2 kids in college and know NO one who flies out for medical appointments. My kid was in the ER across the country (breathing issue) and she managed on her own. By the time I would have gotten there she was out and back in the dorm.

If you raise your kids right they will figure it out on their own. I promise. My kids were fairly independent at a fairly young age even in HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's also good practice because at some point they're going to want to make an appointment to discuss something they don't want you to know about. Hard truth.

Um. Yeah. And finding planned parenthood to get birth control was simple. I didn’t need to frickin practice making appointments.

Sounds like kids that have never worked or done chores or handled problems with teachers or a coach by themselves.

Back up the snowplow.

But why wouldn't you?. Yes they can figure things out but why wouldn't you allow them to do certain things for themselves?

[Anonymous]

This reminds me of the threads about kids needing to do their own laundry for years to prepare for doing it in college. It's not really that hard!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, i didn't know kids under 18 can go to the doctor's office without parents. I would totally teach my kid to at least make an appointment.
Some doctor's office can book appointments online and that is a very current skill/task that teens can do cause they don't have to talk on the phone like normal people.

None of our docs allow it.

Really? That seems odd. I always offer to leave the apt room and the docs are okay with it,because they know that there are some things kids may want to discuss without parents present (not our case, but what about sexual abuse? or more pedestrianly, when dad takes a 15 year old who wants to talk about her period, or doesn't want mom to see t he doc look at her breasts or public hair?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, a 16 y.o. should be capable of scheduling their own appointments.

“You’re growing up, and taking care of your health is important. Did you know that anyone age 12 and older can make their own doctor appointments, including phone and video visits, and get confidential care for certain health concerns?”

https://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/article/teens-guide-to-getting-care-at-kaiser-permanente-1896760

They are talking about STDs and abortions for kids with psycho parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's also good practice because at some point they're going to want to make an appointment to discuss something they don't want you to know about. Hard truth.

Um. Yeah. And finding planned parenthood to get birth control was simple. I didn’t need to frickin practice making appointments.

Sounds like kids that have never worked or done chores or handled problems with teachers or a coach by themselves.

Back up the snowplow.

You think the parents that expect their kids to take a scrap of responsibility for their own healthcare are "snowplow" parents, and the parents that do everything for their kids until the day they leave for college are . . . what??

Basically: that's not what that means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, i didn't know kids under 18 can go to the doctor's office without parents. I would totally teach my kid to at least make an appointment.
Some doctor's office can book appointments online and that is a very current skill/task that teens can do cause they don't have to talk on the phone like normal people.

None of our docs allow it.

Really? That seems odd. I always offer to leave the apt room and the docs are okay with it,because they know that there are some things kids may want to discuss without parents present (not our case, but what about sexual abuse? or more pedestrianly, when dad takes a 15 year old who wants to talk about her period, or doesn't want mom to see t he doc look at her breasts or public hair?)

The kid alone with the doc seems a lot worse of a risk in that case. There's the text book scenario for provider sexual assault. The doctor tells the kid that all sorts of groping and probing are standard care, and the kid doesn't know better.
With the parents in the room, even looking away, that cuts out most of the opportunity for grooming.