That’s right! Summer has almost ended, and school is getting ready to begin!
For some of you, this might be routine by now, and you’re an expert at all things back-to-school. For others, this might be the first year you have a child entering Kindergarten, so not only are you trying to control that overwhelming sadness upon realizing you have a child old enough to enter public (or private) school, but trying to swallow that inner panic attack that you’re old enough to have a child in school! Then there’s that last group who are the amateurs of it all! You’re experiencing your first year with a child entering a program like Mom’s Day Out; where words like “school,” “open house,” and “health requirements” are undiscovered territory!
One of my biggest concerns with my son starting Mother’s Day Out this fall was his health. As a former teacher, I learned the very hard way what it’s like to be put into a classroom with germ-infested students who loved to be hands-on. I’ll never forget those nine months where I had pink-eye the night of Open House, threw up in the classroom trashcan during lunch time, contracted the flu during Christmas break (after having the flu shot), and came down with a countless number of colds. In the end, it paid off because my immune system is now solid.
My son, on the other hand, is starting fresh! So it’s important to me to have an amazing pediatrician who will tolerate all of my hypochondriac tendencies, as well as a place where I can get in and out quickly and get answers to my small questions when they pop up after hours or on the weekends.
And then, like magic, Minute Clinic walks into my life.
Minute Clinic is a branch of the CVS/pharmacy, but it’s so much more than a pharmacy! Apparently they’ve been around since 2009, but clearly I wasn’t paying attention. The Minute Clinic is an actual walk-in clinic inside of CVS (similar to a PrimaCare or CareNow) with registered nurse practitioners and physician assistants on staff. They work side-by-side with your insurance and feature flat rates for their services for patients without health insurance.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of speaking with one of the nurse practitioners at a local Minute Clinic, who explained to me some ways her clinic would be able to assist me now that my son has to meet health requirements for school enrollment.
As you may know, Texas Dept. of State Health Services requires all students between Grades K-12 to have specific immunizations based on their age before entering school for that year. (Of course, there are exemptions to the rule.) DTaP, Polio, MMR, Hepatitis A & B, Varicella, and Meningococcal are all required by 12th grade. Mother’s Day Out programs also typically follow the recommended vaccination schedule for children under the age of 5.
If this is an area you’ve fallen behind on, Minute Clinic is there to help. Any one of their NP or PAs are able to administer all of the required vaccinations along with more common ones like seasonal Flu, tetanus and diphtheria, pneumonia, and HPV (Gardasil brand); most of which are under $200, and as low as $31.99 for the Flu.
If for some reason throughout the school year, you suspect your child (or yourself) has come down with something, all the clinics are able to diagnose, treat, and write prescriptions for common illnesses such as upper/lower respiratory infections, ear infections, pink eye, strep throat, bladder infections, and the Flu. They’re also able to administer tests to confirm influenza A & B, mononucleosis, negative quick strep, and lipid panel. Again, all these tests are affordably priced between $15-$33.
For parents with older students, Minute Clinic is also able to diagnose and treat skin conditions such as poison ivy, ringworm, and acne, and perform wellness services such as sports and camp physicals, college physicals, DOT physicals, and TB tests.
For parents with younger children, you might be interested in knowing that they’re able to provide asthma screening, physical exams, ear wax removal, EpiPen refills, and pregnancy evaluations.
So the next time your eye starts to get goopy at 6:30pm on a Wednesday night or you realize a week before football season begins that your son forgot to remind you about his sports physical, think about Minute Clinic as a quick and easy option for solving your minor health crisis!
With over 500 locations across the nation, 23 of which are located right here in Dallas/Ft Worth, you can easily find the nearest Minute Clinic location nearest you!
*I was not paid or rewarded in any way for featuring Minute Clinic in this post. I’m simply a mom who needs her health options, and in NO WAY is Minute Clinic being recommended over your pediatrician or general practitioner when it comes to serious concerns or issues. When in doubt, always call your primary care physician and ask their professional opinion on Minute Clinics.
Photos were provided by Minute Clinic for the strict use of this blog post, and should not be copied anywhere else!
