I’d been putting off my daughter’s four year checkup for two weeks, but because I need to register her for preschool, I could not put it off any longer. What was it going to be like? What protocols do they have in place? What can we expect out of the visit? The idea of being in a doctor’s office during the current health crisis is less than desirable for many, but I couldn’t avoid it any longer. I called to schedule, half expecting them to tell me to wait. They surprised me however, and were more than eager to schedule asap. I booked an appointment for the following Monday when my husband could sit at home with our son.
I had heard many offices were having patients wait in the car instead of the waiting room right now. I had heard some were requiring masks. Luckily, I have talented friends who had already given us masks and I really couldn’t be more grateful. Knowing that some things would different from the normal visit, I called the morning of the appointment to confirm and ask what we needed to do once we arrived. With 100 other things I had to do that day before the appointment I didn’t want any surprises. Upon calling I was glad to hear it was as suspected: we would wait in the car to be called in.
We arrived 10 minutes early and I called to let the office know we were there. We then waited to be called when it was time to come in. At 4:20pm, right on schedule, they called me back. Since I had already filled out the health questionnaire and history over the phone, there was no paperwork to be filled out in the office. Of course, they asked if we had been sick. Then, they told us to come into the office where we would be given masks. I asked if we could use our own and they were more than happy to let us. I was grateful for this because my daughter was very excited to wear her unicorn kitty mask that was made especially for her.
As we walked into the building, the absence of people was shocking even though I knew no one would be there. The nurse was holding the door to the patient rooms open, waiting for us. They were ready for us right away. There was no waiting and they quickly took her weight and height and directed us to a room. From there it almost seemed normal, minus the fact that everyone was wearing masks at all times. Once vitals were done the doctor came in and checked my daughter out quickly and thoroughly. Then she I went over the typical four year checkup information. After that, my daughter got shots and we were done. There was no checkout process — we simply walked ourselves out.
All in all, it was the quickest and easiest visit to the pediatrician’s office we have ever had. I commend all the healthcare workers for the wonderful jobs they are doing. After all, we all need to stay healthy now more than ever and that includes routine checkups.
