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    Hurry! Do you have your child’s medical records to start school?

    First day at schoolWhile we are all trying to soak up the last bit of summer, the school year is quickly approaching.

    If you are registering for school, childcare, or sports teams you will have to provide your child’s vaccination records. This time of year families are gathering school supplies, sports and band equipment to get ready for school, but many forget about their child’s immunization records. Thinking ahead will save you time and money!

    Keeping up-to-date immunization records for your children is important. They might not be able to start school without them. You don’t want to get to the first day of school and have to call the doctor’s office (with all the other parents who forgot) or worse yet – not know where the immunization records are. Many families move often or change doctors because of job or insurance changes. Make sure you know where your child’s records are.

    Every state differs on what exactly is required, but generally, you will need:

    1. Hep B
    2. RV and RV1
    3. Diptheria
    4. Tetanus
    5. Haemophilus influenzae
    6. Pneumococcal conjugate 6
    7. Measles
    8. Hep A
    9. Possibly others depending on the age of your child

    Before your child starts school, do this:

    1. Check with your children’s school about which vaccines are required
    2. Call you child’s doctor to get his or her vaccine record, or
    3. Have the doctor complete an immunization card for each vaccine your child receives. This way you can simply use a copy of the card whenever you need to prove that your child has been vaccinated.

    How are you gathering your child’s immunization records?  I’d love to hear from you? CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ME

    If you’d like to learn more about your family’s healthcare, subscribe to MyHealthSpin.com and receive a FREE copy of my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

    With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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    What Types of Doctors Are There in the Hospital?

    Kid on mothers hands.When my baby daughter was about to have major emergency surgery, I frantically asked one of the doctors a lot of questions and received only some of the answers I needed. Later I learned that this doctor was NOT my daughter’s actual surgeon. He was a surgery resident who, incidentally, was later fired by the hospital for an unrelated issue.  Had I known whom to talk to, my nerves would have been better calmed by getting answers directly from my daughter’s surgeon.

    Now that I have worked in the healthcare industry for more than 30 years, I realize that there are many different people in the hospital called “Doctor.” Knowing who’s who can help you get the answers you need.

    Let’s talk about the kinds of doctors you may encounter while in the hospital. 

    Residents
    A resident has graduated from medical school and is starting his or her training in the hospital. They may be brand new–fresh out of school–or they may be a second, third or fourth year resident. Generally, the resident gathers information for the doctor who is actually in charge of your care.

    Fellows
    A fellow is someone who has graduated from their residency and has a “fellowship” to specialize in something specific, like “nephrology” or “cardiology.” This doctor may be able to answer some of your questions, particularly in his or her area of specialty.

    Attending Physicians
    Often this is the doctor who is in charge of your case. He or she has finished their residency and fellowship training. This doctor may also be the “admitting” doctor. This doctor should be able to answer most of your questions. He or she will also be the doctor to approve your discharge from the hospital.

    Why is it important to know which doctor you are talking to?  

    Because many of the doctors that visit you have limitations on the questions they can answer.

    Junior doctors will be able to provide some limited information. The attending physician will ultimately decide what to do about your care.

    When you are trying to determine what is going on with your care in a big hospital, it can seem overwhelming.  

    If your attending doctor or specialist is either rounding very early in the morning or very late at night so you are not able to speak with them, tell the nurse you have some questions and ask when the doctor would be available to answer them.

    If you don’t get the answers you need, ask to talk to a supervisor who can help. Every hospital has a patient advocate or a patient relations office. They should be able to help you get your questions answered.

    To learn more about your stay in a hospital, subscribe to MyHealthSpin.com and receive a FREE copy of my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay.  CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

    With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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    How to Avoid Summer Injuries

    lawnmowerDid you know that emergency room visits jump 20 percent every summer? Almost half of the unintentional deaths from children under the age of 14 occur during the 3 months of summer. As a single mom that worked full-time, I was always worried about keeping my girls safe while they had time off in the summer months.  

    Here are some of the common summer injuries and how you can prevent them:

    1. Children often fall out of windows during the summer months. Screens are meant to pop out for fire safety and are not meant to keep children inside. Always supervise your children around windows and keep windows closed upstairs.
    2. People often get burned in the summer months from fire pits that burn very hot. Make sure everyone treats the fire pit like any camp fire. Remember the fire pit remains hot long after the fire is out.
    3. Lawn mowers often cause a variety of injuries in the summer. Make sure to wear tight-fitting shoes and do not operate the lawn mower after dusk when it is difficult to see.
    4. Swimming often causes a variety of summer injuries especially when the water is cold and moving swiftly. Every swimmer should know their limits. It is best for children to swim only where there is a lifeguard on duty.
    5. Boaters should exercise boat safety. Wear life jackets and observe all the proper boating rules.
    6. When driving, make sure everyone wears their seat belt and children are in the appropriate car seats.  
    7. Young drivers are especially at risk in the summer. Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for U.S. teens. Make sure that young drivers practice a lot with an adult. Also, all young drivers should avoid having passengers which may distract them.

    What are you doing to prevent summer injuries for you and your family? I’d love to hear from you!

    With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your HealthCare Your Way!

    Learn more about what to do when things don’t go as planned with my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. You can get it FREE right now by subscribing to our blog.