Different Types of Doctors
Now you're ready to look for your primary care physician. There are lots of different types of doctors to choose from. Focus on the top items on your list and ask friends or family members who they use. Or ask your current doctor for a recommendation.
The last step is to check which doctors in your area accept your health insurance (or your parents' insurance if you're still covered by theirs). Most insurance companies offer a "find a doc" feature on their website. Or call the doctor's office and ask if they accept your insurance.
Making the First Appointment
It's time to contact your chosen doctor — or ask your parents to do so. Call and make an appointment for a regular checkup. (If you're not feeling well, it's best to see your current doctor if you can.)
Adult physicians get booked up quickly so you might not get a regular checkup appointment for several weeks or even months. That's OK — you'll need to request your medical records from your current physician and that can take a couple of weeks. If you see several different kinds of doctors, ask them to write a brief summary of your medical care instead of just requesting your whole record.
Sometimes doctors aren't taking new patients. So it helps to have a list of doctors you're interested in seeing in case your first choice doesn't work out.
The First Visit
At your first visit, you'll want to be prepared with questions. It can help to bring a list with you, since it's easy for anyone to become forgetful when they're in the room with the doctor.
If you're embarrassed to ask certain questions, give your written list to the doctor. This is a good time to get used to talking about personal stuff, though: The doctor has probably seen or heard whatever you're worried about many times, and just wants to help. The human body — even the most embarrassing stuff — is all medicine to a doctor.
Asking questions is about more than getting answers. The way your doctor or nurse responds helps you find out whether he or she explains things in a way that's helpful.
Another good test of how easy it will be to communicate with your doctor and nurse is to ask them to repeat something — like instructions on taking a prescription or a diet you need to follow. You need to be sure your medical team is patient and wants you to understand rather than rushing you. Or ask the doctor if you can record instructions so you can play them back later to be sure you got everything.
Bring your health records from past doctors' offices to your first visit. (Or have your former docs send them ahead of time.) The doctor needs to know how you've been growing, what vaccines you've had, and about any illnesses, medications, and allergies.
Talking of health records, this is a great time to start managing any medical conditions you have, including keeping track of when prescriptions need to be refilled.