Not sure what to prioritize before school starts? Ryan Plamann, MD, pediatrician at Mile Bluff Medical Center, provides a practical back-to-school checklist. He explains when to schedule annual or sports physicals (many families use summer or a child's birthday), checks for vaccine gaps including MMR amid Wisconsin's recent 36 confirmed cases, and why basic hygiene and staying home for fever, vomiting, or bad coughs matter. Dr. Plamann also covers sleep and nutrition habits (aiming for sufficient sleep—roughly nine hours for teens—and protein at breakfast), helmet and e-bike safety, school medication authorization forms for inhalers and EpiPens, checking expirations and refills, and watching for stress or behavior changes. Use these steps to reduce illness, ensure medicines are ready, and help your child transition back to school.
The Doc Is In: Back-to-School Checklist
Featured Speaker:
Ryan Plamann, MD
As a pediatrician, Dr. Plamann enjoys taking care of children from birth through the teenage years. Seeing his young patients develop, grow, and learn through all stages of their young lives is very rewarding.
When providing care, Dr. Plamann treats every patient as individual. Coming down to the level of a child is key to helping them understand their care and keeping them calm in a potentially stressful environment. When children are younger, Dr. Plamann works with parents to determine the best course of treatment for their child.
As a father, Dr. Plamann thinks about how he would want his own children taken care of and gives his young patients and their families only the best in pediatric care.