Getting older means having a voice in your health care, knowing your rights, providing consent, asking questions, and being informed about your health.
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- Practice the
3-Sentence Summary with your parents and family (from the
Sick Kids website):
- Sentence 1: My age, diagnosis and brief medical history
- Sentence 2: My treatment plan
- Sentence 3: My question/concern to talk about during this visit
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Allie talks about her journey and finding her voice.
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Matt gives tips on how to talk to health care providers and how to get them to talk to you.
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Jenna shares her experiences being her own best advocate.
- Ask your clinic nurse and family for suggestions for a family practitioner.
- See a list of family practitioners in BC at
bc211.ca.
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Search online for the type of doctor you would like (eg. gender, youth-friendly, clinic location, office hours).
- Search online for a nurse practitioner through the
College of Registered Nurses of BC.
- Make an appointment as a new patient, and see if they will be a good fit for you.
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Tips for helping your Family Practitioner help you!
- Check out how youth rate youth-friendly care providers in this
video!
- Ask your health care providers about future health concerns.
- Find a mentor or a buddy who lives with the same condition(s) as you do!
- Journal or make art about your feelings about future health concerns or conditions.
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iheartchange.org is a transition site for youth with a heart condition – learn all about making the move to adult care.
- Learn about a
Representation Agreement to authorize assistance for health and personal care.
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Watch this
video where Mike shares his story transitioning from BCCH to adult health care.
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Help to decrease your anxiety about changing clinics — watch this
video where Ashlie shares her advice.
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Watch Shane's artistic example of the "Doctor Switch" then talk about it with your family.
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Just TRAC it!
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Contacts app: add your team of Adult Specialist(s) and health care providers.
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Calendar app: set reminders or alarms for your appointments — it's very important that you don't miss an appointment.
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Ask your current health care providers for referrals to find the best adult team possible.
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Check directions to your new clinic(s) online — you can call for directions, or use
Google Maps or
TransLink!
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Find a Specialist by gender, location, specialty, and language through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC.
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Find a physiotherapist through the Physiotherapy Association of BC.
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Try the
BC Health Services Locator app to locate services throughout the province.
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Learn about
Medical Specialists in BC — who does what?
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Find out
tips on how to change from a pediatrician to a family practitioner.
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