What to expect during your visit
No one plans for a concussion. And yet, concussions need timely assessment and treatment. At Children’s Minnesota, we understand that prompt care for concussion is critical. That’s why the specialists in our pediatric concussion program work closely with our emergency medicine team to schedule follow up evaluations of young patients.
For more urgent situations, we also offer emergency care for concussions 24/7 though the emergency department at both our Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses. In addition, our pediatric emergency physicians staff the Two Twelve Medical Center and WestHealth emergency rooms.
Two ways to meet
The way we first meet depends on your child’s situation. In some cases, your child may be referred to the Concussion Clinic through our emergency department or your child’s doctor. Or you may have come to us directly after your child’s head injury. Either way, you can expect top-notch care from our team of dedicated concussion specialists.
Preparing for a clinic visit
If your child’s care journey starts at Children’s concussion program, knowing what to expect helps make the first visit less stressful. Before the visit, talk about it with your child.
At your child’s first clinic visit, you’ll meet with one of our nurse practitioners. During this visit, they will review your child’s medical history and conduct a neurological exam. Your child may also have a ImPACT™ computerized test. This test measures any problems with thinking, memory, attention span and reaction time. If you have any baseline ImPACT™ testing results, please bring them too.
After we’ve completed any testing, we’ll meet with you to talk through the diagnosis and our treatment recommendations. Depending on your child’s specific symptoms, treatment may include activity recommendations, rehabilitation referrals and medication. We may refer your child to other specialists, such as a neurologist or neuropsychologist, psychologists or neuropsychologist, if needed.
Arriving for your appointment
Please arrive about 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment so we can complete the registration and insurance process. That way, we can more quickly concentrate on what’s most important —taking great care of your child. Remember to bring your ID and insurance card.
- Late Arrivals: If you arrive more than 15 minutes late for your appointment start time, you may need to wait, see a different clinician, or we may need to reschedule your appointment for another day.
- No Shows: If you need to cancel, please notify us at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment.
For more information, please read our full appointment policy.
You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers.
We suspect you may have lots of questions about your child’s concussion. During the first visit, ask away. We’ll answer all your questions and give you some education about concussions and their treatment. You’ll also receive written instructions about your child’s treatment plan, including any specific accommodations for school, work or play.
Continuing the care journey
Concussions take time to heal and your child will get better. We’ll follow up with your child every few weeks to ensure he or she is recovering as expected. We may also run follow-up tests to check your child’s cognitive function over time. Once your child’s healing is complete, we’ll provide a written medical clearance for your child to return to any sport or activity.