Primary Care and Annual Physicals

What a primary care relationship actually gives you

Urgent care solves today. Primary care solves the pattern.

When one practice holds your history, your medication list, and three years of your lab trends, the small things get noticed earlier. A blood pressure that has crept up ten points over four visits. A thyroid number drifting toward the edge of normal. Fatigue that turns out to be a correctable deficiency rather than something you have to live with. None of that shows up in a single visit to a walk in clinic, because a single visit has nothing to compare itself to.

Both providers at Seaside Family Wellness are board certified family nurse practitioners, which means the same person can care for you, your spouse, and your kids. That matters more than it sounds. Family history stops being something you try to remember at the front desk and starts being something your provider already knows.

What is included in an annual physical

Every physical is built around you, but most include:

• History review. Current medications and supplements, past surgeries, family history, allergies, immunization status, and what has changed since your last visit.
• Vital signs. Blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, oxygen saturation, height, weight, and body mass index.
• Physical exam. Heart and lung sounds, abdomen, skin, lymph nodes, thyroid, neurologic screen, and any area you have raised a concern about.
• Screening labs. Ordered based on your age, sex, personal history, and risk factors rather than a fixed panel.
• Lifestyle and mental health check in. Sleep, stress, alcohol and tobacco use, activity, nutrition, and mood.
• Prevention planning. Which screenings are due, which vaccines are due, and which specialist referrals make sense.

What screening labs commonly look at

Lab selection is individual, so this is what your provider will discuss with you rather than a guarantee of what will be ordered. Commonly considered screening categories include:

Metabolic and diabetes risk. A1C or fasting glucose helps identify prediabetes years before symptoms appear. Prediabetes is common and often silent, and it is one of the few findings where early detection genuinely changes what happens next.

Lipids. Total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides. Cholesterol produces no symptoms at all, which is exactly why it gets screened rather than waited for.

Thyroid function. TSH, sometimes with free T4. Thyroid dysfunction is common, easy to miss, and easy to confuse with stress, aging, or depression.

Complete blood count and metabolic panel. Broad look at red and white cells, kidney function, liver enzymes, and electrolytes.

Vitamin D and B12. Considered when symptoms or history point that direction.

Age and sex specific screening. Discussed individually, including prostate screening conversations for men and cervical and breast screening for women.

Your provider will explain which of these apply to you and why. If a result is abnormal, you get a call and a plan, not a portal number with no context.

Physical, wellness exam, or sick visit: which one do you need

Annual physical or wellness exam. Scheduled ahead. Preventive. You are not there because something is wrong. Best booked when you are feeling well.

Sick visit. Something is wrong right now. Sore throat, fever, UTI symptoms, rash, a minor injury. See Sick Visits.

Chronic disease follow up. You already have a diagnosis and you are there to check control, adjust management, and review labs. See Chronic Disease Management.

School or sports physical. A specific form has to be completed for a specific purpose. See Sports and School Physicals.

If you are not sure which one you need, call (772) 678-0011 and describe what is going on. The front desk will book the right visit type.

How to prepare for your physical

• Bring every medication. The actual bottles, including supplements, vitamins, and anything over the counter. Names and doses matter.
• Ask about fasting. If fasting labs are planned, you may be asked not to eat for a set period beforehand. Confirm when you book so you are not turned around.
• Know your family history. Parents and siblings, and what they were diagnosed with and at what age.
• Write your questions down. Three questions written down beat ten you remember in the parking lot.
• Bring your records. Prior labs, imaging reports, specialist notes, and immunization records if you have them.
• Wear something easy to examine in. Loose sleeves make blood pressure and blood draws easier.

How often should you have a physical

There is no single right answer, and recommendations vary by age and health status. A yearly visit is common and works well for most adults, especially anyone managing a chronic condition, taking regular medication, or over 40. Healthy adults in their twenties and thirties with no ongoing conditions may reasonably go longer between visits. Children and adolescents follow a different schedule tied to growth, development, and school requirements.

Your provider will tell you when to come back based on what she finds, not on a calendar rule.

What happens after your visit

You get results. Not silence.

Labs are reviewed by your provider and communicated to you with an explanation of what the numbers mean and what, if anything, changes because of them. If a referral is needed, it is placed. If a medication is started or adjusted, you understand why and what to watch for. If something needs to be rechecked in three months, that recheck is scheduled before you leave.

Payment

Seaside Family Wellness participates with some insurance plans, but not all. Participating plans change frequently, so call (772) 678-0011 before your visit to confirm whether we currently participate with your specific plan. Self-pay options are available, and labs and diagnostics can sometimes be billed through your insurance when medically appropriate.

Schedule your physical

Seaside Family Wellness 1657 SE Port St Lucie Blvd, Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 Phone: (772) 678-0011 Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

New to the practice? Start with New Patients so your first visit runs smoothly.

Common questions

This page is general health education. It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified provider who knows your history. Always talk with your provider about your own health questions. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

Reviewed by Amy Weber, APRN and Stephanie Hoppy, APRN, September 2026.