Transition to Adult Care
Steps to help you manage your health and health care
At visits twice a year starting at age 15, you will be asked to fill out the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ). Once you have completed the questionnaire and reviewed it with our Transition Team, you will be asked to select 2-3 goals to work on to improve your ability to independently manage your health and health care in one or more of the following areas:
-
- Managing Medications
- Tracking Health Issues
- Appointment Keeping
- Talking with Providers
At your next visit, we will check in to see how these goals went. Were you able to
complete the goals you set? Did you run into any challenges? What did you learn?
If you completed any of your goals, we will work with you to set new ones and continue
to learn all the skills you need to independently and successfully manage you own
health and health care.
The following are the Goal Activities or Statements for each of the 4 sections of
the TRAQ:
-
Managing Medications
-
Bring your medications to the next visit.
-
How to fill a prescription at the pharmacy on your own (with parent support if needed).
-
Fill a prescription on your own by calling your pharmacy.
Often times, an automated system will ask you to punch your RX number into your phone, and you will be given a time to pick it up. If you cannot drive yet, ask your guardian to drive you to pick it up. -
What to do if you are having a bad reaction to your medications.
-
Download the MyMedSchedule plus app on your smart phone.
Set it to send you reminders to take your medications each day or whenever you need to take them. -
Start taking your medications on your own, perhaps with a parent checking at first.
-
-
Tracking Health Issues
-
At your next appointment, try filling out your medical history form, including a list of your allergies.
If this is your first time, have a guardian assist you. -
Being putting medical appointments in the calendar app on your phone.
Include the date, time, reason for the visit, and where it will be. -
Use your phone or an app on your phone to create a list of your health care providers and contact information.
Show us at your next visit! -
Follow this link to learn more about making medical decisions on your own.
-
Learn more about maintaining health insurance once you turn 18 or 19 in Tennessee.
-
-
Appointment Keeping
-
Do a pretend call with a parent or friend and make an appointment.
The parent can act like the front desk staff person and ask you for your information, ID, proof of insurance, and other information -
Use the sign-up sheet provided to you to sign up for ETSU Health patient portal (FollowMyHealth).
Give this to the nurses at checkout! -
Go onto the FollowMyHealth website to learn how to set up your app to schedule an appointment on the ETSU Health patient portal (FollowMyHealth) app.
-
-
Talking with Providers
-
Follow these links to learn more about what questions to ask your doctor.
-
Use the GLADD approach to talk to providers.
G - Give information
L - Listening and learning
A - Ask questions
D - Decide what needs to be done
D - Do your part to follow the plan -
Watch the video to learn to talk to your healthcare providers.
-
-
Additional Resources
-
What is health care transition?
-
Are you ready for transition?
-
Go to Transition Tennessee's website to help plan for education and vocational goals.
Learn more Go to the “student” section to learn how to plan your transition either from high school to work or from high school to further education.
-