EthanLG

Hello,

I am moving to Belgium with my family and my dad is getting me sorted for school next year. They have told him that I am due for a medical once I start. In England, I don't think I have ever had a medical for school. Where will it be done? What is the whole process like? Has anybody had this before?

Feeling a bit anxious ...

Cheers,
Ethan

tomjdk

Hey Ethan! Yes, you will need to have a medical once you start school and you're probably not going to like my answer. There is a law that says you need to have one in some years or when you enter the Belgian school system. I know cause I moved over from the UK a couple of years ago and had one. It is quite a comprehensive check which includes an assessment of puberty. The medicals are done by a special school service known as CLB, students normally go to a medical centre for the day with their school. The whole day involves a lot of waiting. You fill in a questionnaire, do an eyesight test (read letters off wall), a hearing test (sit in cubicle with headphones on and repeat what you hear) with a nurse. You are also given a plastic cup and need to pee (in a toilet of course). Then you get to see the doctor who will examine you. As I remember the whole thing,
- doctor asked a few questions and made notes
- undress to underwear
- get weighed and height measured
- bent over / doctor ran two fingers down back
- sit on table, blood pressure measured
- stethoscope front and back
- lie down, tummy, arms and legs pocked and prodded
- stand up, do puberty check. The doctor pulled back the foreskin and measured my testicles with an orchidometer.
- Don't know why but I also had to flex my abs and blow into the back of my hand as hard as I could several times

The process is quite quick but felt that it dragged on and was certainly embarrassing. In Belgium, these tests are notorious among students and you can find more information on student forums and even the CLB websites if your Dutch or French is good enough. Nobody really likes them but everybody gets one. Oh, and you get an injection