Traditional paediatric and adult health services cater mostly to small children and older adults, but not to young people (ages 10 to 24).
At Westerly Youth Clinic, we understand that young people aren’t just ‘big children’ or ‘small adults’ and that their unique healthcare needs demand specific expertise. That’s why our staff are experienced in working with young people, and our doctors are experts in Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine – the new specialty, just for young people.
Adolescent & young adult medicine, often referred to as “adolescent medicine”, is one of the age-based specialties, like neonatology (very young infants) and gerontology (ageing). These are all periods of significant change that are heavily influenced by environmental factors, like family and community.
Adolescent medicine specialists are (mostly) paediatricians who specialise in working with young people aged 10 to 24 years old.
Adolescence is the phase of life between childhood and adulthood.
Different words are often used to describe this age group. We use the following:
Young people have distinct medical needs that are very different to those of children or older adults. They are also going through lots of changes unique to their age group, such as:
Adolescent medicine specialists are trained to help young people through this challenging period, and have the specialist knowledge and skills to meet their distinct health needs. They’re also trained in how to effectively communicate with young people.
Any young person can see an adolescent health specialist, but certain young people might benefit more than others, such as those who have:
