| Part ABC Medical Form |
Q. Why does the BSA require all participants to have a Medical Form?
A. The Medical Form serves many purposes. Completing a health history promotes health awareness, collects necessary data, and provides medical professionals critical information needed to treat a patient in the event of an illness or injury. It also provides emergency contact information.
Poor health and/or lack of awareness of risk factors have led to disabling injuries, illnesses, and even fatalities. Because we care about our participants’ health and safety, the Boy Scouts of America has produced and required use of standardized annual health and medical information since at least the 1930s.
The medical form is used to prepare for high-adventure activities and increased physical activity. In some cases, it is used to review participants’ readiness for gatherings like the national Scout jamboree and other specialized activities.
Because many states regulate the camping industry, the Medical Form also serves as a tool that enables councils to operate day and resident camps and adhere to BSA and state requirements. The Boys Scouts of America’s Medical Form provides a standardized mechanism that can be used by members in all 50 states.
Q. Who needs to complete a Medical Form?
A. For any and all Scouting activities, all participants must complete Part A and Part B. “All participants” includes parents, guardians, siblings, youth, staff, and unit leaders. Though Part C is only required for participation in events lasting longer than 72 hours, all BSA participants are encouraged to complete this Pre-Participation Physical during an annual physical performed by a medical professional.
Q. What is meant by “Annual”?
A. A Medical Form is valid through the end of the 12th month from the date it was administered by your medical provider. For example, a physical administered March 3, 2014, would be valid until March 31, 2015. The form in use before March 1, 2014, will be valid only until April 1, 2015, and only if it was completed before April 1, 2014.
Q. What do leaders do with the Medical Forms they collect?
A. In all cases, the information gathered is for use in conducting a safe Scouting program. Information gathered in the Medical Forms must be maintained and shared in a confidential and discreet manner. Some conditions may require communication to ensure the safety of participants. This information should only be shared on a “need-to-know” basis.
Q. Can I use last year’s Medical Form with a physical conducted in August 2013 for a summer camp in June 2014?
A. Yes, because 2014 will be a transition year. A Medical Form that contains a valid physical exam can be used to meet your council’s resident camp standards in 2014. It is suggested that those individuals who do not have a current pre-participation exam use the latest version now. The old versions will be obsolete as of April 2015.
Q. What does it mean by “adults authorized to take youth to and from events”?
A. For the majority of our participants, their parents or legal guardians will release youth to and retrieve them from a Scouting event. You may change or add to this information someone who you authorize to pick up your child early from an event or if you are engaging someone to transport your child to and from the Scouting program.
Parents and legal guardians are encouraged to review this information on a regular basis with Scout leaders to make sure they understand any out-of-the-ordinary requests or unusual circumstances such as who should not pick up a youth.
Q. What do I do if the medications listed on the form change between the physical and the Scouting event?
A. You should update the information and be sure that the prescribing physician verifies that the new medication does not alter the participant health status and ability to participate.
Q. Do I really need to explain everything about myself or my child, such as learning disabilities or depression? I don’t want myself or my child to be treated differently.
A. As hard as it may be to share these aspects about yourself or your child, this information is needed to keep our participants safe and is imperative when giving emergency care. Please be thorough and honest. A Scouting activity is not the place to change or stop medications.
Q. We have a Scout whose family does not want him immunized against Tetanus, which is required. What should we do?
A. An immunization exemption request is available here: Immunization Exemption .
Q. If a Scout’s family does not believe in the use of doctors, how can he complete the medical form to attend summer camp?
A. The family would complete Parts A and B of the Medical Form. They would also need to fill out the Medical Care Exemption Request to waive the exam. Please note that there may be camp/state requirements in addition to this, and the camp health officer will conduct a well exam on arrival to determine that a communicable disease is not present.
Q. Can I decline medical treatment?
A. Yes, but a Medical Care Exemption Request must be completed.
Q. Can I use another medical exam, such as a school sports exam, and attach it to the Annual Health and Medical Record?
A. No. We have designed the Medical Form to address the risks in Scouting. We would encourage participants who need both types of exams to complete them at the same time.
Excerpt taken from scouting.org's "FAQs concerning the AMHR".
A. The Medical Form serves many purposes. Completing a health history promotes health awareness, collects necessary data, and provides medical professionals critical information needed to treat a patient in the event of an illness or injury. It also provides emergency contact information.
Poor health and/or lack of awareness of risk factors have led to disabling injuries, illnesses, and even fatalities. Because we care about our participants’ health and safety, the Boy Scouts of America has produced and required use of standardized annual health and medical information since at least the 1930s.
The medical form is used to prepare for high-adventure activities and increased physical activity. In some cases, it is used to review participants’ readiness for gatherings like the national Scout jamboree and other specialized activities.
Because many states regulate the camping industry, the Medical Form also serves as a tool that enables councils to operate day and resident camps and adhere to BSA and state requirements. The Boys Scouts of America’s Medical Form provides a standardized mechanism that can be used by members in all 50 states.
Q. Who needs to complete a Medical Form?
A. For any and all Scouting activities, all participants must complete Part A and Part B. “All participants” includes parents, guardians, siblings, youth, staff, and unit leaders. Though Part C is only required for participation in events lasting longer than 72 hours, all BSA participants are encouraged to complete this Pre-Participation Physical during an annual physical performed by a medical professional.
Q. What is meant by “Annual”?
A. A Medical Form is valid through the end of the 12th month from the date it was administered by your medical provider. For example, a physical administered March 3, 2014, would be valid until March 31, 2015. The form in use before March 1, 2014, will be valid only until April 1, 2015, and only if it was completed before April 1, 2014.
Q. What do leaders do with the Medical Forms they collect?
A. In all cases, the information gathered is for use in conducting a safe Scouting program. Information gathered in the Medical Forms must be maintained and shared in a confidential and discreet manner. Some conditions may require communication to ensure the safety of participants. This information should only be shared on a “need-to-know” basis.
Q. Can I use last year’s Medical Form with a physical conducted in August 2013 for a summer camp in June 2014?
A. Yes, because 2014 will be a transition year. A Medical Form that contains a valid physical exam can be used to meet your council’s resident camp standards in 2014. It is suggested that those individuals who do not have a current pre-participation exam use the latest version now. The old versions will be obsolete as of April 2015.
Q. What does it mean by “adults authorized to take youth to and from events”?
A. For the majority of our participants, their parents or legal guardians will release youth to and retrieve them from a Scouting event. You may change or add to this information someone who you authorize to pick up your child early from an event or if you are engaging someone to transport your child to and from the Scouting program.
Parents and legal guardians are encouraged to review this information on a regular basis with Scout leaders to make sure they understand any out-of-the-ordinary requests or unusual circumstances such as who should not pick up a youth.
Q. What do I do if the medications listed on the form change between the physical and the Scouting event?
A. You should update the information and be sure that the prescribing physician verifies that the new medication does not alter the participant health status and ability to participate.
Q. Do I really need to explain everything about myself or my child, such as learning disabilities or depression? I don’t want myself or my child to be treated differently.
A. As hard as it may be to share these aspects about yourself or your child, this information is needed to keep our participants safe and is imperative when giving emergency care. Please be thorough and honest. A Scouting activity is not the place to change or stop medications.
Q. We have a Scout whose family does not want him immunized against Tetanus, which is required. What should we do?
A. An immunization exemption request is available here: Immunization Exemption .
Q. If a Scout’s family does not believe in the use of doctors, how can he complete the medical form to attend summer camp?
A. The family would complete Parts A and B of the Medical Form. They would also need to fill out the Medical Care Exemption Request to waive the exam. Please note that there may be camp/state requirements in addition to this, and the camp health officer will conduct a well exam on arrival to determine that a communicable disease is not present.
Q. Can I decline medical treatment?
A. Yes, but a Medical Care Exemption Request must be completed.
Q. Can I use another medical exam, such as a school sports exam, and attach it to the Annual Health and Medical Record?
A. No. We have designed the Medical Form to address the risks in Scouting. We would encourage participants who need both types of exams to complete them at the same time.
Excerpt taken from scouting.org's "FAQs concerning the AMHR".