Staying Healthy

We follow a careful approach to preventive care. We recommend a test when good evidence shows it does more good than harm. We don’t recommend tests that often lead to false alarms, extra procedures or worry without helping people live longer or better. Each section below links to the guideline it is based on.

Do I need a yearly physical?

For healthy adults without symptoms, a yearly head-to-toe physical exam with routine blood work is no longer recommended. Research shows it doesn’t help people live longer or stay healthier, and routine tests in people who feel well can lead to false alarms, more tests and needless worry.

Instead, we focus on the specific screening tests and vaccines on this page, at the ages when they help most. You should still book a visit if you have a new symptom or concern, an ongoing condition to manage, or medications to renew, or if you think you are due for screening. Children still benefit from regular well-child visits (see Children and teens).

Guideline: Choosing Wisely Canada, family medicine

Cancer screening

Cervical cancer (HPV test)

• Who: anyone with a cervix, aged 25 to 69, who has ever been sexually active.
• How often: every 5 years if your HPV test is negative. The sample is collected the same way as a Pap test.
• When to stop: after age 69, if your screening over the past 10 years was normal.
• Higher risk: people with a weakened immune system are screened every 3 years. Anyone with past abnormal results, or with symptoms, should follow their physician’s advice.
• How: book with your family physician or one of our nurses. See Additional Services for details.

Guideline: NB Cervical Cancer Screening Program, HPV primary screening (2026)

Breast cancer (mammogram)

• Ages 50 to 74: a screening mammogram every 2 to 3 years.
• Ages 40 to 49: screening is your choice. Mammograms at this age find some cancers early, but they also lead to more false alarms and extra tests. We’re happy to talk this through with you.
• How: in New Brunswick, people aged 40 to 74 with no symptoms can book a screening mammogram themselves, without a referral. Call the cancer screening information line at 1-844-777-3443 to find a screening site.

Guidelines: Canadian Task Force, breast cancer (2024) and NB Breast Cancer Screening Program

Colon cancer (at-home stool test)

• Who: adults aged 50 to 74 at average risk.
• How often: every 2 years.
• How: the NB Colon Cancer Screening Program mails an invitation. You can also request the at-home test (FIT) by calling 1-844-777-3443.
• If a parent, brother, sister or child has had colon cancer, tell your physician. You may need a colonoscopy instead.

Guidelines: Canadian Task Force, colorectal cancer and NB Colon Cancer Screening Program

Lung cancer

You might qualify for lung cancer screening with a low-dose CT scan if all of these apply:

• you are 55 to 74 years old,
• you smoke now, or quit less than 15 years ago, and
• you have a smoking history of 30 pack-years or more.

What is a pack-year? One pack-year means smoking one pack of cigarettes (20 cigarettes) a day for one year. To work out yours, multiply the number of packs you smoke (or smoked) each day by the number of years you smoked. For example, 1 pack a day for 30 years is 30 pack-years, and 2 packs a day for 15 years is also 30 pack-years.

If this sounds like you, discuss it with your family physician.

Guideline: Canadian Task Force, lung cancer

Prostate cancer (PSA test)

Routine PSA blood tests are generally not recommended for men without symptoms. This is a controversial area. The test can find some cancers early, but many of the cancers it finds would never have caused harm, and follow-up biopsies and treatment can have side effects. Some men choose to be screened after weighing the pros and cons, and we’re happy to discuss it with you. The Canadian Task Force has a patient guide to PSA screening that can help you decide.

Guideline: Canadian Task Force, prostate cancer

Other checks

• Blood pressure: checked during regular visits. Many pharmacies also have a free machine you can use. Guideline: Canadian Task Force, hypertension
• Diabetes: your physician will consider your risk (age, weight, family history, past high sugars) and order a blood test every 3 to 5 years if you are at higher risk. Guideline: Canadian Task Force, type 2 diabetes
• Cholesterol: a blood test for men from age 40 and women from age 50, used with your other risk factors to estimate your risk of heart attack and stroke. It is repeated no more than every 5 years, and usually every 10, unless something changes. You don’t need to fast. Testing may start earlier if you have risk factors such as smoking or diabetes, and it is not usually needed after age 75. Guideline: PEER Simplified Lipid Guideline (2023)
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm: men aged 65 to 80 should have a one-time ultrasound of the aorta, the main blood vessel in the abdomen. Guideline: Canadian Task Force, abdominal aortic aneurysm
• Bone health (osteoporosis): women 65 and older should have their fracture risk assessed. Your physician will order a bone density scan if it is needed. If you are younger, or a man with risk factors (a previous fracture, long-term steroid use), ask your physician. Guideline: Canadian Task Force, fragility fractures (2023)
• Chlamydia and gonorrhea: if you are under 30 and sexually active, a yearly urine test is recommended. The test is easy to add at any visit. Guideline: Canadian Task Force, chlamydia and gonorrhea

Children and teens

Well-child visits

Regular check-ups let us follow your child’s growth, development, feeding, sleep, vision, hearing and safety, and answer your questions. Many line up with vaccine appointments. Recommended visits are:

• Babies: in the first week, and at 2 weeks, 1 month, 2, 4, 6, 12 and 18 months.
• Young children: every year from age 2 to 5.
• School-age children and teens: regular check-ups as your child grows. Ask your physician how often.

Guidelines: Rourke Baby Record (birth to 5 years) and Greig Health Record (6 to 17 years)

Childhood vaccines

Our nurses give all routine childhood vaccines. Call 506-645-8888 to book.

• 2, 4 and 6 months: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Hib; rotavirus; pneumococcal (at 2 and 4 months); hepatitis B (at 2 and 6 months).
• 12 months: measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (MMRV); meningococcal; pneumococcal.
• 18 months: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Hib; MMRV.
• 4 years: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio.
• Every fall: flu vaccine, from 6 months of age.
• In school: HPV and a tetanus-diphtheria-whooping cough booster in grade 7, and meningococcal in grade 9, given by Public Health.

Schedule: New Brunswick Immunization Schedule

Vaccines for adults

Our nurses provide all vaccine care at the clinic. We stock all routine childhood and adult vaccines, apart from those given in school and the COVID-19 vaccine. If you would like to know which vaccines are right for you, call 506-645-8888 and ask to speak with one of our nurses.

Every year

• Flu (influenza): every fall, for everyone 6 months and older. Free.
• COVID-19: recommended each fall. Free, and available at pharmacies.

At certain ages or times

• Tetanus and diphtheria (Td): a booster every 10 years. One of these boosters, as an adult, should include whooping cough (Tdap). Free.
• Pregnancy: a whooping cough vaccine (Tdap) during every pregnancy protects the newborn. Free.
• Pneumonia (pneumococcal): one dose at age 65 or older. Free.
• RSV: one dose for adults 75 and older, and Indigenous adults 60 and older. Free.
• Shingles (Shingrix): recommended for adults 50 and older, as two doses 2 to 6 months apart. Not publicly funded. Check whether your drug plan covers it. Guideline: Canadian Immunization Guide, shingles
• HPV: given in school in grade 7, and free for anyone under 27 who missed it.
• Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR): if you were born in 1970 or later and aren’t sure you had two doses, ask us.

Schedule: New Brunswick Immunization Schedule

Travelling?

Some destinations need extra vaccines or medications. Book a travel health appointment at least 8 weeks before you leave, as some vaccines need more than one dose or time to work. Travel health care is not an insured service, so it isn’t covered by Medicare and fees apply.

Travel advice by destination: Government of Canada, travel health and safety

Everyday health

• Smoking and vaping: quitting is the single biggest thing you can do for your health. Ask your physician, nurse or pharmacist about help to quit.
• Activity: aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, such as brisk walking. Balance and strength exercises help prevent falls as you get older.
• Alcohol: less is better for your health.

Keep track

Knowing when you last had each test or vaccine helps us help you. See Before You Visit for what to bring to your appointments.

About these recommendations

Most national screening advice comes from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. In June 2026 it was replaced by the National Advisory Committee on Preventive Health Services, and the Task Force’s published guidelines remain the most recent national recommendations. Where New Brunswick runs its own screening program, we largely follow the provincial program. For more on avoiding tests you don’t need, see Choosing Wisely Canada.

Guidelines change. If something here differs from what your physician tells you, follow your physician’s advice.