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This sports physical guide was medically reviewed by Dr. Kiyan Rad, DO — Medical Director, Sanova Urgent Care, Tucson, AZ
The email from the athletic department arrives the first week of August: no cleared physical on file, no practice. The form has four parts, one of them needs a provider's signature, and the pediatrician's next opening is in three weeks. Here is what Arizona sports physicals actually require, which form is which, what the exam checks, and how to get it done without losing a week of practice.
For the visit itself — $45, walk in, form signed before you leave — see sports and school physicals. This page is the parent's guide to the rules.
Open Monday–Saturday, 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM · Closed Sunday
15883 N Oracle Rd, Suite 101, Tucson, AZ 85739
Medically reviewed by Dr. Kiyan Rad, DO, board-certified internal medicine physician and Medical Director, Sanova Urgent Care
A sports physical — the preparticipation physical evaluation, or PPE — answers one question: is this student medically safe to train and compete? It is required by the Arizona Interscholastic Association for every high-school athlete and by most club and middle-school programs.
A school physical is broader: a general check-up, often required for kindergarten entry, new enrolment or some programs, and usually tied to proof of immunisations. Arizona's K–12 immunisation requirements are set by the Arizona Department of Health Services; bring the immunisation record and we can review what is current.
Both are $45 here, both are walk-in, and if your student needs both, one visit covers it.
The AIA physical forms page lists four documents. Only one of the Arizona sports physicals forms needs us; the other three are yours. Bring all four, or upload them where your school asks (many use Aktivate / Register My Athlete).
Completed and signed by parent and student before the visit. This is the part that catches most problems: fainting during exercise, chest pain, a family history of early heart death, prior concussions. Answer it honestly and bring it filled in.
Completed and signed by the examining provider after the exam. AIA accepts an M.D., D.O., N.D./N.M.D., N.P., PA-C or CCSP. Form 15.7-B is the one we sign here.
Parent and student sign the concussion, sudden-cardiac-arrest and heat-illness acknowledgements. No provider needed.
Parent and student sign. No provider needed.
The date rule: per AIA, "the physical examination for the following school year shall be given on or after March 1." A physical dated 28 February is worthless in August. Anything from 1 March onward covers the whole coming school year.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' description of the preparticipation physical evaluation is a health history plus a focused exam. Ours takes about 15–20 minutes once you're roomed.
History review. We go through 15.7-A with you and the student — especially exertional chest pain, fainting, breathing problems, prior concussions, joint injuries, and family cardiac history.
Vitals. Height, weight, blood pressure, pulse.
Vision. A basic screen; bring glasses or contacts if they're worn.
Heart and lungs. Listening for murmurs and irregular rhythms, and for wheeze in a student with asthma.
Musculoskeletal. Joints, spine, strength and range of motion, with attention to any past injury.
Sign-off, or a plan. Most students are cleared on the spot and 15.7-B is signed before you leave. If something needs a closer look — an unexplained murmur, a concussion that hasn't fully resolved — we'll say so, document it, and point you to the right next step rather than sign a form we shouldn't.
A note in fairness: the AAP's preference is that this happens with your child's own pediatrician, who knows their history, ideally 6–8 weeks before the season. If that appointment isn't going to happen in time, a properly done walk-in physical is the right alternative — and we'll send a copy to the pediatrician if you ask.
This is the part of the history parents most often skip. Per the CDC's HEADS UP program, most young athletes recover from a concussion in two to four weeks, but repeat concussions raise the risk of longer-lasting problems, and a student should be checked by a provider before returning to play. If your athlete had a "ding" last season that was never evaluated, tell us. It changes nothing about clearance if they are fully recovered — and it matters a great deal if they aren't.
Any time from 1 March. The August rush is real — every school in the district sends the same email the same week. May and June are quiet, the physical is valid for the whole coming year, and the coach has the form before tryouts instead of after.
We're at 15883 N Oracle Rd, Suite 101 — on the Oracle Road corridor for Oro Valley, Rancho Vistoso, Catalina, SaddleBrooke, Sun City Oro Valley and Marana. Saturday is the busiest physical day; a weekday after school is usually faster.
$45 self-pay for a sports or school physical, walk in. Full price list on costs and insurance; the visit details are on sports and school physicals.
Dr. Kiyan Rad, DO, Beth Brown FNP, or Kim Wall FNP — all AIA-accepted signers. Meet the team.
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday–Saturday | 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
For AIA high-school sports, yes - every athlete needs a preparticipation physical on the AIA 15.7 forms before practice. Most club, YMCA and middle-school programs require one too, on their own or the AIA form.
The whole coming school year, as long as the exam is dated on or after March 1 of that year. A physical done in May covers August through the following spring.
Form 15.7-B, the examination form. Forms 15.7-A, C and D are completed and signed by the parent and student.
Yes. AIA accepts an M.D., D.O., N.D./N.M.D., N.P., PA-C or CCSP. All of our providers are accepted signers.
Yes. Sanova does walk-in sports and school physicals for $45, Monday to Saturday, and signs the form before you leave. If something needs further evaluation, we'll tell you rather than sign.
Yes, for anyone under 18 a parent or legal guardian must be present for the exam and to sign consent.
Tell us on the history form. If they are fully recovered, it doesn't affect clearance. If symptoms persist, CDC guidance is that they need a provider's evaluation before returning to play, and we'll help arrange that.
No. Walk in Monday through Saturday, 7am to 7pm. Pre-registering online and bringing completed forms makes it a 20-minute visit.
Arizona sports physicals without the wait: forms filled, parent along, walk in any day from March 1. $45, signed before you leave.
Sanova Urgent Care · 15883 N Oracle Rd, Suite 101, Tucson, AZ 85739 · Get directions
This article is for general information and does not replace an evaluation by a licensed provider. In an emergency, call 911.
Dr. Kiyan Rad, DO, is a board-certified internal medicine and obesity medicine physician and Medical Director of Sanova Urgent Care in Catalina, AZ, serving Oro Valley, SaddleBrooke and north Tucson. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, President of the Medical Executive Committee at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Northwest Tucson, and former Chief of Medicine at Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital. He earned his DO from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. On this blog, he shares practical guidance on urgent care, chronic disease, metabolic health and recovery after a hospital stay.
