Physicals

The Department of Transportation (DOT) requires you to pass a head-to-toe physical exam if you operate a commercial vehicle. Jennifer Bennett-Williams, FNP, provides comprehensive DOT physicals and many other types of physicals at Church Street Medical Center and Aesthetics,  internal medicine, and aesthetics practice in Lenoir, North Carolina. Call the office or schedule an appointment online to book your exam.

What types of physicals do you offer?

Church Street Medical Center and Aesthetics value your time and budget. They strive to maintain low wait times and offer numerous types of physicals, such as: 

• Work
• School
• Sports
• Annual
• DOT physical
• Women’s Health exam

A DOT physical is a comprehensive exam for operating a commercial vehicle like a truck. Commercial drivers are “safety-sensitive” employees, meaning their decisions can affect their safety and others on the road. DOT physicals ensure you’re physically and mentally healthy enough to drive heavy machinery.

Your medical examiner can also serve as your internal medicine provider, addressing any acute or chronic conditions you may have.

How is a DOT physical different from a routine physical exam?

DOT physicals determine a person’s fitness for operating commercial vehicles, ensuring they have the physical and mental ability to drive safely. A routine physical exam focuses on your health, emphasizing disease and illness prevention.

While you must pass a DOT physical every two years, Church Street Medical Center and Aesthetics recommends visiting for a routine physical once a year. A DOT physical doesn’t replace your annual exam.

When you visit for a DOT physical, you must bring two forms of identification and satisfy the medical eligibility requirements, which include presenting a valid medical examination card.

What does a DOT physical include?

A DOT physical includes several components, such as:

Hearing screening

Commercial drivers must hear at a “forced whisper” from at least five feet away without assisted hearing devices. Testing your hearing ensures you meet the requirements to operate a commercial vehicle.

Vision screening

All DOT drivers must have 20/40 vision and a field vision of at least 70 degrees peripheral in the horizontal meridian of each eye.

Blood pressure test

Blood pressure refers to the force of blood against your artery walls. Having high blood pressure (hypertension) increases your risk of stroke, heart disease, and other serious chronic diseases.

Physical exam

The physical exam assesses your eyes, ears, nose and throat, lungs and heart, abdomen, and spine to determine your physical health and fitness.

Urinalysis

Urinalysis helps the team test for underlying medical conditions like diabetes or kidney disease.

Call Church Street Medical Center and Aesthetics to schedule an appointment or visit the practice online to learn more about DOT physical exams and to request yours today.