How to Transition from Pediatric to Adult Care

Your transition care team can help you learn to manage your health and health care. These skills include making an appointment and filling a prescription. Your team can educate you about your treatment history and how that may affect your future health needs. 

At St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, we are here to help and guide you and your family through this change. Each person’s transition process will be a little different. It depends on your health condition and your own needs. 

Your transition team

You will have a team to help you at St. Jude. We have special programs depending on your condition:

• St. Jude-Methodist Sickle Cell Disease Transition Clinic: This clinic is a partnership between St. Jude and Methodist University Hospital. The transition team starts working with patients at age 12. Health care providers at both hospitals work together to help patients become more independent. 

• Cancer Predisposition Transition of Care Program: This program works with patients who have cancer predisposition syndromes. 

• Transition Oncology Program (TOP): This program provides care for cancer patients during their first years after treatment. 

• After Completion of Therapy (ACT) Clinic: The ACT Clinic cares for long-term survivors of childhood cancer. 

Around age 18, you should begin seeing a health care provider for adults. This may be a family medicine doctor, an internal medicine doctor, or a nurse practitioner. Many women also choose to see a gynecologist, a doctor who cares for women’s reproductive health. You may also need to seek the care of specialists.

Your St. Jude care team is always available to speak with your local health care team.

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