In order to go to Antartica, you first have to Physically Qualify (or "PQ"). Here is some advice from my PQ experience that should hopefully make this process smoother for you.

General Advice

1. Read everything they send you. Seriously though. There's a lot, and it's not terribly well organized. But read it.
2. Start immediately. Schedule your medical appointments (physical and dental) within a week or two of receiving your PQ packet.
3. Keep a copy of everything. The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) coordinates the receipt of all documents, and they are famous for losing things. Keep a copy of all forms and keep the receipts with tracking numbers of all paper packages you send them. Keep copies of the transmission confirmation on all faxes.
4. It is easiet to mail the first round of paperwork as one packet. So put your physical exam and your dental exam in one folder, and send it to UTMB, with tracking. After that, you can usually just fax forms.
5. If UTMB asks for follow up info, go ahead and write back with clarifying questions. They are pretty communicative if you make an effort to engage with them. Basically, don't be afraid to email with them.

Physical Exam Advice

1. Drink lots of water before doing the lab tests. They will take ~10 vials of blood, so you will want to be well hydrated.
2. Allow for about an hour and a half to finish everything, meaning physical exam and the blood draws.
3. Make sure your doctor prints your EKG in landscape.
4. Do not let your doctor skip any parts of the exam. They will try (especially if you're young, and they don't usually do that test on a person under 50, e.g. rectal exam, etc.); insist that they don't skip it. UTMB will send you back if they skip it.
5. Schedule your appointment on a Mon-Wed or a Friday. They will give you a TB skin test, and the TB test has to be read between 48-72 hours after being given.
6. If you are working for ARA, or plan to do work at pole, ask your doctor to write you a perscription for medication to treat altitude sickness. The South Pole is at ~9000 ft elevation, and you are not given time to acclimate (you fly from McMurdo at sea level to South Pole at altitude in one go). Your doctor will likely give you acetazolamide (name brand Diamox), but it's of course their call.

Dental Exam

1. Get your dental office to print out your bitewing x-rays and your panoramic x-ray on glossy, high quality photo paper (they should be able to do this no problem). UTMB is picky about getting these in paper form.
2. Have your dentist fix any problems (cavities, etc.) before filling out your dental form. That way, the cavity is reported on the form as "treated" instead of "present." Otherwise, UTMB will make you go back and get proof treatment was completed.