Choosing a Pediatrician? (Full Version)

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dance4joy -> Choosing a Pediatrician? (4/7/2008 4:42:04 PM)

I need some help here from all of you experienced parents! I have an appointment scheduled for Thursday to interview a prospective pediatrician, and I have no idea what kind of questions I should ask her. Any helpful tips you can give me?



Sideways -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (4/7/2008 4:46:05 PM)

Does her attitude towards Breastfeeding match yours? Do you care about delayed/rejecting vaccinations? Is there some sort of after-hours advice line or a nurse call back? Is this person a parent themselves?

Really try to get a feel for your overall comfort level with this person, because issues will come up that you can't think of now. Do they respect you and listen to you?



dance4joy -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (4/7/2008 4:50:38 PM)

Hmmm, some very good thoughts. I will add these to my list [:)]

Keep 'em coming!



PrincessDonna -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (4/7/2008 5:06:10 PM)

Like Sideways said, decide what is important to you and ask questions about those things. Also remember, choosing a doctor does not have to be a once in a childhood thing. If you pick a doctor and later find out you don't mesh well, it's perfectly okay to pick another one.



purejoy -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (4/7/2008 6:54:38 PM)

Also, are they part of a group, or just an independent doc? If your baby gets sick on a Saturday night, who will you be talking to...your doctor, or one of his 8 partners?
For some people, that makes a big difference. For others, not so much.



dance4joy -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (4/8/2008 8:29:39 AM)

I think there are only 2 pediatricians at this particular clinic and I don't know if they see each other's patients. That's a good question to ask though!



my2kidzz -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (5/7/2008 3:39:41 PM)

We take our kids to our family doctor. That way he knows the history of the whole family.



ladyingrace1979 -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (5/7/2008 5:56:55 PM)

For me one of the big issues is the way a doctor (any kind) speaks to me. Do they listen well, do they explain without talking to me like I'm 2, how will they handle times when you don't agree. The other thing is how well do they speak to the children. I know you're not at that stage yet. For me if my child is frightened or intimidated by you then you are not the right doctor for us. Does the doctor have a gentle caring manor. are they patient?

We have a great doctor, and for us that is a major challenge. You see my twins have special needs, they are developmentally delayed. The doctor has always listened to my concerns, if I have asked for a service or a referral she either agrees or tells me why she doesn't think it would help. If I still want the referral she will give it to me. She has a genuine affection for all of her patients. She calls the twins " my beautiful twin friends". She told my older one who is almost 13 that she didn't want her to get too grown up because she wouldn't get to see her.
Good luck,
Kim Q



NotDoneYet -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (5/8/2008 9:38:41 PM)

Another thing to find out is whether or not the pediatrician would trust YOUR judgement. The ped I had when my big kids were little trusted ME enough that if I called the office and said that one of the kids had a sinus infection or an ear infection (frequent occurrances with my kids), he trusted ME enough to just call in an antibiotic, etc. w/o requiring me to bring the children in. Fortunately, when we relocated and my younger girls came along, I found another one who did the same thing...(but after 26 years of motherhood, I've been at this longer than he has).

I'd also make sure the office was kid-friendly...not sterile. Is there a separate waiting room for sick children? How big of a headache is it to get a sick child appointment? If you call, how long is their average hold time? How are the doctor's vacations handled? Are the children's records available after hours if needed for an ER visit?

Just a few suggestions from a charter member of the "been there, done that" club

NDY



cindybode -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (5/8/2008 11:04:03 PM)

The most important thing in chosing a pediatrician is finding someone you "click" with - someone who will support your right to parent your kids as you see fit, whether or not they agree with you, and with whom you can have a comfortable, 2 way conversation about what's going on with your child and what you should or should not be doing about it. That is absolutely paramount, because all other issues can be dealt with if you have a good working relationship. It is certainly nice to have a doc who agrees with you on issues of breastfeeding, immunizations, etc., but it's actually not necessary as long as your doctor will not pressure you to do it his/her way if you don't agree.

You should have a good idea of how the office works. Do they have evening and/or Sunday hours, and is there an extra charge for those times? What happens if your child gets sick after hours - is there an advice line, and do they charge for that? Please remember that it is becoming pretty common for doctors to charge for phone advice - if they're using an advice line they have to pay for that, and if nothing else it discourages middle of the night calls for things that can clearly wait till the office is open. Doctors deserve some time off too.

Another nice thing - but not a deal breaker - is to have a website or some sort of printed info on doses for common otc meds as well as basic care advice for the most common childhood complaints. One of our practices does this, and it really helps to cut down on calls from their patients.

With all due respect to NDY and other experienced parents, taking a mom's word that their child has an ear/sinus/whatever infection and prescribing antibiotics over the phone is really not considered good medicine. I am a pediatric RN and have worked (professionally) with my kids' pediatrician for over 15 years, and even I do not get, or want, antibiotics over the phone. I want my child's doc to look at him and know exactly what we're dealing with rather than grabbing a med out of the hat.



kpenn05 -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (5/9/2008 2:01:26 PM)

Is it bad if a pediatrician won't do an actual consultation, but will talk to you over the phone?

This dr. was recommended to me by 2 people, yet I can't officially meet him until i have my baby??
He is supposed to call me sometime today so I can ask questions but I feel a little weird about not meeting him face to face.

What do you think?



PrincessDonna -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (5/9/2008 2:04:32 PM)

That's common here, Kristin, unless you want to pay for a consult appointment, which many insurances do not cover.

I'd just have your list of questions ready and go through them, jotting down bits and pieces of what is said.



kernsfamily -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (5/9/2008 2:17:45 PM)

we've been long time friends with a few doctors that have kids themselves....so it was a no-brainer to ask which pediatrician they send their own kids to.

That narrowed down the list REALLY fast. Especially when ONE doc was "common" among 3 of the 4 of them.....

we've had "Dr. Danny" as our pediatrician for 10 years now, and have been EXTREMELY pleased.



cindybode -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (5/9/2008 4:22:19 PM)

You can get to know a doc fairly well over the phone, Kristin. I wouldn't feel that a face to face meeting is necessary, but if it makes you uncomfortable, make an appointment and go on in. Just be aware that you will probably have to pay for it out of pocket.



kpenn05 -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (5/9/2008 6:48:04 PM)

Thanks guys for the replies...however they called back and said that they will send me a book on the practice and if I have questions I can call and talk to a nurse.

I guess I could stop by and at least look at the place and see what kind of feeling I get. Plus my neighbor loves her dr. at the practice so it can't be bad...right???



OneOfHisJewels -> RE: Choosing a Pediatrician? (5/9/2008 7:19:51 PM)

Not really on topic, but Dance4Joy, I didn't know you'd had your baby yet. Congratulations!!



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