How to choose a Pediatrician
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If my newborn is sick, can I be seen the same
day? Some offices have specific hours for
walk-ins, others will work you in with an
appointment. Whatever the policy, if your
newborn is bleeding or has some other emergency,
that should trump the rules.
What should I do about problems or emergencies
after office hours? Make sure you can reach
someone for questions at night or on the
weekends. Sometimes this is contracted with an
outside service. Ask if pediatricians or
pediatric nurse practitioners are part of that.
Although it is less and less common, some
pediatricians practice alone. If so, find out
about the doctor’s availability after hours and
who covers for the practice for vacations and
time off. If that is done by another practice,
check out the other doctor as well.
To what hospitals does the doctor admit
newborns? A general community hospital that does
not have a pediatric ward may not be the best
for small children with more than simple issues.
For complex or life threatening problems, is
there a teaching hospital (one associated with a
university and medical school) or large urban
center available?
Will the doctor come to the hospital where you
are delivering? These days it is not uncommon in
urban areas for women to stay with their
previous obstetrician even though they have
moved to a different community. Your delivery
hospital can introduce you to a pediatrician on
their staff for the newborn exam in the
hospital.
When should we come in after delivery? The
American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 1-2
days after leaving the hospital. Jaundice, heart
murmurs and excessive weight loss can occur in
the first week. Also breastfeeding is more
likely to be successful if you have ongoing
support the first week or two. Be skeptical if
you are told 2 weeks.
When sitting in the waiting room, can you hear
employees talking about patients? You would not
want your medical issues aired for the general
public. I noticed that the receptionists in an
orthopedist’s office played the voice mails from
patients left during lunch in such a way that
the whole waiting room could hear. When I told
the doctor I learned all about Mr. So and So’s
problem, he was horrified and I hope changed
things.
You may or may not be charged for this first
getting-to-know-you visit. Whether or not, the
doctor should sit down with you and give you a
relatively open ended time to ask questions. In
my office we do it at the end of the day. Some
patients come in with a list (I remember one
mother-to-be with 4 single spaced typewritten
pages). If you do not have a list, however, the
doc should be able to tell you what you need to
know without prompting.
Is the office relatively clean and child
friendly? I say “relatively” because anyplace
that children and newborns inhabit can be
temporarily stained with things like grape juice
vomit. Child friendly means that there is enough
diversion for children, whether it is toys,
books or video and people are smiling and
obviously appreciate children. Ideally, there
should not be a long wait at any time but human
events are not always manageable. If you are
sitting with other parents, ask them about the
usual wait time and how they like the office.
Finally, trust your own gut. Everyone on your
block may like Doctor A, but if you have a
negative feeling you should keep looking. This
relationship is important and frequent, and you
should enjoy it and trust it.
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