Choosing a Pediatrician

Choosing a pediatrician for your child requires much consideration because the child-parent-doctor relationship lasts from babyhood until adolescence.

Who is a pediatrician?

A pediatrician is a doctor who has specialized medical training caring for babies, children and adolescents. There are general pediatricians but also specialized ones such as pediatric cardiologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, gastroenteritis, developmental experts etc.

Your general practitioner manages many childhood conditions, however they will refer you to a pediatrician when necessary. Provided your child is not rushed to hospital for emergency treatment, you will have time to choose a pediatrician.

How to find a pediatrician?

Your choices when choosing a Pediatrician these days are normally limited to those Pediatricians that are accepted by your Health Insurance Company and the plan that you are enrolled in. Many employees are now members of Heath Maintenance Organizations (also known as HMOs). If you are part of an HMO then you’ll be given a list of Pediatricians that you need to select from. You then choose one Pediatrician as your child’s Primary Care Physician (also known as PCP).

No matter if you’re a member of an HMO or not there are several people you can turn to as you try to locate a Pediatrician who’s right for you and your children.

If you have medical insurance through your employer then your workplace is a great place to look for referrals. If you have trustworthy co-workers who have kids you can ask them if they’re happy with their Pediatrician and if they are then you can ask for referrals. Since you are co-workers, chances are you have the same insurance provider so the Pediatrician you’re referred to is sure to accept your insurance plan.

Issues to consider when choosing a pediatrician:

Location of practice: 

Check what is the distance to your pediatrician from your home or work? Is there easy public transport? Is there a car park nearby? What are the hours of practice? Who covers over the weekends, after-hours or for emergency back up?

Type of practice: 

Is it a solo or a group practice where there is a mix of recently trained pediatricians with latest knowledge and also older pediatricians with many years of experience? Are there both male and female pediatricians and do you have a personal preference? What languages do they speak? Has the pediatrician special privileges at the hospital covered in your Health Plan?

What is the fee structure? 

What type of insurance does the pediatrician accept? Will the Pediatrician’s bill go right to your insurance company or will it come to you? Do they accept credit cards?

What are the Pediatrician’s office hours? 

Are weekend or evening appointments available?

What is the Pediatrician’s availability in the case of an emergency?

Will the Pediatrician provide advice over the telephone? 

Little things which tell you about the general management of the practice and their concern for patients are:

• How old are the magazines in the waiting room?
• Are there children's books and small sized furniture?
• Available drinking water?
• Boxes of tissues?
• What was the telephone manner of the receptionist when you made the appointment?

Preparing for your visit

Take pen and paper to write questions or to jot down notes. It is easy to forget information when under pressure or if your child is upset.

• Write down the reason for your visit and your concerns.
• Write down all your questions you want to ask.
• Make a list of all the medications taken by your child standard and alternative. Note the dose and how often it is taken.
• Notes about your child's eating habits and diet.
• Notes about your child's behavior.
• Make a list of complementary therapies.
• Take along your child's health record booklet if you have it.

During the Visit

Many doctors now expect their patients to have used the Internet to increase their knowledge regarding disorders and illnesses. Not everything is accurate so the pediatrician may ask you how much you understand about the disorder.

Write down anything which you believe is important or you might forget. Depending on the reason for your child to see a pediatrician, you will want to understand about various treatment options, drug regimes and their side effects, future implications, referral to allied health therapies such as physiotherapist or speech/language pathologists etc.

After the Visit

How well did the pediatrician communicate with both you and your child? Were your questions answered with patience and care? Do you trust the knowledge and skills of the pediatrician?

If you are unhappy about the pediatrician, you are able to seek a second opinion or discuss the issues with your general practitioner. It may be the case that the pediatrician has excellent knowledge and surgical skills but poor communication.

Ideally you are looking for someone whom you can trust with his or her knowledge and subsequent care of your child. You also want someone who communicates well with both you and your child so that each visit is as friendly and productive as possible. It is a special child-parent-doctor relationship.

Synonyms:  Ediatrician, epdiatrician, ppediatrician, pdiatrician, pdeiatrician, peediatrician, peiatrician, peidatrician, peddiatrician, pedatrician, pedaitrician, pediiatrician, peditrician, peditarician, pediaatrician, pediarician, pediartician, pediattrician, pediatician, pediatircian, pediatrrician, pediatrcian, pediatrciian, pediatriician, pediatriian, pediatriican, pediatriccian, pediatrican, pediatricain, pediatriciian, pediatricin, pediatricina, pediatriciaan, pediatricia, and pediatriciann are typos and mispells for "pediatrician."