Choosing A Pediatrician!!!

"Pediatricians are graduates of 4 year medical schools with 3 additional years of residency training solely in pediatrics" Choosing the right doctor for your child is more important than you might think: The average new parent and baby visit the doctor's office 11 times in the first year for six routine well-baby visits and five other visits. Parents know which doctor or practice they want for their baby before they even become pregnant, but most start the search during pregnancy and arrive at a decision when they're seven or eight months along. Most parents take their child to a pediatrician, a doctor who specializes in children. Others prefer a family practitioner, a doctor who specializes in family medicine and can treat your whole family, from birth to old age. Either one is fine, as long as you feel comfortable and confident about your child's care.

This means they are doctors with at least 3 years of supervised training where they acquire the skills to treat a broad range of afflictions from basic childhood illness to the most serious of diseases.   Some pediatricians may also have additional training in subspecialties like neonatal care, child cardiology, or other special problems.  Your regular pediatrician can help you find a pediatrician whose subspecialty matches your child's ailment. You should begin searching for a pediatrician in the final months of pregnancy and both parents should be present at the interview.

It is very important that you find a pediatrician who you feel completely comfortable with. As a new parent you should be able to ask them anything, no matter how trivial in may seem. Start with a list of a few good candidates and narrow it down to your final choice.  Before you interview a pediatrician you can check with the Federation Of State Medical Boards (FSMB) to see if there have been any serious disciplinary actions, or professional peer reviews against the pediatrician. The FSMB Website has links to your state, or you can call them at 1-817-868-4000 to get the number for your state board. Also check Administrators in Medicine.

Your pediatrician should also be knowledgeable in proactive qualities such as disease prevention, and child development. Your pediatrician should also be warm, compassionate, and open minded to your thoughts and feelings, and shares similar views. Make sure your insurance covers the pediatrician you want to choose.  Make sure you interview all potential pediatricians, and verify that the pediatrician you interview will actually be the one who sees your child. There should be no charge for this consultation.