Contact us today to schedule your appointment! After p. Make A Payment. What Does a Wellness Exam Involve? Why Do Children Need Vaccines? All MDs and DOs must complete a residency — supervised hands-on training — before they are licensed to practice medicine. Choosing a DO or MD is up to you. Both are equally qualified. But you do want to make sure that your child's pediatrician is board certified. At the end of their residency, doctors can take exams to be "board certified" in their field — in general pediatrics, for example, or in a pediatric specialty like orthopedics.
These exams are set by the governing body in a field of medicine, like the AAP, and they're not easy to pass. Most pediatricians' offices set aside times for expectant parents to visit. Call the office to set up an appointment. During your "meet and greet," you can tour the office and talk with a doctor or nurse. Some doctors offer group classes for expectant parents to learn about the practice and discuss newborn care.
Others offer one-on-one interviews. Many insurance companies encourage these prenatal appointments or classes and will cover their cost. But check first with the doctor's office and your health plan.
Here are some things to consider as you decide if the practice is right for your family. Make a list of your questions to help you organize your thoughts.
Besides allowing you to ask questions like these, your visit is a great time to see how the office runs. Is the waiting area clean and child-friendly? Is the staff polite and helpful to patients in the waiting room and to people on the phone? While you're waiting, talk to the other parents. Ask them what they like best about the practice and why they feel good about the care the doctor provides.
After you've had a chance to talk with the doctor and other members of the care team, do you feel you will work well together? For example, your GP might refer your child to a paediatrician for further assessment and treatment of:. Skip to content Skip to navigation. About paediatricians A paediatrician is a medical doctor with special training and skills in the conditions and illnesses that affect the health, growth and development of babies, children and teenagers.
Can you walk, drive or take the train, subway or bus, and is it a quick trip? How far in advance do you need to make appointments? Do they take day-of appointments and have evening and weekend hours? An out-of-pocket maximum?
Bedside manner and demeanor. Is the doctor friendly? Does she dismiss your concerns or speak to you condescendingly? Do you have a specific philosophy on breastfeeding, formula-feeding, circumcision, sleep training , vaccines, potty training and alternative medicine, and if so, do you follow specific practices? If my baby ends up needing pediatric services immediately after birth, can and will you come to the hospital or center where I deliver?
Do you have any specialties? You should start looking for a pediatrician early in the third trimester if possible. Start by talking to parent friends who live in your area to see which doctors in the neighborhood they love and recommend they might also be able to tell you about any negative experiences they may have had. Or just do a Google search of pediatricians close to home. You can schedule visits ahead of your baby's birth where you and your potential pediatrician meet, get to know each other, ask questions and evaluate whether it's a good fit.
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