Choosing pediatrician - what to ask?

HoosOnFirst

Hey guys, we are meeting with pediatricians in the next few weeks.

What questions do you recommend we ask, and/or what are important things for us to consider?

We already will be asking about position on vaccines, hours available and emergency coverage, what hospital network they can admit to, etc. but would love advice from you guys who have done this before! What are your lessons learned about pediatricians?

karaelaine1991

The bump actually has a pretty comprehensive list of questions on here somewhere (in guides, maybe?). I'm not sure if it covers EVERYTHING but it struck me as a good starting place.

The question at the top of my list right now is going to be their vaccine policy. I'm hoping to find a place where the anti-vaxxers aren't welcome, at least during times when there's an outbreak of something.

HoosOnFirst

Thanks @karaelaine1991 I'll check the main Bump site too! I'm mobile so I miss a lot of that stuff

karaelaine1991

hoodoll82 said:

Thanks @karaelaine1991 I'll check the main Bump site too! I'm mobile so I miss a lot of that stuff

Yeah I'm primarily mobile but my app has been funky lately (it keeps logging me out! So annoying) so I go on the website more often than I usually do. There's actually a decent amount of helpful resources on it - what a surprise!

laurendutch

I would ask about how easy it is to get a same day appointment.

staceyfern

Great question! I'm going tomorrow so I'll definitely check out the list

ksimo6

My daughter sees the same Family Practice doctor I see.  What I needed to know about the clinic was - 

What type of urgent care do they provide?  

How many pediatricians were in the clinic that my child could see if needed? 

Which pediatriciaions did she recommend in the clinic? 

What was most important to me was that I was beyond happy with the care this doctor provides me... she helped me through a very difficult period of 2 years where 6 specialists were trying to determine a diagnosis of autoimmunie disease.  

Good luck in your search. 

lovemywildgirls

I never interviewed my pediatrician, instead I interviewed friends and family to see where their kids went and if they were happy. I think one of the most important things is availability when your kid is sick. My girls are 5 and 3 and I've always been able to get them seen the same day when not feeling well. Also, some Peds are more "old school" than others, which I prefer. One specific doc in our practice will tell me amounts of Benadryl or cough medicine for my girls while the others will say no way, only use saline spray and a humidifier.

ElRuby

I find it important to be able to get a sick visit same day. It was an easy choice for me because I am using then same practice that I went to as a kid.

HoosOnFirst

Ironically Lucies List sent me an email about how to choose pediatricians today. But the more advice the better! It does seem like availability is key!