Setting up a pediatrician interview

preissless1

When calling to set up a pediatrician interview (for selecting a ped before the due date), what do I ask?  Do I ask for an appointment or a meeting with any of the doctors in the practice?  Do I explain that I'm looking for a pediatrician for my unborn baby, or do they just know that's why I want an interview?  Do they normally have a certain time of day that they set aside for interviews by expecting parents? 

Sorry for my weird questions that are probably common sense...I've never interviewed doctors before. 

otoro98

I'm starting to call peds offices now as well - in my very brief, beginning experience at this, the ones I've called have periodic "meet and greet" events for expecting parents.  I still think I may wander into my top two during office hours to see how they really function, rather than just attend evening meetings set up to get more business!  Not to be cynical, but it is a different thing to see the way they really work, I think.  Also, referrals from people you know are always a good way to start.

 None of the practices thought it was weird that I was calling at all - I think they get that a lot. So call away!!

LMH1209

I felt a little weird about calling, too, but pediatrician's offices are used to these calls.  I just told them that I was expecting a baby (and when) and that I wanted info. about the practice.  I looked at three practices, and all three had a different approach to pre-natal meetings/interviews.  One had an evening group meeting with a doctor, one set up a daytime one-on-one meeting with a doctor, and one had a daytime group meeting with a nurse practitioner. 

Baby 411 (a book I highly recommend) has good info. on what to look for in a pediatrician and what to ask (and what questions aren't particularly helpful).  I didn't really end up asking many questions, though, because all three of the meetings I attended started with an overview of the practice that answered most of my questions.

vtmezzo

I got recommendations from friends, and then narrowed it down based on the wait time when I called, etc. We ended up leaving the first practice we went with (which was highly recommended) after only 8 weeks because of ridiculous wait times for well visits (close to 2 hours!!) and a poor bedside manner by several of the staff. We use Loudoun Pediatrics now and have had only positive experiences there. I did not "interview" them ahead of time, but I did do some extensive looking at number of doctors, office locations, and some cold calling to check on phone waits.