Your child's doctor

Surfinbride

Does your child go to a pediatrician or a family practice doctor... or some other type of practicioner?

How old is your child?

If your child goes to a pediatrician, at what age will you make the switch to a regular doctor?

To get my daughter's annual well-child check-up after school hours, they were booked 2 months out. They said it was because an annual is twice as long as a regular appointment, so not many openings. For a regular dr, I could get an appointment after 3pm within a week.

My daughter is 10. Do you see any benefits to seeing one type of dr over the other?

 

babyAutumn

My three children currently see a pediatrician which is a good thing because my family dr closed his practice a few months ago and my kids wouldn't have a dr.  I, personally, prefer the pediatrician because they are more familiar with childhood illnesses than a GP would be.  I think it really depends on how you feel about it.  Our pedi does well-child check-ups throughout the day and after school hours and I've never had to wait that long to get an appt.  That being said our pedi also has clinic hours everyday from 12-2 which is great when the kids are sick.  It prevents me from having to go to an afterhours clinic with them.  My kids are currently 6, 4 and 3 months.  I will probably have them continue to see the pedi until they are in their early teens unless they would prefer a GP before then.

neverblushed

Surfinbride:

Does your child go to a pediatrician or a family practice doctor... or some other type of practicioner?  

Pediatrician 

How old is your child?  DD is 11 and DS is 7

If your child goes to a pediatrician, at what age will you make the switch to a regular doctor?

  My pedi sees kids right up to college age.  They have a special room for adolescents that's less juvenile.  It's not at all unusual to see high school kids in there getting sports physicals, etc.  I will probably keep my kids at our pediatrician until they're through hs, or until they say they're uncomfortable with the arrangement.

To get my daughter's annual well-child check-up after school hours, they were booked 2 months out. They said it was because an annual is twice as long as a regular appointment, so not many openings. For a regular dr, I could get an appointment after 3pm within a week.

My daughter is 10. Do you see any benefits to seeing one type of dr over the other?

When I was 12, my parents switched me from the pediatrician (happens to be the same practice I now use for my kids!) to a regular doctor.  I hated it.  Although the doctor himself was nice, and I actually went to school with his son, the practice wasn't geared around the needs of younger patients. I remember once I was there for a sports physical, and I was the only person in the waiting room under 60.  I had to have been an older kid, because I drove myself.  Nonetheless, I just remember feeling really uncomfortable and hating the whole experience.  I remember thinking how much I missed the pediatricians who had known me since I was little.

SweetBaby2004

My kids see a pediatrician and probably will til they are 18.  Our pedi also has less childish rooms for older kids. 

I like a pediatrician because kids are all they see/treat. 

I have able to get them in for any/all appointments that I have needed without too long of a wait.

jandb2011

My son is 5yrs and goes to a Pedi.  When I was growing up, I went to a Family Practitioner.  I'd be okay with my child seeing either.  However, when I was a teen, the FP I saw changed practices and my parents set me up with their General Practitioner.  I was never comfortable w/ the GP.  The office was much less "kid" friendly and the Dr even seemed less inclined to try to make me feel comfortable during appts.  Therefore, my kid(s) will see a Pedi or FP until they go away for college.

If you don't want to wait 2 mths for the appt, would you be able to take her during the school's lunch time and just bring/get lunch for her while you're out?

KCD053109

DD is 8 and sees a pedi. She will continue with a pedi until she ages out - FP and GP just don't have the same knowledge of children's health as a pedi. I would suggest that for the future since you now know that it can take 2 mos. to schedule an annual to take that into account when you schedule the next one. I would truly only be concerned with how long it takes to get an appt. if it were more urgent care related.

ValAndRyan

DS is 12 and he sees a pediatrician. I was thinking of switching to a regular doc but I don't see the need to really. Maybe 16-18 I'll switch. We also don't have a regular doc yet anyway since we moved to a different state and I don't want DS to be the first to visit the doc if something were to happen. I better start researching docs for us. lol.

Surfinbride

KCD053109:

DD is 8 and sees a pedi. She will continue with a pedi until she ages out - FP and GP just don't have the same knowledge of children's health as a pedi. I would suggest that for the future since you now know that it can take 2 mos. to schedule an annual to take that into account when you schedule the next one. I would truly only be concerned with how long it takes to get an appt. if it were more urgent care related.

They have appointments for urgent or sick child visits more readily available. It's the annual well-child check that is booked so far out. They said that it is because it's considered a "double appointment". That just means that it's 30 minutes instead of 15. Maybe I'm bothered by it more than I should be. 2 months seems like a long time... and, it was never such a long wait previously. My daughter has seen the same pediatrician since she was born (10 years). I wonder if it's a red flag that their practice is changing.

I appreciate everyone's input. It made me realize that pediatricians do provide special care... and may be experts on puberty... which is what her next phase will be. I know her doctor asks her questions, makes her feel important, and explains things in a way that a child can understand.

Thank you

jlw2505

My kids are almost 4 (in March) and 5 1/2 and they see a pediatrician.  I will keep my kids at the pedi until someplace in their teens.  At some point, they will both start seeing the OB (what age for that will depend on a lot of things - not sure what age they say to start doing paps and all that).  I mainly see my OB even though I am done having kids as I am really comfy with her but I do have an internal med doc that I see for things that are outside the OB spec but for my annual, I go to the OB and she does some overall checks and I also see my allergist annually.  Once my kids are in their teens, they will switch to an internal med doc.  Pedi are trained to deal with kids and kids are different in adults.  The office is set up for kids, has kids books, toys, etc.  Once they are teens and fully grown, I don't think seeing a pedi is a must.  If you are in a small town, I would do an internal med doc if you don't have many choices.  My clinic is part of a large system and my office has about 5-6 peds and NP and I really all but 1 of them so can get in pretty fast when needed and I typically call about 2-3 months to do the kids well visits and have never had an issue getting in.