Is your pedi awesome, or just so-so?

missfire · September 2009

I have to find a new pediatrician for DS. His first pedi (who has moved away) was a naturopathic pediatrician and was absolutely amazing -- we had her home number and cell number, she would open the office for us in the evenings if needed, and she even made house calls when DS was an infant. She spent lots of time talking to us about nutrition, development, etc., and helped us weigh options like when to vaccinate, how to choose safe products, etc. A tough act to follow.

So, I called the big pediatrics office at the medical center I go to. They are open M-F 8-6 only, of course. The receptionist said they schedule appointments 1-2 weeks out (although I'm sure they somehow account for emergencies like ear infections). And I just got a very institutional vibe.

Maybe our first pedi has just ruined me for other pedis, but -- do you have a pedi who goes above & beyond? I'm wondering if I should keep searching for someone fabulous or if that doesn't typically exist.

KNS_61805 · September 2009

I love dd's pedi, but she isn't as amazing as the pedi you described!?

MrsKellyOrBust · September 2009

My pedi is just so-so. Nothing in particular, I just don't loooove him like I hear so many other people say they love theirs. I've tried to switch but getting a non-newborn accepted is next to impossible. I do my research and am very assertive when it comes to DS's health so having a so-so pedi is ok with me.

franciscaz · September 2009

My first was REALLY the best in Las Vegas. Our current one is So-So. B/c of that I'm changing again. I don't want to settle, especially w/my premies.

Toni1019 · September 2009

I love my pedi but hate her office staff. She does not go above and beyond though. Your first Pedi sounds amazing. My doctors office wont even answer a question over the phone. Even if I ask is this fever too high? They wont respond they want me to pay our copay and bring the kid in

djandkellen · September 2009

My first pedi was the institutional like the one you just called. I found my current pedi and LOVE LOVE LOVE her! We're moving far enough away to where it would not be convenient to continue going to her so I must find a new one. I've asked her for recommendations and have gotten a couple. I hope that they are as awesome as her!

My point is, I would keep looking for the perfect pedi! Is it possible for you to call your old pedi and ask her who she'd recommend?

Good luck!

VTbride05 · September 2009

Ours is awesome. The best.

Shell24 · September 2009

We go to a practice with multiple doctors. I like a few of them, but there is one that I LOVE. He's very patient, informative and open to our questions and thoughts. Same as yours, can talk about different products and vaccines, etc., but I wouldn't consider him a naturoathic pedi by any means.

You might be hard pressed to find a doc like the one you had, although they may be more prevalent in that part of the country (just culture wise).

I'm sure the receptionist was just talking about regular well visits...our pedi has sick visits every day, you just call that morning to schedule. Our practice also has weekend hours and is open past 6. That I'm surprised about, that they don't at least have 1-2 late days.

We certainly do not have, nor need, our pedi's home and cell numbers. We can call the office and one of them will be paged (I'm sure they have an on call rotating schedule). I hope you either find someone like your old pedi or can learn to deal with a different mentality!

Shell24 · September 2009

Toni1019:

My doctors office wont even answer a question over the phone. Even if I ask is this fever too high? They wont respond they want me to pay our copay and bring the kid in

Are you serious??? That's crazy! I was at the grocery store once and couldn't remember if my DD could have fish yet, and if so, which ones, so I called about it. I couldn't imagine not being able to call about a fever.

raya · September 2009

I like ours enough, but I don't think he's fantastic. He is hot though, and that helps LOL! But really, he's the 3rd I've been to since M was born and no one knocked my socks off, so I think that maybe I'm just a tad hard to please. DH would LOVE to hear me say that!

AmyDrinkie · September 2009

I've never used a doctor of any type that gave patients their home/cell numbers or made house calls. Other than that, my pedi is awesome - he's very reassuring and laid back. His office staff leaves a lot to be desired though, and I intend to talk to him about it at Ian's next appt.

cess525 · September 2009

I love ours. Granted he is not as awesome as yours but he is very helpful. Some of that might be due to the fact that my family has been seeing his family for years...and years...and years. My mom was a patient of his father and my older brothers started with his father then moved to DD's current doctor when his father retired. The rest of us started with him as we were born. Now all of our babies (neices and DD) go to see him. Since there is the added bonus of knowing him for so long I don't know what other parents think of him but we love him.

Spin313 · September 2009

It will probably be very hard for you to find someone as special as your first pediatrician.

I love our ped office, but they don't do a lot of the things you mentioned. They are open Saturday mornings for sick patients only and they have an after hours answering service.

1MusicMaker · September 2009

I love my pedi because he is very knowledgeable, kind, and knows his current research.

However, he doesn't make house calls, I don't have his cell phone or email addy, and he only sticks to office hours.

Tess12 · September 2009

We have a family doctor who sounds like your pedi (except for the naturopathic part). He is very accessible and appts are not rushed. He spends a lot of time talking through things. He also makes house calls, but we've never had to utilize that service.

Google Ideal Medical Practice and your city and see if anything comes up. There's not a lot of these practices yet, but they are patient-centered and a lot like what you describe. I think for the most part they are family doctors, not pedis, but I could be wrong.

Tess12 · September 2009

This is not my doctor, but this is example of what I'm talking about. The website explains it pretty well.

https://www.carepractice.com/about.html

jillybean222 · September 2009

Ours is pretty good - no house calls, but very convenient office hours (open all weekends and holidays) and same-day sick visits are never an issue. I bring long lists of questions and our doc takes the time to answer every single question. She can be somewhat wishy-washy when I ask about something "controversial" but I can deal with that...usually I have looked into it and made up my mind about the issue beforehand anyway.

Jays-n-Shane · September 2009

I love our pedi. She is fantastic. She made the push to get DD's apnea and reflux testing done last year and whenever DD is in urgent care or we have to call the after hours line, I get an email from her the next day checking in.

flgator · September 2009

I love ours. He is old school and has been a pedi for about 45 years. All of my doctors go to him with their kids. He's laid back and usually gives us hugs when the appt is over. He called us for 3 nights in a row when DS wasn't feeling well.

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