To interview or not- (pediatrician)

Chick7806 · September 2010

Is it absolutely essential to interview multiple pediatricians? DH and I are planning on going with a friend's recommendation. We will of course call and get set up with the doctor before the baby's birth, but I'm not planning on interviewing anyone, per se.

We are new parents and aren't exactly sure of everything that we want. We always figure we can change soon after she's born if need be.

What's 3rd tri's opinion on this matter? TIA. : ))

sillypit · September 2010

We only met with one pediatrician. I think it's important to meet and interview the doctor but if you feel comfortable with them then I don't see a reason to interview more.

wife1014 · September 2010

If you don't have any major concerns or any particular questions, then no.

[Deleted User] · September 2010

We are planning on going to our family doc - a naturopath - so we won't be doing any interviewing.

IF we didn't have her, I'm not sure that I'd really want to interview a bunch of people either. Most kids are fairly simple & uncomplicated, so why not try them out like your own doc? Go with a recommendation form a trusted person & make sure their style works for you.

That being said, if your child has been diagnosed with complications in utero or after the birth, that's an entirely different scenario and I send special kudos & blessings to ladies/families dealing with that.

NicoleWI · September 2010

We had hardly any choices since we knew we wanted a particular location. Didn't interview and picked someone on vague info from a couple sources but we really, really like her. It worked out.

IF we'd had tons of options I might have worked harder on the research end.

Chick7806 · September 2010

heckysue:
I would always want to at least meet the doctor. You can tell a lot in 10 minutes about if they genuinely care, take time, and are willing to explaing things etc. Other than that I think a lot of it depends on you...if you're planning anything unusual/uncommon or expecting that LO might have a special condition or needs, then I would want to make sure your ped was on board. Like if they're ok with an alternative vax schedule etc. if that's what you plan.
But if you're just looking for standard pediatric care then I agree that as long as you get a good impression of your dr, you'll likely get a feel for your ped if there's something you don't like, and can go pediatrician shopping at that point. Most of the standard stuff is the same from one practice to the other, and the rest depends on if it's important to you. Do you want to be sure you only see YOUR doctor and not another in the practice or are you flexible? Is it important that they have an after-hours nurse line or do you have other resources if something happens with LO at night?
If those things don't matter that much, chances are which doctor you see won't be as important either.

TY! This is some good advice/info. : ))

djfacemachine · September 2010

I'm not interviewing. A trusted friend highly recommended the doctor and she's been her children's pediatrician for 18 years. I also looked up the doctor online and found even more glowing patient reviews. I figure if I just hate the doctor for some weird reason, I can always switch.

happyhoopla · September 2010

We know which pediatrician we want to go with (based on recommendations and because my job allows me access to see how different doctors work). However, we still wanted to do an interview with him just so we could learn how the office fuctioned and what to expect when it came to her care. However, if you can't do interviews, I wouldn't stress over it. It's not like you are locked in on the doctor you pick now....if you don't like him/her, you can always change after LO arrives.

JulietL129 · September 2010

We're not interviewing. We found a practice near our home which was recommended by our OB and 2 friends who take their children there. The big seller for me was evening hours and weekend hours, which is nice just in case there is something that comes up. If for some reason I don't like them after the first visit, I have no problems finding another one and giving them a shot.

fit4ever1379 · September 2010

Im interviewing a Pedi on Wednesday to make sure we like her and find out the office procedures etc...

jamiemsmith · September 2010

I agree with Heckysue's advice. I know who I'm using... he's my nephew and niece's Ped. I already know his viewpoints and trust my sister's judgement. I am, however, meeting with him, just so I can put a name with a face and he can as well. I also just want to check his personality.

LovesMM · September 2010

fit4ever1379:
Im interviewing a Pedi on Wednesday to make sure we like her and find out the office procedures etc...

Can ya shrink the siggy a little? I know the bump is usually generous with not bashing size but that's a little.... BIG!

Chick7806 · September 2010

LovesMM:
fit4ever1379:
Im interviewing a Pedi on Wednesday to make sure we like her and find out the office procedures etc...
Can ya shrink the siggy a little? I know the bump is usually generous with not bashing size but that's a little.... BIG!

GIGANTIC. Yikes! : ))

DaisyCakes18 · September 2010

We only met with one because ours also came recommended to us. The office does a monthly prenatal meeting where one of the docs gives a little presentation/slide show and answers questions for a group rather than a 1:1 interview. I think if you get a good vibe from the first one you meet, then there's not really a need to interview more. The practice we chose is pretty good-sized so we will probably ask to see different doctors at each visit until we find the one we like the most (though the one we met at the meeting we really liked). If they all suck, we'll just find another practice then.

mb1210 · September 2010

We are interveiwing a ped on Friday mostly just to meet them ahead of time. They are the only office that actually has rights at the hospital we are going to, so unless we absolutely hate them, we will be using them. That way, just in case our little girl ends up in the hospital then she can see the same doctor who she knows and who knows her. I thought about not even meeting them ahead of time, but wanted to at least know who they were before we deliver.

canthardlywait426 · September 2010

flgirl79:
Schick'sChick:
LovesMM:
fit4ever1379:
Im interviewing a Pedi on Wednesday to make sure we like her and find out the office procedures etc...
Can ya shrink the siggy a little? I know the bump is usually generous with not bashing size but that's a little.... BIG!
GIGANTIC. Yikes! : ))
Yeah it is a little annoying when a siggy takes up my entire screen and then some.
To answer the OP's question, we didn't interview our pediatrician. He came recommended and we met him for the first time when DD was born and he was doing his rounds at the hospital. I love our pedi.

That siggy is huge. Nevermind the grossly oversized pictures, there is also WAY too much info in there.

HappyMommy28 · September 2010

We are not interviewing anyone. I personally feel that Pediatritians - or any doctor - can look good during an interview. For me - the interview will be when dealing with LO. That's when I'll know whose right.

torii · September 2010

We met with one pediatrician in July based off a close friend's recommendation. Honestly, I was 99% sure we were going to choose him just based off my friend since she also rec'd my OBGYN. The moment we met the doctor, my DH could not STAND the guy. He was arrogant and rubbed us the wrong way all over. Had I not interviewed him, I would have had no idea!

Tonight we went to a meet and greet for a different practice and were able to question the pedi after. I am so glad we didn't pick the first guy, because after tonight, I know we made a good choice regarding our DD's care.

I hope that helps.

JoJoMama730 · September 2010

laurasusan:
I'm going with a friend's recommendation as well and am not interviewing. I trust my friend's experience, so I don't think it's necessary.

Ditto here

AllSmiles1210 · September 2010

We are not interviewing but only because I worked with a couple groups in the area and got to know them pretty well. The deciding factor to me was what hospital they want you to go to if something were wrong. We have 2 hosiptals that are pretty close and one of them I would not want to take my baby to if there was an emergency or if she was really sick. So we picked the one who prefers the better hosiptal.

mavs_girl07 · September 2010

Well, this is lo #2 for us so he'll just be going to DD's pedi who we absolutely love! But IMO, interviews are really unnecessary. You won't know how good or bad a pedi is until they actually get their hands on your baby. You also never know how good/bad they are until you have very real concerns and can actually see how they respond to those concerns. Plus if you start to get a bad vibe or something, it's always very easy to switch.

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