Finding a pediatrician

roundthree24 · January 2014

Ok so I never look at TB's checklists because they stress me out, but just for the heck of it I was scrolling through all the things they suggested I should have done by now. One of them is to "Start interviewing pediatricians." Has anybody done this? Do you ACTUALLY go interview them? If so, how does that even work?? Do you make an appointment? If so, do they charge you for the appointment? Was it helpful to do this? I feel so weird interviewing a doctor, I don't even know where to start. I think I'm going to wait a couple more weeks to actually do this but it's been on my mind recently.

snowpants · January 2014

Talk to local friends/family who have kids and get recommendations. Or post on a local FB page asking parents for their experiences good and bad. It's a good way to at least get started.

For me, I have family who took their toddler to a local pediatrician office and highly recommended them. I had assumed I would just take DD to the same clinic I went to (a generic HealthPartners clinic) but decided to check them out and they happened to have an open house the summer I was pregnant so it was really easy for me to meet them and get info. I LOVE them. I cannot tell you how happy I am going to a smaller, private, locally run pediatrician's office with three amazing doctors, fantastic nurses, and a kickass staff who know us all by name and are excellent. I wish I could go there because I like them so much better than my own clinic! Too bad I'm old. They take our insurance so cost wise it's no different than if we had gone to the bigger clinic, but I feel the quality of care is so much better.

Good luck!

owlcup · January 2014

Do you know anyone who could give you recommendations?

I never interviewed. We just use a family practice doctor.

Kinipela7 · January 2014

I'm going to ask for a recommendation from my neighbor and I think I will take her word for it as long as it's close to home and the reviews online are good as well. I don't really feel the need to actually interview them, but we will see.

LindsayDesigner · January 2014

I knew that we wouldn't be in our town permanently so when we moved I asked on Facebook. I'm really happy with our decision, our pediatrician is wonderful!

kjef11 · January 2014

I asked my neighbors who they suggested. Then I called and scheduled a meeting. There was no charge and it was more of a get to know you and not an interview. You want to make sure you are comfortable with the dr. You can get a sense of how the office is and the staff. How long did you wait in the waiting room? Is there a separate room for sick and well kids? If you have a certain schedule you want to follow with immunizations, do they agree with schedule. My daughter was born with gastroschisis so I wanted to make sure that her dr. knew what it was and would be able to handle it.

robbinrl · January 2014

I googled and checked reviews online when we were picking one for DD. I went with a large practice that had 3 locations that would all be doable if necessary. Important for me was good hours and they rotated evening and weekend hours at each location. Most pediatricians have specific introduction appointments that are no cost and we did do that somewhere around 30 wks. I didn't love the pediatrician we met but really liked the practice in general.

I think meeting them ahead of time is good especially if you have strong opinions in some areas (bfing, vaccines, etc.) and if that doctor will be the one evaluating the baby in the hospital (I think this depends on the area/hospital).

hollygb22 · January 2014

i went off friend recs. I had it narrowed down to two practices. We did interview our pediatrician and honestly..it was awkward and felt like a waste. We were basically given a tour of the office and she sat with us for 10 minutes about questions we had. I didn't have many (maybe if I had more it would've been worth it)

One big thing...I did call both practices...the staff at one was sort of rude on the phone and that impression lasted with me. When you call and have questions, you deal with the staff and nurses alot. I'm glad we went with the practice we're at. They're awesome at dealing with my phone calls and if the doc isn't available they have a fantastic nurse practitioner that typically calls me back in a half hour to answer my questions about rashes, temps etc.

flerlgirl · January 2014

We didn't get ours until right before DS came home from the hospital, so right around his due date. I didn't interview him; my sister also uses him and highly recommended him. I talked to the receptionist for a while about some questions about their policies and some special considerations we needed for DS. They were very helpful and it sounded like they got these same questions a lot so they were all very informed. Just ask around to see who your friends/family use and do a little research! And remember that if you don't like your pedi, you can always switch.

hehlke09 · January 2014

I asked friends who they recommended, but I decided that I would wait and meet the doctor who was on call at the hospital when my DS1 was born…and if I liked him/her I would just go with it. Turns out I LOVED him and he is still our doctor 3.5 years later.

roundthree24 · January 2014

This is all great insight, thanks guys! I would ask around but we just moved to this city a month ago, so I don't have many mom friends to talk to yet

I do have an Angie's list account so I think I might start there just to get some names.

Also good points about the office staff, lactation specialists, and nurses!

MrsCase1 · January 2014

I did interview our pediatrician. Doing so is so commonplace now that most pedis have an open house every month where you can go meet them and their staff, pick their brains about preferences, etc.

At the one we chose, there were several doctors on staff. We liked them all but clicked with one in particular. That wouldn't have happened had we just gone off our insurance approved list.

MSUMands · January 2014

Honestly, the only pediatricians that were recommended to me where really far away. I basically mapped out which ones where closest, and looked at reviews online. The only that is REALLY close had good reviews online, so we RSVP'ed to a "Meet the Doctor" night. It was a great way to get to know them. The most informative part of the interview was when a BSC anti-vaccination woman literally started screaming at the doctors and asking why they were ok with giving babies poison. I don't even think she was pregnant, just a whack job that went to meet the doctor nights in the area to scare other parents. All the doctors in the practice seemed unfazed and totally cool, backed up their views with science (imagine that) and statistics. We were really impressed and appreciated their level-headedness in a stressful situational. We decided to go to that doctor, and have been relatively happy there.

MrsCase1 · January 2014

MSUMands said:

Honestly, the only pediatricians that were recommended to me where really far away. I basically mapped out which ones where closest, and looked at reviews online. The only that is REALLY close had good reviews online, so we RSVP'ed to a "Meet the Doctor" night. It was a great way to get to know them. The most informative part of the interview was when a BSC anti-vaccination woman literally started screaming at the doctors and asking why they were ok with giving babies poison. I don't even think she was pregnant, just a whack job that went to meet the doctor nights in the area to scare other parents. All the doctors in the practice seemed unfazed and totally cool, backed up their views with science (imagine that) and statistics. We were really impressed and appreciated their level-headedness in a stressful situational. We decided to go to that doctor, and have been relatively happy there.

@MSUMands our pedi is like this. He is a cool as a cucumber always. He DOES have a good bedside manner but the primary reason we love him is because he is a mad scientist and SO smart. NO matter what issue I raise, he has heard of it. On the two occasions he hasn't, he has researched and called me himself with his findings. I can comfort my child, I just need him as the expert in all things science.

KeyLime81 · January 2014

I would just ask around for recommendations.

Keep in mind that the office is sometimes just as important as the doctor. Do the office hours work with your schedule? Do they have a nurse line you can call when they're closed? What would you do if you had a weekend concern? How many drs/nurse practitioners are on staff? (important during cold and flu season when you just want to see SOMEONE).

Don't be afraid to consider family practices too. We see a family dr and he's great. It's a big office, they have a lab right there, and they have a nurse practitioner that specializes just in pediatrics.

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