Rude to ask to take a pediatrics clinic tour/meet the doctor?

SerenityAE · August 2014

Apparently its very inconsiderate of me to call a well-established pediatrics clinic and ask to take a prenatal tour and to meet the doctor.

This particular place has listed on their website they offer prenatal tours that give parents a chance to check out the facility, ask questions, and meet the doctors. They also have rave reviews on their facebook page and the online listings.

However I was informed by a very bored sounding receptionist they no longer offer tours and if I want to meet the doctor I had to wait until my baby is born and schedule a first appointment. So I just have to take a wild gamble on a doctor for my infant and hope that we are on the same page/have same views once I get there.

Is anyone else having trouble finding a pediatrician that they like? Or in my case...can even MEET?

>:P

bombe4 · August 2014

Wow, that is terrible!

I don't know if it's a regional thing, but I never got any pushback when asking if I could schedule a tour and meet the doctors at any facility I chose. While yes you do not have to stick with that doctor for the rest of your life, they do handle your baby's care in those vital first few weeks. Finding a new doctor when your baby is a newborn is not fun. Plus, who has time to do that while taking care of a newborn???

I'd seriously look elsewhere, unless you could get a personal reference from a friend.

kimba1976 · August 2014

Completely not an unreasonable request! Maybe I got lucky in finding a practice that routinely schedules pre-natal meetings and tours. I wanted to find a pediatrician that we would stick with for years and did a lot of research in advance. I found the prenatal meeting to be extremely helpful, as I had not idea what to expect once baby was born. Newborns have a lot of doctor's appointments in the beginning, so you want to find someone you're comfortable with.

I agree with @Ainslie325 - if they can't make 15 minutes to meet with you now, you're probably in for spending a LOT of time in the waiting room in the future.

SerenityAE · August 2014

They have it listed on their website in multiple places that they offer prenatal tours and a meet and greet with the doctors.

From my understanding they wont do rounds to the hospitals either for newborns. We have to let the hospital assign one of their own doctors to my little man. Which is fine with me, but most ped clinics (at least around here) do hospital rounds.

SerenityAE · August 2014

I'm going to look elsewhere, I really had liked this up until this point. I had a lot of questions to ask- mainly ABOUT the first appointment.

I would like to have a place that takes time to make me comfortable with what to expect when I bring a tiny little human in their offices.

Fossegirl1228 · August 2014

My mom works for a pediatrician (the one I will also be using) and they encourage their patients to take a tour and meet the doctors before the baby is born.

drpayne · August 2014

Definitely a regional thing. I think it's a weird request, personally. Doctors are busy- 15 minutes is a long time out of their day. You aren't stuck with the doctor. You can change if you don't like him/her, just like with any other healthcare professional. That said, I know the "interviews" are somewhat common in certain areas and they should keep their website updated. I also think they should put enough FAQ info on the website that you can make a pretty informed decision regarding whether the practice is a good fit (vaccination policies, sick child vs well child areas etc.).

marriedinaugust · August 2014

I did not interview our pedi but he was the pedi for several of my friends and was in the same practice as the pedi I took the kids I nannied for to. That said, if I had called to ask for a consultation and been told no I would have looked elsewhere. Every OB/Midwife/Pedi in my area does consultations.

drpayne · August 2014

Also, did you infer they found you rude/inconsiderate just because they told you they don't offer this there?

SerenityAE · August 2014

drpayne said:

Also, did you infer they found you rude/inconsiderate just because they told you they don't offer this there?

No. I didn't tell the clinic I thought one way or another about them, I asked my questions and when the receptionist (who WAS rude, but I didn't tell her that) told me she wasn't going to help me, I said thanks and that was the end of the call.

SerenityAE · August 2014

This practice has one of the highest rated ped doctors in the area, I would really like my son to be able to see him, but I don't want to deal with rude staff like the one I "met" on the phone.

So will I rule out this place? No. But will I consider other options? Yes.

mlee116 · August 2014

IamInigoMontoya said:

This is honestly something I've only heard about on the Bump. I've always just relied on recommendations from people I trust. I loved DS' pediatrician before we moved from MA. He was my nephews' pedi and since my sister and I have similar concerns/parenting styles, I knew she'd be a good fit. I chose our new pedi in NJ based on a recommendation from another friend who I trust completely.

Me too. I also relied a lot on word of mouth and have found very good pedis that way. Yes, it's nice if you can tour and meet the doctor, but you really won't know how they are unless you talk to other people who've actually used them or gone to see them for a few real appointments once your baby is here.

brittandjp · August 2014

This isn't very common in my area, so I opted out when researching pedis for DD. I know some highly rated doctors are in such high demand that you need to book several months out (our current pedi is like this).

So, I decided to use friend referrals and researching the doctors I was interested in We found a pedi that we LOVE. She's seriously incredible and the reviews/recommendations described her to a T. Like I said, she's a top pedi here in AZ, so I schedule my well visits like 3 months in advance. However, I've also never had to wait more than 24 hours to see her if there was something I was concerned about or if DD has been sick.

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