If you’re pregnant with your first baby, you’re probably in the market for a pediatrician.
Don’t do what I did, which is find the nearest practice to my house, pull up the website and play “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” through the bios. Thankfully, I was very lucky and love my kids’ pediatrician! But, really, you should do your homework.
Here are some questions you should ask potential pediatricians to make sure you find the right fit for your new arrival:
1. Are you board certified?
You want to make sure your pediatrician’s education is, first of all, completed, and, second, that any necessary continuing education is up to date. The easiest way to do that, said Dr. John La Count, a pediatrician with St. Elizabeth Physicians’ Florence office, is by asking if they’re board certified, which requires physicians to complete a certain amount of continuing education.
2. With which hospital is your practice affiliated?
Your pediatrician’s practice should be affiliated with an appropriate hospital, such as Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, La Count said.
3. Are you accessible?
It’s important to find a pediatrician or practice that offers appointments at times that work with your schedule.
“Flexibility is the key component for most families,” La Count said.
Many practices extend their hours during peak illness seasons, so people won’t have to wait to be seen.
Equally as important, make sure your child will be able to be seen by the same pediatrician for most of his or her appointments. Sure, if your child is coming in because of an illness, you might need to go to a different pediatrician at the same practice. But for well-child appointments, you shouldn’t have a problem getting him or her into the same doctor.
4. Will you involve me in the decision-making process?
At the end of the day, La Count stressed, the parents are the consumer when it comes to a child’s pediatrician.
“You’re the one with the power,” he said. “We’re trying to serve you, not the other way around. If at any point you’re dissatisfied, you need to tell your pediatrician so he or she can have the opportunity to correct whatever it is you believe is wrong, but if it isn’t corrected, there are other practitioners you can see.”
Bottom line: Your belief system should mesh with the pediatrician’s. You should be able to ask questions and feel included in the process.
Only then, after all the interviews are over, if there are still a few contenders in the mix and you can’t decide, the “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” method couldn’t hurt.
