Week 30 ~ Interview Pediatricians

One of the most important things you will need to do before you deliver is hire a pediatrician. You may be wondering where and how you will get this list of perspective doctors to interview, but your best resources are actually right around you. For starters, your OB will most likely have a few names that they like to recommend. Sometimes these names are their own patients or sometimes they are their colleagues that are affiliated with the same hospital. Another great source is the people around you. If you are talking to someone that has children ask them who they use. People tend to love sharing stories about their doctors. They will be more than happy to tell you what they like or do not like about their own pediatrician and then either horror stories about other pediatricians or stories about fabulous ones. It is important to always remember to look at the list of pediatricians provided by your insurance company. This will be an easy way to narrow down your list. When I went to interview pediatricians, I had a final list of four. I felt that this was a nice round number and I would be able to get a good comparison of their different styles if I met with more than just one or two.

Before going on your pediatrician interview, make sure you have a list of questions for them. They do not have time to sit around while you think of questions on the spot. You will also get much more out of your meeting if you have your list prepared. I have put together for you the questions I had prepared before my own pediatrician interviews. This will be a good starting point for you but by all means add your own questions regarding issues that are important to you. When you call the pediatrician’s office, tell them that you are an expecting mother looking to interview pediatricians. Many offices reserve specific hours or days of the week for interview appointments. You should not have to pay for this interview appointment. Most offices will ask you when the baby is due. They do not like to give interview appointments too far in advance. I found that all four of the doctors that I interviewed would not see me until I was within 8 weeks of my due date.

At the interview, you will probably notice that the pediatrician already has a well thought out statement that they have clearly retold many times. They usually start out the interview with their practice overview and then tell you that you can ask your questions when they have finished. This statement will in many cases answer all your prepared questions. In my opinion, this is one sign of a very well prepared doctor. Here are some of my questions that I wanted answered before making my final decision:

• What are the office hours? Are there any days that the office is open late? Are there weekend hours?
• Does the pediatrician have call-in hours for general questions?
• Does the pediatrician handle the entire well-baby and sick-baby visit or is it handled by a nurse?
• What is the pediatrician’s view on breast feeding?
• How many doctors are in the practice? In an emergency, if one pediatrician is not available will the others back them up with appointments?
• If the pediatrician works alone, who fills in when they are on vacation or off-duty?
• Are there separate healthy-baby and sick-baby waiting rooms at the practice?
• What is the usual amount of time a patient has to wait before getting called in for their appointment?
• How many days a week is the pediatrician in the office seeing patients?
• Which hospital(s) is the pediatrician affiliated with?
• Is there a lab in the office? If not, where does your child go for blood work etc?
• Are the pediatrician and the other doctors in the practice all Board-Certified?
• Is the office equipped to deal with emergencies? If not, what is the protocol in the event of an emergency?

This list should get you started or at least help you come up with some of your own questions. Make sure you take a good look around the office in general during your interview. Is the waiting room clean, bright and cheery? Are there toys for the kids to play with? Also, is the pediatrician’s personal office clean? To me, this was an important detail. If the doctor seems to be disorganized or dirty, these traits may also carry along to the way they handle their work and patients. Choosing a pediatrician is a huge decision. This will be your go-to person for the next 18 years or so, for many issues dealing with your pride and joy. You must have a comfortable relationship with this person because many times they will be the one you turn to for answers. If you feel intimidated or uncomfortable for any reason around this person, this is not the doctor for you. In the first few months of your baby’s life you will have so many questions that need answers and you will probably be speaking to this person at least once a week so choose wisely!!