Choosing a pediatrician
Yesterday, we went to an interview with Dr. R. Just like M and V from the group said, she was superb! There were three other women at the interview. Fortunately for us, one women came with a list of questions about many things: bottles, breastfeeding, pacifiers, immunization, HPV screening policies, etc… She even had a question about circumcision, and she is having a daughter!
For us, it was important that we get a female doctor (since we are having a daughter) with a sunny disposition, open-mindedness, and good training. The number of years at practice was not too important.
We found out that she went to Yale (where my husband went) and her parents went to UCR (where I am). That was the icing on the cake. We had another interview set up with another doctor in two weeks, but cancelled it and decided to go with Dr. R.
Are you looking for a pediatrician? Do you already have one? What factors are(were) important in your decision?
4 Responses to “Choosing a pediatrician”
We went with our family GP for the kids. He is in solo practice, does cradle to grave (so he treats the whole family), and is very no-nonsense but also extremely compassionate. He’s a rare find, and about two minutes from our home.
I’m curious why you wanted a female doctor for your daughter. I have a son and a daughter but when I had my son the gender of the doctor didn’t factor in to my decision. I am not questioning your choice at all, just wondering.
By Kim on Sep 15, 2007
The thought never crossed my mind either, until I was talking to another mom in my group who shared that when she was growing up, her pediatrician was an old man, and at some point (around puberty) she started to feel uncomfortable going to him for her annual check-ups. (Not that the pediatrician did anything to make her feel uncomfortable at all. She was just being a shy pubescent girl.) After listening to her story, I thought that it made sense.
By Sang-Hee on Sep 16, 2007
Like you, I wanted a female pediatrician for my daughter. (Also for similar reasons the mom in your group mentioned; I went to a male as a child, and he kind of gave me the creeps and I couldn’t really talk to him.)
Anyhow, the one thing I’d consider with your pediatrician is finding someone who is also a parent/has a child. While I like my pediatrician and feel she is competent, she’s also very “by the book.” She’s not a parent (yet), and I think sometimes she doesn’t get that kids don’t always do things “by the book.”
Anyhow, just a thought.
By maisie on Oct 4, 2007
Thanks for the tip! Our pediatrician is young, single, non-parent. We’ll look out for too much adhering to “what the book says.”
By Sang-Hee on Oct 5, 2007