How to Find the Best Doctors for Your Family
We all know the adage ‘good help is hard to find’. Should this apply to your child’s paediatrician as well? I think not. There are thousands of excellent ‘best doctors’. They are waiting to be found!
There are thousands of excellent paediatricians. They are waiting to be found!
I think when you are looking for the best doctors for your child you want to consider a few things:
- What kind of parent are you? Are you relaxed and easy going? Are you stressed and neurotic? This matters. You may want to choose a physician that is like you. Or some people like their physician to be opposite, to be reassuring and nurturing when they are stressed and nervous. In either case, make sure you found your ‘personality match’
- How do you feel about vaccinations? Are you planning on doing all of them? Some? Planning a delayed vaccination schedule? Many docs have a firm opinion on this and you should know if they do.
- How accessible is your paediatrician? If you child is unwell can you be seen that day? Or is your doc booked solid and you’ll have to go to a walk-in or emergency room for simple illnesses
- Does your paediatrician have sick visits throughout the day, or only at designated periods? Some offices have AM and late PM sick visit appointments, and no availability during the middle of the day for sick calls. Consider which style may work well for your family.
- How long does your paediatrician book for each visit? Some book 5min per patient, some book 30 min. 5 min may suit your needs perfectly, others want a long visit.
- Consider how long you are willing to wait to be seen. Many physicians run behind. 30-60 minutes behind is commonplace. Are you willing to wait to see your doc if they are ‘that good’?
There are thousands of excellent paediatricians (fancy term for a doctor that trained for 4 years in the health of children). They are waiting to be found!
Essentially it is all about priorities. No doc is perfect, we all have our flaws. The trick is to balance what is most important for your family.
Happy searching!
Dina is a wife, mother of 4, and adrenaline junky. She loves to share children’s health information from her professional and personal experience. More About Dr Dina.
