Finding a New Pediatrician: 5 Things to Look for During Your Doctor Search

By: Christine Cox, The Choosy Mommy

There are many reasons why parents choose to find a new Pediatrician. Most of the time your search starts when you find out you are pregnant and need to select who your child will see for the next 18 years for medical care. Sometimes it is because you just don’t mesh well with the doctor you chose and you are opting to look for another provider. But in my case, it is because my Pediatrician is retiring. Now it is time to start my search all over again and I’d like to share with you how I am going about this process.

I didn’t start seeing my current Pediatrician until this past year. I had horrible previous experiences at another office with various doctors and was just not happy with the customer service side of care (ex: waiting over an hour for an appointment is just not fun with a toddler). I asked my local mom friends who they see and I was recommended to give my current doctor a try. Her office is literally 5 minutes from my house, I love how she always came into the room with a smile, answered all of my questions, and the big thing was that Capri instantly liked her. She even pretends to be this doctor when she plays doctor’s office at home. Plus, she has been seeing Cam since he was born too, which as you may remember, he was premature so we saw our doctor more often than normal and she helped me through a lot with him.

But now I have to find a new doctor and I am sad. There are others within the group that I am going to give a try since I love that it is so close to home. The list below is what I will be using to determine if the new doctor(s) we see will be our go-to Pediatrician or if I have to go to a whole new practice:

1. Male versus Female: Capri has always seen a female doctor. It was kind of by chance to be honest, but I feel like anytime she has to see a male doctor due to the female not being available when we were, she did worse at her appointment. This might make a big difference in how your child acts during a checkup too!
2. Wait Times: I understand that doctor’s offices get backed up, but there is no reason for me to wait over an hour for a simple checkup, even worse if my child is sick and miserable. At my current Pediatrician’s office, I have never waited longer than 2 minutes to be seen. That is quite unheard of so I am hoping that our next doctor doesn’t make me wait long or I’ll be moving on.
3. Happiness During Our Appointment: Listen, I know that people have bad days, but if someone is a grump every time I see them and just does not seem to enjoy working with kids, then I am not going to expose my child to that environment. My doctor needs to come in the room smiling, happy to see my child. Or if children are sick, the doctor needs to show sympathy for their illness. Kids react to the moods of others.
4. Answers All of My Questions: I am not one who asks a ton of questions, but if I do, I want the doctor to answer them and not be rushing out of the room because my 15 minutes are up. I am paying them for my appointment, so if I have questions related to my child’s health, then I expect them to be answered right then and there.
5. Has Longevity with the Group: I want my kids to build a relationship with their Pediatrician. I like that they will know who they are going to see when they are sick or just for a checkup, and not see this  person as a stranger to be feared. It is so much easier when I can remind them how great the last visit with the doctor was and that they don’t have to be scared.

Additionally, check out this website from healthychildren.org that shares information on how to find the names of qualified pediatricians and more interview questions.

Have you ever had to make a doctor switch? What tips can you share with me to make my search easier?


About the Author: Christine Cox is the blog master for Choosy Kids. She has always had a passion for writing and is honored to contribute her work to this blog. Most of her writing inspiration comes from her daughter, Capri, who is fun-loving and full of energy, and newborn son Cam. Click here to learn more about Christine.