How to choose a pediatrician

Becoming a first time parent is very exciting. It's a time filled with anticipation, but it can also create a bit of anxiety.

There's so much to do to get ready for your new arrival. Along with considering baby names and buying a crib, choosing a pediatrician should be on your to-do list, too.

Infants and children have very different needs from adults, both physical and emotional. Pediatricians are specially trained to prevent and manage the unique health problems of infants, children, teens, and young adults.

To become a pediatrician, a doctor must take special courses for three or more years after medical school. This is called a pediatric residency. To become board certified, a pediatrician must pass a written examination given by the American Board of Pediatrics. To keep current on changes in children's health care, pediatricians must recertify by taking examinations every seven years. They also must take a certain number of continuing medical education (CME) courses each year to be eligible for license renewal in the state in which they practice. These are good things to know as you begin your search. Taking these few extra steps will help you to choose a pediatrician that you and your child can develop a growing relationship with. It's like homework, in the end, you'll be much wiser.

• Begin your search for a pediatrician
• How to interview potential pediatricians
• Interview questions
• Preparing for the unexpected

When do you begin your search for a pediatrician?

Your search for a doctor should begin well before your baby's due date. Babies often come early and you'll want to be sure you've found someone whose style and personality work with your own.

A good time to start your search is about 3 months before your baby's expected. If you're in a managed health care plan, your choice of participating doctors who provide primary care for children may be limited, so be sure to check the plan's online list because paper lists can quickly become outdated.

If you have questions about whether a doctor participates in your plan or if you're interested in a doctor who isn't on the list, call the health plan directly. Also call if your child has any special medical needs that would require an out-of-network doctor.

Once you know the limits of your health plan, you are ready to begin compiling a list of potential pediatric candidates to interview. A great place to start is by asking friends, family and coworkers what pediatrician their children see. Find out what they like about that particular doctor and if they've ever seen other doctors within the same practice. Your OB/GYN is also a great resource because they may have kids of their own and often they know doctors on a personal level.

You can also look for pediatricians right here on cookchildrens.org. Find pediatricians by name and/or location and read about their education and experience.

How to interview potential pediatricians

Your list of potential pediatricians is complete. The prenatal interviews are scheduled. But what do you do when you get to the pediatric candidate's office? What do you say? Asking the right questions can help you choose a pediatrician that you and your child will trust and feel comfortable with for many years to come.

The following is a list of interview questions to help you in your search for a pediatrician. We've even created a printable PDF so you can print these guidelines and take them with you to each interview. You may also find that the list brings up a few quesetions of your own. That's a good thing. Write those down as well and take them along with you. This should help you make a good, informed choice.

Interview questions for prenatal consultation

	Questions to ask yourself during the visit: How many patients are waiting? If there are a lot, is it because the office overbooks, or because the doctor is spending additional time with a patient who needs it? You might want to ask other parents if this is normal. Is there a place where sick kids can be separated from those who are there for a well visit? Is the reception area clean and child-friendly? (Realize that children have been in the office all day long, so it may be cluttered, but it should still be clean.) Is the office staff friendly? Is the office staff helpful? How does the staff speak to others in the waiting area or on the phone? When you tour the exam rooms, are they clean?
	Questions for the office staff: What are the office hours? Are there evening or weekend hours to accommodate working parents? Does a pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) work in the office? If so, what is his/her role in the practice? Is emergency coverage available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? When is the best time to call with routine questions? Do nurses screen phone calls? If the doctor is not available to speak on the phone, who will handle your questions? Is email an option for communicating with your doctor? Does the practice use an electronic medical record that may make it easier to transfer your child's health information, fill out forms, and schedule appointments? Does the practice have its own website that provides helpful advice and access to reliable health educational material, or password protected access to directly view your child's test results? Does the practice have an after-hours answering service? Is the after-hours phone service tied in with a university or children's hospital or a nurse-on-call system? Where are patients referred after hours? Is there access to specialists and intensive care if needed? What are the payment policies (this is especially important if you do not have prepaid health coverage)? What are the fees for services? Must they be paid in full at the time of the visit or can payment plans be arranged?
	Questions for the pediatrician: Does the pediatrician see parents as partners in a child's care? What are the doctor's philosophies on circumcision? Breastfeeding? Use of antibiotics and other medications? Diet? Parenting styles? Does the doctor focus on preventive care, including immunizations, child safety, and nutrition? Will he/she visit your newborn in the hospital? What is his/her pediatric background? Is he/she board certified through the American Board of Pediatrics? Is he/she a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics? Does he/she have a subspecialty or area of pediatric interest? If so, what is it? Should your baby need to be admitted to a hospital, what hospital does the doctor send them to? Who are the doctors who will care for my child if my pediatrician in not available? Are they on staff at the same hospital? Are these doctors board certified? If your child needs to see a specialist, how does the pediatrician handle referrals? What is his/her policy with regard to second opinions? If you are in a health management organization (HMO), it's important to ask how your doctor handles out-of-network referrals. Ask any additional questions and express any other concerns you may have.
	Questions to ask yourself after the visit to help you make an evaluation: Did the pediatrician listen to your questions and concerns attentively? Did the pediatrician answer your questions and respond to your concerns patiently and clearly? Did the pediatrician seem genuinely interested in you? Did you trust this pediatrician?

Having a checklist of questions will help you organize your thoughts and be thorough during the interview. Some doctors offer group classes for expectant parents to learn about their office and discuss newborn care, while others offer one-on-one interviews. For a printable PDF of these questions, click here and take them with you for your interview.

Many insurance companies encourage these prenatal appointments or classes and will cover any cost involved; however, be sure to check with the doctor's office and your health plan first to avoid surprises.

Preparing for the unexpected

Speaking of surprises, it's always good to be ready for the unexpected. So another step to take while getting ready for the birth of a baby is to arm yourself with information in case your little one needs critical care.

Don't worry, most babies don't need this kind of advanced care, but it's good to have the information just in case. Should you discover that your baby may need critical care, talk to your OB/GYN or perinatologist to find out exactly what care or treatments the baby will need. Then ask them which neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has the best equipment and staff to provide that care. Not all NICUs are alike. Do some research to learn about the differences between each one and ask your OB/GYN or pediatrician which one they would recommend. You can also ask friends and family for suggestions because sometimes they have had a child in a NICU and are a great source for information. The choice of which NICU your baby goes to is up to you.

Cook Children's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is the first and only all-single room NICU in Tarrant County, featuring state-of-the art, specialized equipment and monitoring in each room. This allows our NICU staff to provide the highest level of care for premature babies or critically ill infants. Infants and newborns in our NICU get 24-hour care from neonatologists and neonatal nurse practitioners along with doctors and other health care professionals from Pulmonology, Neurology, Pediatric Surgery, Endocrinology, Infectious Disease and Cardiology.

Our NICU offers more than 100 single rooms. We even have special rooms for twins, triplets, and quadruplets, so in the case of a multiple birth, your babies don't have to be separated during your stay. And, our in-room accommodations for parents mean that you are able to stay right at your baby's side at all times, in a comfortable and warm setting.

The Cook Children's NICU is supported by Cook Children's Teddy Bear Transport, a 21 person team that is specially trained to transport children and critically ill babies. This team is certified by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services (CAMTS). Our transport vehicles include a King Air B200 critical care transport airplane, an American Eurocopter 145 helicopter and four ambulances. So whether your baby needs to be transported from across the street or across the country, you can rest assured that your baby is in best of hands.

To find a Cook Children's doctor, click here. To browse all of our pediatrician office locations, click here.