what are good questions to ask a pediatrician for a newborn?

Question

what are good questions to ask a pediatrician for a newborn?

i need to interview some for my son.

Answer 1

Ask them about their philosophy on certain things that matter to you in caring for your son. Some ideas are:

breastfeeding vs. formula - Do you get the impression that the doctor would make you feel inferior if you bottle feed?

vaccinating - Do you get the impression that they're going to make you feel like a sucky parent if you separate vaccines or delay them or not give them?

Circumscision - what do they think about it? Recommend or not? Why?

Are they quick to medicate or do they do what's pertient? (If they're writing antibiotics for a cold, move on. If they'd like you to wait at least 24 hours before giving antibiotics for an ear infection, while giving pain medication - that's appropriate in many cases, based on the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines.)

Another important thing is - accessibility? What are their office hours? Are they closed any day? What about at nighttime, or if they're closed - if you have an emergency in the middle of the night, will you be able to speak to someone? Will that someone be from their practice or somewhere else? Are there phone-in hours or do you have to leave a message? What hospital(s) do they have priviledges at? (You don't want the only hospital they're affiliated with an hour away from your home.)

Do they have an issue with referring to specialists? Some doctors feel a need to try to treat everything themselves. Many pediatricians know their limitations and have no problem referring a case to someone who might be more in tune.


Asking where they went to school is not such a big deal. You want to know how long they've been in practice, and how current their treatment philosophies are. You don't necessarily want the doctor who is going to jump on the bandwagon for every new medication on the market just because it's there. You want the one who knows the most pertinent protocols for anything your child might encounter.

Overall, you want to get a good vibe from the whole office in general. If the office staff is unpleasant, does that mean they're having a bad day or is the doctor a real SOB to work for? If you can observe them interacting with the patients, the better. Above all, trust your gut instinct. If you don't feel comfortable, keep looking.

Remember, as one of the doctors (who's been in practice 40 years) I work with once said to me: "What do you call the guy who graduated last in his class at medical school? Doctor."

Answer 2

Wow. Tricky.

How Long they ahve been Working at this job.
Where They Went to school.
How they dignose something ( Ie. Do they just look for systomps then call it or do they do blood work etc..)
Does he or she have a number that you can reach them at 24/7?
If you Son (God Forbid!) Has any illness ( Such as a heart defect, kidney porblem) make sure they docter has experince in that area.

You should ask as many questions as you feel you ned to. I can only think of those many. Good Luck!