Moms Talk Q&A

Choosing a pediatrician can be overwhelming, especially with a first child. Location is important because trips to the doctor are often fast and furious with very young children, but what else should you consider?

Tara Maglio, author of the Young Life in an Old Town column, offers her insights:

This is one of the most important relationships for parents of young children. There are so many things to consider. Obviously, you need someone who takes your insurance and beyond this, it helps to interview several practices to find the doctor or practice that is your match logistically and philosophically.

As a working parent with a child in daycare closer to work than home, there is the question of where your doctor should be located - close to home or close to work. In the beginning, it seems like you see the doctor more often for well visits, making it convenient to be close to work and daycare. But as time goes on, it's common to move into a yearly checkup schedule and sick visits are your primary point of contact with the doctor. It can be annoying to cart a sick child from your home in Virginia into the city.

You'll want to know:

• Whether the office has evening and weekend appointments;
• Offers lab/bloodwork on-site or outsources these tests;
• The policy on same day sick appointments;
• Availability of doctors and nurses for the crazy questions you will have during infancy (some practices have daily call-in times where you can speak to a doctor and some have additional fees for phone calls on the weekend);
• Whether there are separate waiting areas for sick and well visits;
• If you think you may take issue with the standard vaccination schedule from the American Academy of Pediatrics, ask whether the practice is open to an alternative schedule; and
• The administrative staff is also important. Does the practice seem overwhelmed with an overflowing waiting room, phones ringing off the hook, and a three month lead time for getting in for a well visit?

As an industrious mother-to-be, I scheduled four or five "meet and greets" with pediatric practices close to Old Town and one appointment close to my office in D.C. The D.C. practice was the first one I met with and...she had me at hello.

The surprising thing is that this practice does not have any of the logistical details I sought. No evening or weekend appointmetns, no separate waiting area for sick appointments, irritating lead times required to well visit appointments, and often ridiculous wait times for sick or well visits. When I phone in with a question, I sometimes have to leave a message and wait for a call back. But I love our doctor.

The practice is actually an internal medicine division that is part of a large teaching hospital. This means that Dr. Burke is our "family doctor" in addition to Sophia's pediatrician. In addition, she is part of the teaching faculty at the hospital and a mother of four. She is close in age to me. and we clicked in terms of personality. Although I have had to grit my teeth through some of the administrative details of a large, hospital-affiliated practice, I've been really happy with my decision.

I trust Dr. Burke (as well as the other physicians and residents in the practice) 100%, and like that they have our entire family history on file when she is seeing Sophia. Plus, it's always good to be able to slip in a request for one of my prescription refills when Sophia is in with a sore throat.