Common Questions to ask when Searching for a Pediatrician!

Generally, when looking for a pediatrician it is important that you feel comfortable with them. Ideally you should share the same principals of child rearing. You might not always agree with advice given about putting your child to bed on time but you should feel totally comfortable about the care provided to a sick child. This is paramount in the relationship between parent and pediatrician. You should feel comfortable asking questions- whether they arise from a conversation with another mom or from an article on the internet. Some easy questions (and our answers!) are listed below.

Who is in your practice?
We have 3 Pediatricians and 2 Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. We are all women with a common shared love of children.

Do your hours accommodate working parents?
We are always striving to help families who have two working parents. We have Saturday hours and start early on most days to work around most parents' schedules.

Do you have separate waiting areas for sick and well children?
Yes, we also bring children with rashes in the back entrance and attempt to move them to a room without exposing any other children in the process in case they have a contagious rash.

Will I always see the same provider?
In most cases you can schedule appointments with the same person each time but we recommend that you visit each provider and get to know them. It is nice to see a familiar face when you are especially worried and your normal provider is not available.

How often do you see infants the first year?
We see infants often the first year for routine well infant exams. We start at 4 days old and continue at 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months. Each visit gives us the opportunity to answer questions, do education and update vaccines.

How do you handle after hours calls?
A medical assistant will talk to you if you have any situation that cannot wait till morning. If the problem is straight-forward (such as asking for the dose of a fever reducer) they will give you advice. If more complicated, they will consult the doctor. A doctor reviews all advice given and is always available for any serious medical problem. What constitutes an urgent situation? If you are worried and believe that your question cannot wait till morning we want to hear from you! If you are calling a nurse at midnight to ask when your referral to a dermatologist will be ready, you will be charged for accessing our emergency line.

What hospital are your doctors affiliated with?
We work at Medical Center of Lewisville. We are proud of the renovations that have taken place but more importantly we are confident of the care they provide our patients.

Are you always on time for appointments?
No- I cannot promise to always be on time. Urgent situations take place that I have no control over and take more of my time. In addition, I strive to listen to you and sometimes either what you say or the advice I give to you takes longer then either of us planned. I do understand, however, how important your time is and work very hard to stay on schedule.

What are your views on breastfeeding and circumcisions?
Numerous studies point out the many benefits of breastfeeding and we support mothers that make this decision. Missy Nicholson, RN, MSN, CPNP, one of our Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, works with our mothers to answer questions and provide assistance. Some mothers cannot breastfeed for a variety of reasons and we will work with you to provide different options in this case. Circumcisions used to be recommended as a method to decrease infections of the urinary tract in males. Studies show that this decrease in infection rate is small. They have been shown, however, to reduce the rate of sexually transmitted diseases in adult men. Most people making a decision will consider religious or cosmetic reasons also. We provide this service and will be happy to share with you more information on this procedure if requested.

What is your opinion about antibiotics for sick children?
We are facing a time period when we see some bacteria become resistant to our antibiotics. For this reason in particular, we weigh seriously each decision to treat an infection with antibiotics. We will be more pro-active and start antibiotics in a newborn whose immune system has not developed and we have concerns about a bacterial infection. In an older child, we often adopt the 'wait and see' philosophy. This allows us to better identify bacterial infections and treat only when necessary. It also gives a child's immune system a chance to identify the infecting bug and build up resistance to future infections.

Please call our office with any further questions about our practice.

Kids First Pediatrics

972-317-6000