Why Pediatricians May Be Best For Children
When choosing a physician for your child, it may seem convenient to take them to your family doctor. This simplifies things by making appointments for the family at the same place and on the same day so that all of you can go together. However, there are reasons for looking specifically for a child doctor, otherwise known as a pediatrician. Here are some good reasons for taking your child to a pediatrician instead of going with a family doctor.
Training and experience
While family doctors are qualified to treat patients of all ages, pediatricians have taken things even further. A pediatrician is a primary care physician who has made the decision to specialize specifically in the health of patients who are children.
In order to become a pediatrician, one must complete multiple years of medical school, with an additional residency under pediatricians.
This hands-on education and experience can help you to feel even more confident with regards to your child's doctor being the right one for them. There is the American Board of Pediatrics exam they must pass and that needs to be retaken every seven years to ensure they are familiar with recent changes in pediatric medicine.
Communicating with children
Along with going through extensive training in pediatrics, a pediatrician will also work with children all day long. This helps them to become extremely comfortable working with children and to pick up many things along the way that help them to make children feel comfortable.
When your child feels more comfortable with their doctor, they will be more forthcoming when it comes to explaining how they feel and helping the doctor understand their symptoms. Also, feeling comfortable with their doctor will help to make those visits to the doctor's office much less stressful for your child.
Offering a fun environment
When you take your child to a family doctor, they will sit in a waiting room with full-sized chairs and tables with mostly adult magazines on them. When you take your child to a pediatrician, you will take them to an office that probably has both full-sized seating and smaller chairs for the kids. Also, there will likely be books for your child to read and plenty of toys for them to play with.
When your child is properly occupied in the waiting room, they will feel more at ease and may even have fun. You will have a better time because you won't be dealing with an anxious and bored child.
For more information, contact a child doctor near you.