5 Reasons to Choose a Pediatrician as a Primary Care Physician

From birth, your children will need constant checkups to make sure they are healthy and growing. This will probably lead to you picking your regular, primary care physician as your child’s doctor because they are familiar and know you well. However, a general practitioner and a pediatrician are two different kinds of doctors from two different fields of medicine.

Your pediatrician will be able to tend to your child’s needs because that is part of their medical studies. The following are the four main reasons pediatric services will be the better choice.

1. Personalized Service

A pediatrician is trained in caring for children, which includes working with them personally to create a friendship that will make your child more comfortable at the office. The pediatrician will make an effort to make sure your child is happy, including by providing games and fun magazines in their office. That personalization will not only make your child more comfortable but also more willing to communicate any problems they may have to the pediatrician.

 5 Reasons to Choose a Pediatrician as a Primary Care Physician

2. Specializations

Pediatric services don’t solely cover general medicine. There is actually a pediatric variation of nearly every specialization, such as gastroenterologists, neurologists, and even surgeons. Not to mention there is neonatology for newborns who should care for your child for the first moments of their lives.

3. Extended Age Range

Most people hear the word “pediatrician” and think that means a doctor solely for younger children. In truth, a pediatric physician will work with your child from birth until they reach early adulthood, from eighteen to twenty-four. That means the physician will be tracking your child’s health for the entire part of their early lives.

4. Important Services

As a part of pediatric services, there are several things outside of normal, primary healthcare that the pediatrician is responsible for. For example, if your child needs a physical for extracurricular activities, they will go to the pediatrician to get the physical done to make sure they are healthy enough to play. The same goes for other services such as vaccinations.

5. Counseling

As part of the many specializations that are covered by pediatric services, there is a special place for pediatric counseling. From the beginning of middle school all the way up into high school is an important period of time for children, and it can be confusing and exciting. A pediatric counselor will be able to help the child as they are growing by providing personalized care that is known among pediatricians.

A pediatrician is focused on keeping your child healthy, and they accomplish this goal in a variety of ways. They will communicate with you, but more importantly, they will be able to communicate with your child to determine whether they have any illnesses or issues.

Pediatric services will follow your child from their first steps up until adulthood. It is important to decide on a pediatrician as your child’s primary care physician so they receive the care they need to stay active and healthy.