Why do I need a pediatrician?

  Why do I need a pediatrician?

 A few of my patients and their families have commented recently that they had never thought about the difference between pediatricians and other providers for their child.
Pediatricians spend at least three years after medical school in residency, learning about the physical,  emotional and social development of children from birth to early adulthood.  In comparison, family  medicine doctors spend about ½ of a year in pediatric training.
We’re trained in illness and injury prevention and spend a large amount of our time working hard to keep your child healthy, including talking about risks at different ages and stages in your child’s development.
Our approach to your family’s visits, as a whole, is different from when you see your own doctor. We talk to you, your child, and even your child’s stuffed animal, and are aware of your child’s comfort in separating from you during the exam.
We understand the expression “children are not small adults”. Children often present differently than adults with the same disease.  They need different treatments, including medications, than adults.  My approach to a “goopy eye” is different than a doctor seeing adult patients, who may not have seen a newborn with a plugged tear duct. A youngster with anxiety or depression may not have the same symptoms as a teenager or older adult and we’re trained to be able to counsel behavioral issues in our population of patients.
Pediatricians are required to stay up-to-date on current treatments, vaccines, and well-child care for children from birth to their early twenties, concentrating our energy in changes in medicine affecting children.
My favorite part of my job is the well-child exam, offering advice and guidance in your child’s growth and development, and keeping them safe and healthy.

And we usually have stickers for our patients after their exam