As a local pediatrician with 20 years of experience caring for infants, toddlers, children, adolescents, and teenagers, I’ve met with countless parents who are looking for a new physician to care for their kids. From being interviewed by so many parents just like you who are looking for the best possible medical care for their little ones, I’ve learned 6 key things that every parent should know when looking for a pediatrician. Continue reading to learn them, and to meet me, schedule an appointment by calling (305) 614-3017.
1. Research the Best Pediatrician in Miami
It goes without saying that every parent like you wants the best pediatrician in Miami for their children. There are several ways that you can search for this important healthcare practitioner. First, you should crowdsource information from your local family, friends, and coworkers. This is especially important if you’re a first-time parent and don’t yet have experience with working with a physician for your child. Trust me, the people you know who already feel they are working with a great healthcare provider will want to share his or her name with you. They’ll also be open to sharing their experiences with the doctor and his or her staff, and what it is about his or her practice they specifically love. Becoming a parent is part of joining a new tribe of women and men on the same journey as you, and as parents, we’re all in this together. As the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, and local moms and dads will want to help you find a great physician to care for your little one.
If you don’t have any parents of young children in your immediate circle of friends, family, and coworkers, the Internet and especially social media can be great alternatives for receiving doctor recommendations. From a doctor’s Google My Business Page, Facebook profile, or the recommendations you receive when you post a question in a local parenting group on social media, you’ll receive several suggestions for local physicians. Of course, you’ll want to verify that the referrals you’re receiving are covered by your health insurance plan. Once you’ve talked to your family, friends, and coworkers, done your online research, and asked questions in social media parenting groups, write down a list of the top finalists you’re considering to oversee your children’s medical treatment. Then, either call your health insurance company or log on to their online portal to see which of the referrals accepts your insurance plan. You can also call each office directly to speak with the office staff to see if they accept your health insurance. The right doctor for your family will be one who both comes highly recommended and accepts your health insurance plan.
2. Evaluate Miami Pediatricians’ Credentials and Experience
Miami pediatricians like me come from all different types of educational backgrounds and experience levels. When you’re researching local children’s healthcare practitioners to choose one for your family, I recommend that you look into their backgrounds, education, and credentials to find the perfect physician to look after your children’s healthcare needs. Some providers, like me, are locals, and some are transplants who found themselves starting their careers here in Florida after having served a residency here. Some children’s doctors have been practicing physicians for decades, like myself. Others are newer to practicing medicine and just establishing themselves and their offices. Some kids doctors, myself included, become certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics, so you can trust they have extra knowledge, experience, and education in caring for the healthcare needs of children and screening them for common childhood conditions and ailments.
One thing that sets me apart from other Miami pediatricians is that I am a native to our area and received my entire education here in our city. I grew up here and graduated from LaSalle High School in Coconut Grove at the top of my class. Afterward, I received my undergraduate degree at Florida International University as a Faculty Scholar. I went to medical school at the University of Miami School of Medicine, where I was president of my senior class and also received the Florida Pediatric Society Warren Quillian Award for Excellence in Pediatrics. During med school, I was initiated into the Iron Arrow Honor Society. I then served my residency at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. As you can see, I’m about native to our area as one can get! I believe that being both a highly honored physician and also one of the few local kids doctors who is a native makes me more easily able to relate to the diverse families who live in our city. Our city has such a unique culture, and I’m able to easily connect with parents and my patients from various backgrounds. I think my unique, local background and experience as a hometown woman and mother myself is what makes me one of the best Miami pediatricians you could choose for overseeing your kids’ medical care.
3. Find a Pediatrician Miami Fl has to Offer Who Follows Modern Medical Practices
Every year there are new advancements in medicine, and you need to make sure that the local physician that you choose to oversee your children’s health treatment keeps his or her finger on the pulse on medical breakthroughs and trends. Perhaps there’s never been a more important time than now, in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, to fully understand how important it is that your child’s physician is constantly reading the latest medical journals, staying up-to-date with the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and following the latest recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Another important thing is that you need to make sure your son or daughter’s doctor is well-educated on the latest vaccination recommendations from the CDC. In recent years, some parents have become skeptical of vaccines and even concerned that they are unsafe or that they can cause injuries or certain conditions such as autism. As a local kids doctor with 20 years of experience, I am here to tell you those rumors – which are rampant online – simply aren’t true. Our country’s governmental agency, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), performs a series of robust tests on every possible vaccine candidate before it is approved and released to be used on children. Additionally, the CDC puts together a well-thought-out vaccine schedule based on the most important times to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, whooping cough, and the mumps. If you have questions or concerns about vaccinations, as a healthcare professional I’m happy to discuss them with you.
A final thing that a pediatrician Miami Fl has to offer you is that he or she should be very knowledgeable about the best practices for car seats. Here in Florida, children are only required to be rear-facing until age 2. However, many 2-year-olds are still under their car seat manufacturer’s weight and height limits for turning the car seat around, and they would be safe if they continued rear-facing past age 2. Additionally, children in Florida are only required to be in a booster seat until they are age 5. However, as a top pediatrician Miami Fl has to offer I am here to tell you that children should be in a high-back booster for as long as possible until they outgrow the height and weight limits of their child safety seats. While I understand that staying in a car seat longer than their friends do may cause some arguments between you and your children, I promise you that you’ll be thankful your son or daughter is in a child safety seat if you do unfortunately get into a car accident.
4. Meet with Your Miami Pediatrics Practitioner Before the Baby Comes
If you’re expecting a baby, congratulations! As a mother of two myself, I know what an exciting time this is in your life. It can also seem stressful, especially for first-time parents who have never been down this road before and are trying to get all their ducks in a row before your baby comes. You should know that many children’s healthcare offices, my own included, offer a special appointment for expectant parents like you. In my Miami pediatrics office, I call these prenatal appointments. During these appointments, you and your partner come to my office and have a one-on-one meeting with me. You are welcome to interview me, ask about my professional opinions on certain issues affecting children’s health, and ask how my healthcare practice operates and how my staff interacts with you. I encourage you to visit all local kids’ healthcare practices you are considering for your child’s care while you are still expecting your child.
First, these visits are a great way to meet a doctor before you commit to him or her, so they’re a great opportunity for you to get to know his or her bedside manner. You can also learn how his or her office is run, meet the people at the front desk as well as the nurses, and orient yourself around his or her office. These visits at local kids’ doctor’s offices are also great opportunities to ask about a physician’s background, education, and honors, as well as his or her vaccine policy. As a new parent, visiting a Miami pediatrics practice is also an opportunity for you to familiarize yourself with an infant’s well visit schedule. When you have a newborn, he or she will be coming to his or her Miami pediatrics practice several times during his or her first year for well checks and vaccinations. It’s important that you come to each of these scheduled appointments so your child can be properly vaccinated, that we can check to confirm your child is reaching his or her developmental milestones, and that your child is screened for common physical conditions that appear in the first year of life.
5. Find a Pediatrician Miami Babies and Kids Love, Too
You need a pediatrician Miami families, including little ones, love. It’s important that you pay careful attention to how he or she cares for your child. And trust me, you’ll be seeing your baby’s physician quite routinely so you’ll have several opportunities to observe their interactions. Your baby will need to see his or her doctor right when you get home from the hospital and at 2 weeks, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months old. And that’s just for well visits and vaccinations. You’ll likely also be making a trip to your child’s doctor’s office during your baby’s first year if he or she has a cold, fever, or ear infection. Make sure you’ve chosen a pediatrician Miami babies love.
No matter how much research you did prior to selecting your baby’s healthcare practitioner, you won’t truly know if he or she is a good fit for your family until you start going to his or her office for your child’s well visits. Make sure to avoid distractions during these visits, and carefully watch how your child’s doctor interacts with him or her. You’ll want to ensure that your baby’s healthcare provider is thorough when examining your baby, that he or she follows your child’s cues as things like cold stethoscopes and bright lights being shined in the eyes can be upsetting to some infants, and of course, you’ll want to ensure that your child’s doctor answers and addresses any questions or concerns that you may have. Your relationship with your child’s doctor is bilateral. You should both be comfortable with each other, and your child should feel comfortable and safe in his or her office as well.
6. When You Think, “Pediatrics Miami” Trust Your Gut
My final – and perhaps most important – piece of advice for parents when it comes to selecting their kid’s healthcare provider is to trust your gut. No matter how many friends, family members, and coworkers you asked for referrals from, or how well you researched and interviewed every physician who was on your shortlist, you simply won’t know if you and your child’s physicians gel together until you start visiting him or her regularly. Some parents find that they’ve chosen a physician for their child that doesn’t fit with their personal parenting style. That’s okay! It’s very common for parents to change their pediatrics Miami practice after their children are born, and I myself meet with parents of toddlers, school-aged kids, tweens, and teens all the time.
If you find that it’s hard to get sick visit appointments at your pediatrics Miami office, that the office staff doesn’t handle billing promptly or properly, or that you just don’t feel like your child’s physician has your desired bedside manner, it’s okay to switch. Parents do it all the time. Being a doctor is a healthcare profession, and we all understand that sometimes, a certain family isn’t the right fit for our practices. All that being said, don’t be afraid to look for a new doctor if you don’t feel like you’ve made the best choice. If you do decide that you need to move to a new children’s medical practice, go back to your circle of friends, family, and coworkers to get referrals. If there was something about your child’s first physician that you specifically didn’t like, tell your friends and family and ask them if their referrals manage their practice and their appointments differently. Do your due diligence and research your prospective new pediatrics in Miami practices the same way you did when you were choosing a practice for your newborn before he or she was born.
Contact Me to Learn More About My Medical Philosophy and Practice
I’d love to have the opportunity to get to know you and your family and to be considered as your child’s new doctor. Whether you’re an expectant parent or an existing one, I’m available to meet with you to discuss my approach to children’s medicine and how I manage my practice so that my team is able to provide your children with the best possible medical care. I invite you to visit my practice before committing to scheduling an appointment for your child so you can see my waiting room, meet my office staff and nursing team, see my exam rooms, and of course, ask me any questions you have about my practice.
To schedule an appointment with me, call my office today at (305) 614-3017.
