What Makes a Pediatric Care Specialist Different from a Doctor?
Once your child is born, parents are obliged with a number of different responsibilities and the first and foremost being; taking care of their child’s health. It is important to decide between a Pediatrician or family doctor when it comes to this decision, as they will be the ones to give you an actual insight of the logistics of your child’s body and health. Many families trust their family doctors, and they should because of the relationships that families build with their medical practitioners through the years of care. However, if this is the case, how can you decide between a pediatrician and a family doctor? Why would you want to take your child to a pediatric care specialist? To make your decision slightly easier, let’s have a look at the pros and cons of using pediatric care specialists vs. family doctors.
Pediatricians have put in specialized medical training into their career through a 3-year residency. For this reason, this training allows them to understand what developmental patterns they must look for in healthy and sick children so that they may be treated or prevented of any medical conditions and illnesses in children. They follow the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines and offer specific care, such as developmental assessment, lactation support and prenatal classes. They also have great capability in giving care to children with developmental issues and persistent medical situations.
On the other hand, family doctors have a generalized residency, and although they have great expertise and knowledge of all medical conditions, they may or may not have the necessary experience to monitor developmental patterns in your child. Family medicine physicians have specialty education in the widespread health care for individuals and families of all ages, as well as all genders. They may not be as proficient at noticing developmental patterns that can get in the way of your child’s health progress.
It is very important for children to feel comfortable and safe as many of them are doubtful of any adults, apart from their parents. Pediatric care specialists are trained in such a way and have spent many hours learning the importance of interacting with children and how exactly to interact with them. They also know how to assist a child sense being cared for, even when they have to undergo a process they may be scared of, such as when getting their shots. They will often take more time with your child in order to make you and your child feel reassured and comfortable with them.
A pediatric care specialist’s office will also possess a kid-friendly atmosphere that will allow your child to feel relieved and not under any fear of visiting a doctor’s office. Usually, these offices will have common toys and books and sometimes even a fish tank or movie playing that can help distract a child’s mind from the reason of the visit, helping them to feel completely at ease.
We want to give your child the dedicated treatment they deserve. Call our office to set up your well-child check today!