Monday, November 15, 2010

They Don't Call It Practice For Nothing

We have taken Sophie to the same pediatrician since she was born. Her doctor was affiliated with a very large, very well respected local medical entity (hint: it rhymes with Sean's Bobbkins) and at first that was very appealing to us. We liked the security of having a doctor attached to an organization with a century long reputation for medical excellence, not to mention the world of specialists at our fingertips.

But I would be lying if I said that I was delighted with our experiences, really from the very beginning. There was the time they sent us to the emergency room, where we sat for four hours with a mildly sick two month old only to be told we were overreacting to a normal condition. There were the layers we had to go through to actually speak to a medical professional on the phone. There was the complete lack of personal engagement. We were a number. Sophie's doctor never remembered her from one visit to the next. Ultimately, I just never felt a chemistry with her. We tried other doctors in the practice but didn't feel any better about them.

Meanwhile, Neil and I have been going to a family practice for a couple of years now and we have loved our experiences there. It was our plan to take Sophie there as soon as she completed the two year study that she was a part of through her old doctor. I had scheduled a well child check up, but unfortunately illness struck first. So her first visit was a couple of weeks ago when we had a chicken pox scare. It turns out it was some other chicken pox-y rash that had us on lockdown for a week, and it completely sucked, but it gave us an intro to the pediatric side of our now truly family practice. I was overwhelmed by what a positive experience it was.

The doctor was engaging and friendly. He sat and talked with us. More importantly, he listened. We had a real conversation. I didn't feel as though he was just playing the role of concerned doctor like I typically did with the last one. It was so refreshing. So when we brought her back in for a follow-up/well child, I was nervous that we would be seeing one of the other doctors in the practice. But if it is possible, I love her even more. I felt a real connection from the minute she walked in to the exam room. She's not much older than me, and unlike our last pediatrician, she has her own children. It even turns out that we had similar pregnancies and deliveries. When I expressed my concerns about the flu vaccine, she was very understanding. Our last pediatrician practically accused me of child abuse for not wanting to vaccinate my daughter. And not once did she refer to the growth chart! Sweet baby cheese, was that a breath of fresh air on a hot day.

I knew that I didn't like Sophie's old doctor, but I didn't realize how bad it was until I saw how good it could be. I think we forget sometimes that there is more to medicine than fancy diplomas and big names on the door. I'll take the small practice where the nurses play with my daughter and give her a lollipop any day of the week.

16 comments:

  1. That's awesome...it's so nice when you find a place that treats your child as well as you.

    I can't stand being let down by doctors, but it seems to be more and more commonplace.

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  2. We also used to see a dr associated with Sean Bobkins. And while she did remember the kids from visit to visit and was a very good doctor, I got tired of waiting over an hour past our scheduled appt time to see her! Every single time. I know that appointments get backed up sometimes, but this was every single time. Isn't my time worth something too? Plus, she was way too attached to the growth chart (IMO) and always wanted my small kids to gain weight. The final straw was after a billing dispute when the office charged me an additional exam charge because I asked a question about dry skin during a well child exam.

    We switched to a smaller office with one dr (although I recently found out that this dr is sort of famous--"every kid's pediatrician."). His nurse is awesome. We've never waited more than a few minutes in the reception area and never more than 10 in the exam room. Best yet, he doesn't charge me to ask questions and he doesn't care about the growth chart.

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  3. I went through the same thing with Bug's pediatrician. The first one she saw (on a friend's recommendation) turned out to be horrible. We were lucky to find a wonderful doctor on our second try, when she was three months old. That doctor retired last year and we weren't crazy about the doc that was taking over the practice, so our search began again. Fortunately, we found another doctor (a female this time - this was important to Bug at this age) that we love. I hope this is the last search!

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  4. I am so glad that you have found a doctor that you feel comfortable with. It is so important to have a good relationship. :)

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  5. Awesome that you have a doctor you connect with. That is priceless. I have been to too many doctors that think of you as a science experiment and don't want to get to the source of your problem and just want to write a prescription and move on to the next patient.

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  6. It's hard being a parent, isn't it? We want the best for our kids... and I think you're right, that most times we think bigger/fancier/more expensive is better.

    BUT... not always the case. Glad you found an awesome pediatrician. My girls have gone to the same practice since they were born and I love it. The docs there are all wonderful.

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  7. Good for you! I work in a hospital and I can tell you there's a lot of egos walking the halls here. And sometimes that just gets in the way when you're dealing with other people's lives. I think the qualities of a good physician-patient relationship are the same in any good relationship. It involves listening and paying attention and being invested.

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  8. YAY! I've already changed pediatricians once and it's hard to do. Because you want all the records and everything but it's nice to "know" your Dr.

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  9. We take our kids to a huge practice -- something like twenty doctors. With a couple of exceptions, they've all been pretty good, but I try to book well child appointments with the same person every time if I can. She knows us now, which is great, but it took a while.

    Good news is that we can always get seen day-of for a sick appointment and we seldom wait for too long. Bad news is that the big practice can be impersonal and I know they bill for everything they can.

    Growing up, my parents took us to a family practice (same place that they went and my grandparents went) and we LOVED it. Glad you found great doctors and a practice that gives out suckers!

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  10. Yes, that's why they call it 'practicing medicine', as my mom always says, lol

    Glad you found a great fit, considering little kids are always at the doc's office. It often shocks me how some doctors (in whatever field) are so impersonal. They should have to go through some sorta bedside manner courses. My kids ended up seeing the same pediatrician that I did. It was a fluke, I didn't even realize he was in that practice, lol.

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  11. That is awesome, for you and the Bean. (I don't vaccinate my kids with the flu shot, either, and catch all kind of flack from other parents but never from my pediatrician).

    I just switched to a family practice doc here in town, and I think I will change the kids over, too. They are wonderful!

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  12. I'm in the process of finding a new pediatrician, too. And I'm hating it. You've given me hope that we WILL find a doctor that actually has the same values and ideology that we have. I'm so happy you've found a good practice! It's a huge weight lifted, right?

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  13. Good point, i always worry that I will "hurt their feelings" or something. But really, if they had showed signs of feelings, I probably wouldn't feel like leaving!

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  14. Love my pediatrician, we switched to her when oldest was 6 mons. immediate raport. And she always takes my opinion into consideration....as she says, I know them best.
    Glad you found a good one...it makes it so much easier!!

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  15. Good for you! I have one doctor in my big practice who I love. Problem is, he schedules months out, and I've started to wonder if it's worth it. L. has yet to be able to be seen by him. Luckily, I don't really mind the other doctors except for a couple, and it's easy to avoid them.

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  16. Oh I love our family practice! I always hear horror stories about wait times and such but we've never had to wait more than a couple of minutes for our appts. They work me in when needed and always return calls. Of course I don't see a "doctor" but a nurse practitioner so I'm not sure if that makes a difference but either I am happy.

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Give me some sugar, baby!