When they discover they have a child on the way, parents find there are numerous decisions to be made. Should one have a home birth, or should be baby be delivered in a hospital? What name will you give the baby? Which obstetrician should be used, and should a pediatrician be selected, or would a family doctor in St. Paul, MN be better? Of these decisions, many will find the last one to be the hardest, as this will be the person responsible for ensuring the child stays healthy as they grow. How does one go about deciding between a pediatrician and a family doctor?
Both physicians complete four years of medical school. Yet, the pediatrician does an additional three years of training in pediatrics while the family doctor spends this time learning how to treat patients of all ages. Pediatricians understand how to care for children who have developmental problems or chronic conditions and follow the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. On the other hand, family doctors treat all members of the family, and many find this to be very convenient.
When meeting with doctors, ask how often they care for children. Pediatricians spend more time doing so, yet many family doctors devote a great deal of their practice to working with children. If the child is old enough, ask them for their input in the decision also. Finally, determine if having a doctor who can care for their child after their eighteenth birthday is important. If it is, a family doctor could be a better choice.
When you need a family doctor or pediatrician who treats up to age 21 in St. Paul, MN, look no further than Pediatric & Young Adult Medicine. This practice offers comprehensive pediatric care, including acute care services, urgent medical care, routine well-child checkup visits, and immunizations in an intimate family-focused care setting. Being a parent isn’t easy, as the world is changing at a rapid rate. The practice looks to make this task a little easier by offering a variety of services, resources, and tools to support parents at every stage of the process.
