Finding a Health Care Provider for Your Expected Child

Along with buying a crib and thinking of possible baby names, choosing the right Portland health care provider should be at the top of your priorities as well. When it comes to medical care for kids, there are three types of qualified health care providers: pediatric nurse practitioners, family physicians, and pediatricians.

Your search for the proper health care provider should begin well before your baby's due. A good time to begin your search is about three months before the baby is expected. Also, you'll want to be sure you've found someone whose personality and style work well with your own. Here is a description of each possible health care provider for your expected child.

Pediatric Nurse Practitioners

A Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) has earned a master's degree in nursing. He can perform physical exams on children, take medical histories, make medical diagnoses, provide treatment and counseling, and write prescriptions.

Some parents might be hesitant to bring their child to a PNP because they assume that the PNP is less extensively-trained than other types of health care providers for children. However, these feelings are greatly unwarranted.

Family Physicians

Family physicians train in many areas including pediatrics, internal medicine, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology. They are qualified to care for patients of all ages, so it's possible for your child to see the same doctor from birth to adulthood. Aside from your children, family physicians can also provide primary care for your whole family.

Pediatricians

Pediatricians in Portland Oregon specialize on physical, social and emotional health of children from birth to adolescence. They primarily focus on preventive health care for children. Some pediatricians have additional training in a subspecialty area of medicine like cardiology, hematology, or critical care. These specialists usually have an additional 3 years of training to be board-certified for their subspecialty.

Now that you have an idea of who to approach with your coming child, it's time to select from the hundreds of PNPs, family physicians and pediatricians in Portland Oregon and find out which of them is right for your child. Considering that this will be your child's first doctor, you have to make sure that you're comfortable with the doctor's personality, location, environment and office staff. A prenatal appointment is an excellent opportunity for you to check out all of these things.

Before your prenatal appointment, make a list of questions you would like to ask to help you organize your thoughts. Some doctors even offer group classes for expectant parents to learn about the practice and discuss newborn care. You may find this list of pediatricians Portland ?families trust offices very helpful: http://portlandme.citysearch.com/listings/portland/pediatricians/62315_1866.

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