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| |    Types of Healthcare Providers for Well-Child Care by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P. reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. When it comes to choosing a healthcare provider for your child, you can select from among several different types of medical professionals. As you look for the person best suited to provide this care, it may help to first understand a bit more about the various training and qualifications that each type offers. Pediatricians. Pediatricians are physicians who have completed medical school (M.D.) or osteopathic training (D.O.) plus another three or more years of training focused specifically on the care of children (newborns through adolescents). For more information about pediatricians, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics' website at www.aap.org. Family physicians. Family physicians have either a medical (M.D.) or an osteopathic (D.O.) degree. Additional years of hands-on training prepares these professionals to treat all ages, both sexes, each organ system, and every disease entity. For more information about family practice physicians, visit the American Academy of Family Physicians' website at www.aafp.org. Pediatric subspecialists. Some healthcare professionals with either an M.D. or a D.O. degree go on to specialize in a specific area of children's health (e.g., allergy, infectious diseases, behavior and development, etc.) after completing their three years of general pediatric training. Also, some physicians who train as general surgeons choose to specialize in different areas of pediatric surgery (for example, pediatric heart surgery or pediatric orthopedic surgery). Additional training can range anywhere from two to four years or more, depending on what area a physician decides to specialize in. For instance, a pediatric cardiologist--someone who specializes in children's heart problems--will likely have completed an additional four years of training in pediatric cardiology after three years of general pediatrics. In some instances, it's important to find out whether or not a practitioner has had additional training and is board certified in a pediatric subspecialty. This can be especially important if you belong to an HMO insurance plan, since certain HMOs will pay for a child to see a subspecialist, but they may not recognize--and therefore pay for--a pediatric subspecialist consultation. If your child has a heart problem, for example, this might mean that he has to be evaluated by a cardiologist who usually takes care of adults, instead of one who primarily sees children. Nurse practitioners. Pediatric nurse practitioners (or PNPs) have advanced education in pediatric nursing and healthcare and offer pediatric care, typically in partnership with physicians who care for children (both in practices as well as in the hospital setting). PNPs are qualified to do well-child care and to diagnose and treat many common childhood illnesses. For more information on pediatric nurse practitioners, visit the National Association of Pediatrics Nurse Associates and Practitioners' website at www.napnap.org.
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