1. Type of training. There are several types of healthcare professionals who are qualified to provide general medical care for children. They include pediatricians, family physicians, and pediatric nurse practitioners. If you like one type more than another, by all means, go with your preference.
   
   
2. Personal characteristics. Consider whether age or gender makes a difference to you. Some parents clearly prefer older, more experienced practitioners, while others are looking for someone young and fresh out of training. Either way, make sure that the provider's bedside manner suits your own interactive style. If she is authoritative and formal, and you prefer a more informal style, you may want to keep looking.
   
   If you have only boys or only girls, you might want to consider the possibility that they will be more comfortable with someone of their own sex as they approach the teen years.
   
   As you near the end of the selection process, make an appointment to meet with the practitioner so that you can see if the two of you work together comfortably.



3. Support for your beliefs. If you have particularly strong beliefs--especially if they are not widely held (for example, about issues like the family bed, breastfeeding, or immunizations) be sure to discuss them with a prospective practitioner before settling on him. You'll want a healthcare provider who is willing to support you and offer guidance based on your decisions.



4. Office location. This deserves some consideration, since you likely will be taking your child to the office frequently. Although you usually can plan routine visits well in advance, you never know when--or how often--you may need to take your child in when she is sick. Think about whether it is more convenient for you to find a practitioner with an office that's close to your home, your work (or your spouse's), or your child's daycare or school.



5. Type of practice. Practices range in type and size from individual to large group and from those that are privately owned to those that are operated by a managed-care corporation or hospital. Each type has advantages and disadvantages. If you are looking at a group practice, for example, think about whether it is important for you to see the same practitioner most or all of the time. If it is, be sure to ask if that will be possible.
   
   Similarly, if the practitioner you are considering works alone, inquire about what should happen if your child needs to be seen when the practitioner is ill, on vacation, or otherwise unavailable.



6. Availability. Finding a conveniently located practitioner who has a great bedside manner won't do you any good if his availability doesn't mesh with your schedule. Ask when his office is open, paying particular attention to his availability when you are usually free (e.g., if you work on weekdays, ask about evening or weekend office hours). You also will want to know if he has more than one office or if he only works part time, because this may make it more likely that he will be across town or off-duty when you need him most.



7. Timing of visits. While there is a fairly standard schedule for well-child care visits, you should also ask how much time your practitioner typically schedules for each well visit. Is it 10 minutes or 20? Does she schedule sick visits at 5-minute intervals or 15? Don't be afraid to ask the office staff, as well as the practitioner, if she routinely runs late or if she usually is able to stick pretty close to her schedule.
   
   If her being on time is important to you, you may even want to stop by and observe a typical day in the waiting room and talk to other parents in the practice. While every office has days with unavoidable delays, you'll find that some offices are much more prone to running behind schedule than others.



8. Handling of office calls, both during and after hours. This is an important one. Find out how the office handles parents' calls during regular office hours as well as after hours. Some practices offer a phone-in hour during the day when a practitioner dedicates time specifically to answering calls. If that is the case, you'll obviously want to inquire as to when that hour is.
   
   Other offices hire a trained nurse to give phone advice. A third way involves the practitioner answering calls when time allows throughout the day or after all her patients have been seen.
   
   As for after-hours calls, some practitioners will take calls from their own patients (or the patients in their medical group) with the assistance of an answering service. Some don't take night calls at all; either they have others in their group answer calls from their patients or pay someone else to do it. Still others have calls directed to an after-hours call center and only become involved in the few instances where the problem is serious.



9. Insurance coverage and/or cancellation fees. For most people, the choice of a practitioner is going to be limited to those who are covered by their insurance plan. In addition to finding out which providers participate in your plan, be sure to ask whether or not they charge a cancellation fee if you fail to show up for an appointment without calling ahead to cancel.



10. Trust your feelings. Even if you put a lot of effort into selecting the right practitioner for your child, things sometimes just don't work out. If, for any reason, you do not feel comfortable with the provider you've chosen (for example, you don't think he really listens to you, or you don't completely trust his advice), you should consider changing practitioners. If your child becomes very sick, you will want to be able to turn to someone who you trust and respect--and who you genuinely feel has your child's best interests at heart.

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