If you're thinking about finding a primary care physician, don't wait until you get sick. The relationship you develop with this health professional can be the key to keeping illness at bay, and it is your best entry point into the rest of the medical system. A family practitioner is a physician who specializes in general family care. Doctors in this specialty are trained in several basic medical disciplines including internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, general surgery and psychiatry. These physicians can treat everyone in your family.
Pediatricians care for and treat children from birth through the teens.
They commonly have subspecialties, such as pediatric cardiology, gastroenterology, perinatal medicine, or surgery. Your first step is to gather names. If you have recently moved to a new location, ask your former physician for a referral. You can also ask other doctors you respect and see regularly, such as a gynecologist or pediatrician. Friends, relatives or business associates.