If both of you are working, it may be important that the doctor have early morning, evening, or weekend hours. Pediatricians typically have very busy practices. Therefore scheduling an appointment can be a tricky business. No one can predict when a child will fall and need stitches or when they will wake up at 4 a.m. with a fever of a 104. Some pediatricians tell parents to take emergencies straight to the emergency room.
Some pediatricians are available for emergencies at night, on weekends, or over a holiday.
Waiting time in the waiting room. Minutes can feel like an eternity when you have a sick or frightened child in the waiting room of a doctor's office. Try to find out how long parents typically wait in the waiting room and in the examination room before the doctor enters. While a long wait does not speak to the doctor's ability to practice medicine, it may indicate that they are overbooked or have more patients than they can handle. Some great doctors are not good managers of time and may take longer to complete a visit or not be able to turn down requests to fit an emergency into a full schedule.