Christa Melnyk Hines
Should We Stay or Should We Go? How to know if your child has outgrown the pediatrician As kids get older, they may
WHEN TO STAY
Is it time to find a new physician? It depends. According to Amanda Styers, FNP-BC, who specializes in adolescent primary care, parents should talk to their kids about comfort level with their current physician and discuss preferences. “Some children will be fine seeing their beloved pediatrician throughout childhood and adolescence, while others may feel out of place as they develop more ‘grown up’ concerns and issues,” Styers says.
Pediatricians are specially trained to address health issues ranging from birth to age 21, and over the years, establish a relationship with patients and their families. “We know their history. If they’ve come in for well visits regularly, by the time they’re 15, we‘ve seen them something like 25 times. So, there’s that personal knowledge of the patients and what their issues are,” says pediatrician Steve Lauer, MD. “Our goal is to continue to see those patients and help them get ready for adult life and adult medical care.” Consider your child’s overall health before switching pediatricians. If your child has a chronic health issue like cystic fibrosis, pediatric-specific GI illnesses or Down syndrome, it might be a good idea to stick with your pediatric specialist. Specializing in both pediatrics and internal medicine, Dr. Paul Moore sees patients from newborn through adulthood. “When to transition from a pediatric practice to an adult practice depends on the health of the patient,” Moore says. “Typically, the pediatric specialist will
start to resist going to the pediatrician’s office, where they are surrounded by babies and toddlers and nurses dressed in teddy bear scrubs. They probably have adolescent worries such as puberty, sex, substance abuse, peer pressure, anxiety or depression. They may feel nervous talking about genderrelated issues with a physician of the opposite sex, even though they’ve known their doctor since they were newborns themselves.
24 • SanDiegofamily.com • January 2021
