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Ten Tips for Choosing a Gynecologist:

  • Identify your needs first. 
  • Identify any limitations or lists from your insurance carrier.  Some plans allow women to identify their own gyn in addition to a primary care provider (PCP); in some plans, your PCP must refer you to a gyn only when they think it's indicated.
  • Consult your other physicians-especially women. Nurses and women physicians are wonderful resources. Not only can they evaluate their doctors professionally, but they have personal experience as well.  Pediatricians are also a great resource since they often work very closely with OB's.  Ask them who they (or their female family members) go to, and why.
  • Consult your friends and family network.  Ask who they have used and who they have appreciated and why.
  • Request information from your county medical society.  Most county medical societies will give you names of physicians in your area that are in the specialty you select.  This does not confer any kind of endorsement, however.
  • Select a gynecologist who is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. "Board-certified" means the OB-Gyn has full credentials. That means that they have completed an accredited four-year residency training program, done a certain number of surgical procedures on their own after residency, and passed the accrediting obstetrics and gynecology board exams. If a gyn is "board-eligible" as opposed to board-certified, that doesn't mean they're not good gyn's, it just means that this doctor is qualified to take the Board exam, but either hasn't taken it yet or hasn't passed it yet.  If this concerns you, ask why.
  • Call the doctor's office. Paying attention to the way the office staff speaks to you can tell you a lot about the overall practice style.  If you get a busy signal repeatedly, that may suggest that you may have trouble getting through when you need to.  Ask the receptionist if the gynecologist usually runs on time or if patients often wait for extended periods in the waiting room (uncontrollable laughter as a response is not a good sign!).
  • Ask to schedule an appointment. If you are offered an appointment several weeks away, this doctor may simply be too busy with practice or other obligations, or has limited office hours; the flip side of this is that this doctor may just be very popular or may reserve separate appointments for routine/annual exams and others for acute, problem oriented visits.
  • Request an informational interview or "getting to know you" visit.  The most important predictor of whether this is the best physician for you is whether you feel comfortable with this person as a potentially trusted professional.
  • Do your homework, but trust your gut feelings.  Get as much information as you can about the Ob-Gyn as a doctor, and as a person- and about his or her practice.  But whether or not you will be happy and comfortable with this relationship depends upon the same factors as most other important relationships in your lives- your gut instincts.

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Created: 10/17/2000  -  Donnica Moore, M.D.


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