A pediatrician is a medical doctor who offers care to newborns through teenagers. They are your child’s go-to care partner. And like family, they’ll be there to grow with your child, getting to know them and their personality. Pediatricians often work with a pediatric nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant.

A pediatric specialist is a medical doctor with specialized training in specific medical conditions for children. At Intermountain, these providers are often with Primary Children’s Hospital and may require a referral from your pediatrician.

Pediatricians treat most children from newborn through adolescence, or up to age 21. Most children transition to a primary care provider for adult care after 18 or graduating high school.

Yes, in fact we strongly encourage parents-to-be to schedule a prenatal appointment. This is a great way to get acquainted. During this visit, we will answer any questions that you have about our practice or your new child.

Your child should not only see the pediatrician for an illness. It is also important to schedule well-child-care exams regularly, beginning in infancy. Also called well-care visits or checkups, these routine examinations provide the best opportunity for the doctor to observe the progress of your child's physical and mental growth, check development, counsel and teach parents, detect problems through screening tests, provide immunizations, and to get to know one another. Well-care visits are strongly recommended as part of preventive pediatric care.

Well-child visits are also a good time for parents to raise questions and concerns about a child's development, behavior, nutrition, safety and overall well-being.

During a well-child visit, a pediatrician will:

• Assess the child’s growth
• Perform a physical exam
• Track growth and development
• Discuss nutrition, physical fitness, and immunizations

This is a time for you to ask questions and discuss any health-related concerns.