Sick and Well-child Doctor's Office Waiting Rooms

Kiddie Wellness: Sick and Well Waiting Rooms

April 15, 2009

In the five years my kids have been going to the pediatrician, I don't think we've ever spent more than five minutes in the waiting room. Whether my children were scheduled for shots, ailing or just attending an annual appointment, the nurse has promptly ushered us to an exam room to wait on the doctor. In talking to other mothers, I know not all practices are this efficient — parents complain of keeping their healthy kids from hacking and crouping youngsters in the holding area.

A friend on the East Coast told me she's never encountered this problem since many doctors' offices there have sick and well waiting rooms to separate the patients and to avoid having them handle the same toys. Does your pediatrician's office offer separate spaces?

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11 Comments

4 years 4 weeks

my doctors has a sick and well waiting room. which i'm thankful because i normally sit about an hour in the waiting. they schedulee wayyyy too many appts in one hour. it's ridiculous.

jimpolandy 4 years 5 weeks

Our pediatrician has 2 separate doors & waiting areas one for sick and one for well patients. The receptionist always makes sure that you are in the correct place. We live in the southeast and there were 2 separate waiting rooms when I was growing up here too. That's all I've ever seen.

kimsy 4 years 5 weeks

The pediatrician that we selected doesn't have separate waiting rooms but does have sick and well exam rooms. The sick kids are ushered into a sick room immediately, and infants in for routine exams are ushered into a well room immediately.

bluepuppybites 4 years 5 weeks

Yes we have both well and sick waiting rooms, and I wish I could spend 5 minutes in one instead of at least 10.

Kimpossible 4 years 5 weeks

Our pediatrician's office has separate waiting rooms with separate entrance doors (kind of reminds me of the vets office with a side for cats and a side for dogs lol). We're in the South West (used to live in the South East) and this is the first pediatrician that we've encountered that has separate waiting rooms.

schnappycat 4 years 5 weeks

Yes, mine does. But honestly, germs can spread pretty easily across the room to the "well" side (the fish tank partially dividing the room only does so much). It's much like a smoking section in a restaurant (I'm spoiled now that I live in a totally non-smoking state)--you can still smell the smoke because the usually invisible barrier obviously does nothing to actual stop the smoke. I'm sure it helps, but isn't foolproof. Last time I was at the pedi with my son for a well visit, I picked up something and was sick for days. And we never left the well side of the waiting room.

amycorinne 4 years 5 weeks

Our pediatrician has sick and well sides of the waiting room. A lot of parents do not pay attention, but the ladies working the front desk are usually pretty good about telling parents which side to sit on.

Roarman 4 years 5 weeks

We don't, but we also never wait very long either and if your child has something truly contagious, they bring you in the minute you walk through the door.

meandtheo 4 years 5 weeks

i wish they did, but like you i have never had to wait more then 5 minutes..

gab6784 4 years 5 weeks

My ped has a well and sick waiting area but thankfully I don't usually need to wait long at all before I get into an exam room.

latinav 4 years 5 weeks

Our pediatricians office has the sick waiting area and well waiting area but unless someone enforces it the parents rarely abide by the rule. I have had to tell moms they were in the wrong waiting area.

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