How Old Is Too Old For The Pediatrician

My pediatrician referred me to an adult gp group when I was 16. At 19, I was briefly hospitalized with pneumonia for a couple of days, and I was admitted to the adult ward.

22 was the cutoff age, and I went all the way up until riiight before I turned 22 (like actually the month before lol). It was definitely a little awkward being much older there

I'm fortunate that I have always gone to a Family Practice doctor. I started going to him when I was 7 years old and still see him as an adult.

Very thorough.

18 seem's normal enough to me. Can't see an adult person at a pediatrician.

I was visited by the pediatrician until I was 16 years old. It is very common in Italy to have a pediatrician up to the age of 14... However, many family doctors act as paediatricians, also treating adults. In my case, however, my parents opted for a pediatrician. In theory I should have switched to GP at 14, but for various family reasons I had to delay the switch. In my opinion, at 14 it would be right to leave the pediatrician, or at least when development begins.

I went to my pediatrician until I was 18 years old but I think I could’ve stayed until I was 22. I should’ve stayed as they actually gave thorough physicals

18 should be the cutoff for seeing a pediatrician

To avoid teens embarrassment, it would be nice if pediatricians only take care of children.

I remember taking my kids to the pediatrician a couple times at high school age, and it felt a bit awkward. The waiting room was full of babies, toddlers and very young kids. It felt like the cutoff should’ve been younger, but that it was a problem for any of us, but .. it seemed strange.

Of course, when my wife was pregnant and I went to her gynecologist and was the only male in the waiting room it felt equally strange, so maybe that’s par for the course.

@TrustYourDoctor

How did your kids feel about going to the pediatrician when they were teenagers? Was it just what they were used to doing, or was it beginning to feel too juvenile for them? And was this for visits when they were sick, or did they have physical examinations there, too?

They didn’t really give it much thought, it was the only office they’d been to their whole lives really, so it was just another visit.

Probably more of a surprise to me than them, to be honest.

I stopped seeing a pediatrician at 14. I think this is always how it's done here, after 14 you are supposed to be seen by a general practitioner

Whenever the time comes. Each person is different.

I last saw my pediatrician during my fifteen year old physical. This was in December 1992. The doctor informed me that he was leaving private practice to teach at a medical school. I disappointed as he was really good with teenagers. Treated us like young adults. Even had a different waiting room and exam rooms for us.

About eight months later, I wasn't feeling well and saw one of his colleagues. Not a good experience and I refused to go back. My parents weren't happy with me doing so, but they asked their internal medicine doc if he would agree to see me before turning eighteen. The doc told my parents that he saw patients as young as fourteen as long as at least one of their parents was also a patient. Had my physical with him just days after my sixteenth birthday. Saw him until I moved overseas at thirty years old.

I went to the pediatrician until I graduated college. In the 4 years between high and college, there were less kids my age than before, although there was still many. I got to go without a chaperone after I turned 18, which was good. I got the oral thermometer after I turned 18 as well, although if I had a fever over 101, the nurse would take my temperature again rectally. I didn’t like this, but at least my parents weren’t there anymore to witness. If I needed a penicillin shot, it still went in my bottom, but somehow I survived the ordeal.

I saw my pediatrician until I was 19.

In the 50's and 60's you only went to a pediatrician if you had some serious kid disease. I only saw the doctor my whole family went to. Last saw him when I left for college. In my 20's I only when to an available doctor if I was sick. Only in my 30's did I start to see a single doctor regularly for routine matters.

I stopped going when I joined the Navy about 18, but if doctor and patient were comfortable, going till 21(-or going to college) wasn't unusual.

Back then, there were no PCP's. There were GP's and specialists. Pediatricians were specialists. Once my sister had to see my parent's GP, (I don't remember the circumstances, but I believe it was an availability issue.) We were teenagers, and the doctor famously said "I don't normally see children. They aren't even little people." (Never did find out what he thought they were.) It was a pretty prevalent attitude among doctors at that time.

Last time I went at age 17 to my pediatrician.

I would say latest at 16 years old one can go to a regular doctor

I think that this is highly dependent upon the pediatric practice as well as the adolescent in question. Many practices here in the New England area will see a teenager through their last year of high school at age 18. For some, more likely females, there may be a switch to include a GYN exam for birth control. Again, some docs are comfortable offering this type of exam while others will refer out. Lastly, the teen ought to have a voice if not a vote in who to be undressed in front of for the exam. Some docs specialize in seeing teens; pediatricians are likely more of a generalist. Family docs, another interesting specialization, see all comers both child, adolescent and adults. The good news here is that receiving care is available.

I saw mine through college.