I need a Dr.… where do I start?

sicoe17

So I'm 26 and haven't had a Dr. since my pediatrician, whom I stopped seeing at 16. So far in my life I've been horrible about taking care of myself. Well 2 months ago I decided enough was enough. I've started counting calories like it's going out of style, and I exercise for about an hour 6 days a week. As a result I have lost almost 40lbs and have gained an incredible amount of energy. However, I still have quite a long journey ahead of me and would like to have a physical to make sure I haven't caused any serious damage that needs attention (diabetes…?) and would also enjoy keeping track of my progress to better overall health.
Wow, this was all a really long winded way of getting to this question: how do I pick a Dr.? Internal medicine/family practice? M.D./D.O.? I really don't know how to proceed so any help would be awesome.

Chief_Rocka

Find out who your insurance covers, talk to friends in your city.

tship74

Agree on talkign to some of your friends. Find one that peple like so you don;t have to keep searching if you pull a bad rabbit out of the hat!!

_VoV

I worked in a hospital, and if you can ask a staff nurse who will level with you, that's the best. Often, they will say something like 'All the docs are good' so you know the marketing department has a hold over what they can say.

I found a wonderful doctor by asking a local pharmacist. I told him my own particular doctor preference: Not an early adopter of new therapies; cost-conscious (I have a high deductible); and open to using life style change as treatment instead of running to the 'script pad. I like having a thinking-(wo)man as a doc, who takes a careful history, and doesn't practice defensive medicine by ordering every test in the book.

And this pharmacist gave me the perfect referral given my preferences.

sicoe17

Thank you everyone for your imput. I have been talking to friends, but most of my friends don't have a Dr. I live in a fairly small community and a large portion of the population is without insurance. I'm lucky enough to have insurence, which so far I've let go to waste.
VergingOnVega, that sounds like a great resource to start with, I'll be sure to run a few questions by my local pharmacist and see what he has to say. Thanks again!

Ready2Rock206

Go to your insurance company's website - see what doctors in your area they cover. Go to their websites.

I picked my current doctor because she's at a convenient location, the clinic she's at is associated w/a urgent care (I have a teenage boy - that's an important need for us), the clinic also has a location that does nutrition counseling that I might try out eventually, and they have a wide variety of other services if I'm ever in need someday.