FAQs

A nurse practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse with advanced clinical training who provides patient care: 

Responsibilities

NPs perform physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, prescribe medications, and interpret lab results and X-rays. They also provide health teaching and counseling. 

Education

NPs must complete graduate-level education and advanced clinical training, which typically takes six to eight years. They are board certfied after passing an approved national board exam. They also have years of experience in the medical filed as a registered nurse before they became an advanced practice nurse. 

Practice

NPs can practice independently, with another health care professional, or under supervision. In many states, NPs have the authority to prescribe medication without physician oversight.  In Texas, they must have a supervising physician for prescriptive authority. Southern Charm Pediatrics does have a collaborating physician for this requirement. 

Specialties

NPs can specialize in a wide range of medical categories, including family practice, pediatrics, geriatrics, acute care nursing, and emergency room nursing. 

NPs work closely with physicians and other health providers in primary care and specialty settings. They can focus on health promotion and disease prevention, and may work in community health settings or health treatment facilities. 

NP's in pediatrics provide preventive health care for children in good health and care for children who are acutely or chronically ill. They also provide parents with support and advice with issues such as growth and development, safety and prevention, nutrition, and emotional wellness to foster a lifetime of good health.

Every effort is made to arrange your child's well care and follow up visits with the provider of your choice. When your child is ill, he or she may see any one of our nurse practitoners.

Yes, we always welcome new patients to our practice! Please see the list of insurances that we accept under the "Office Info-Insurances" Menu Tab. If your child is new to the practice and needs a well visit, please note that we need all prior records sent to our office before making your appointment. This gives our providers adequate time to prepare prior to your appointment and that means less wait time. It also allows for us to give an appropriate amount of time for the appointment in case there are additional issues to discuss and make sure that the last well visit has been at least one year prior for insurance purposes. If the entire chart is unavailable in time, we ask that you please have your prior provider's office fax the vaccine records and last well summary to our office in the meantime. Thank you and welcome aboard!

Please note--which medication you give your child is based on subjective opinion and symptoms. Call to speak to our nurses to guide you in the right direction for any OTC (over the counter) medications.

Our office is open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, closed 12pm-1pm for lunch. 

To make an appointment you may book online or may call our office. To ensure the best use of time, for both our providers and patients, all of our office visits are by appointment only. We ask that you arrive at our office 10 - 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time. This will allow you to complete any necessary paperwork and to update any demographic and insurance changes. If you must cancel an appointment, please notify us as soon as possible so we can offer that time to someone else.

Emergencies arise. We will advise you if there is going to be a delay in seeing you. If your schedule won't allow you to wait, we will be happy to reschedule your appointment. We do appreciate your patience and cooperation during our busy times and we will make every effort to keep your wait time to a minimum.

We have an after hours triage company with trained pediatric registered nurses to answer your after hour questions and concerns. There is a provider on call to call in medications or speak to a parent if needed. 

Please call our office and they will direct you to the after hours number, or you may call 844-798-9094 directly after hours. This is for emergency purposes only. Refill of medications, making appointments, and referrals will not get handled after hours. There will be a $25 fee charged for after hour calls. 

IN THE EVENT OF A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY, CALL 911.

Please refer to our insurance page to review a list of accepted insurance providers.

Yes, we promote breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding babies for the first six to twelve months. Breastfeeding helps defend children against infections, prevents allergies, and protects against a number of chronic conditions. While experts believe that breast milk is the best nutritional choice for infants, breastfeeding may not be possible for all women.

Some women have specific medical considerations that impede breastfeeding; others choose to feed by formula because of discomfort, work schedule, or lifestyle choices. In these cases, an iron-fortified, milk-based infant formula is a good alternative. We will gladly discuss your diet and feeding concerns at your child's well care visit, or please call during office hours to speak with our experienced nursing staff.

We are happy to have Susan Baker CPNP who is also a certified breastfeeding counselor. She has visits specifically for helping nursing moms. These are 60 minuites long and are focused on making breastfeeding successful for mom and baby.

Our routine health maintenance visit schedule follows the American Academy of Pediatrics vaccine guideline for children.

Immunizations are a series of shots given to children at different ages to help ward off serious, and potentially fatal, childhood diseases. Making sure your child receives immunizations when scheduled is the best way to help protect your child from potentially fatal diseases. According to The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), vaccinations have reduced the number of infections from vaccine-preventable diseases by more than 90%. 

If you're apprehensive about vaccinations, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

To help protect your child from many serious infectious diseases, we follow the immunization schedule recommended by The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Please discuss your immunization questions and concerns with any of our providers.

For non-urgent referrals: when one of our providers refers you to a specialist, please schedule your appointment with the specialist, then call our office within five business days of your appointment. Your referral will be available within 72 hours. Most referrals are completed electronically and submitted directly to the specialist's office. Please check with our office staff to determine if your insurance plan processes referrals electronically.

For urgent referrals: when one of our providers determines that you need an urgent referral, your referral will be initiated immediately. Please remain in our office while your referral is processed, then proceed to your specialist.

You will receive a call quickly with any lab results that require urgent attention. Other abnormal lab results will be addressed promptly by the provider that ordered the labs or tests. Normal values are reviewed and addressed by the provider that ordered them.

Please call your pharmacy to request refills OR request via your patient portal. Allow one business day for all routine prescription refills. For prescriptions that require prior authorization from your insurance company, please plan ahead to allow at least three to five days for refill approval. 

Yes, in fact we strongly encourage parents-to-be to visit our office for a prenatal appointment. This is a great way to get acquainted with our office and our providers. During this visit, we will answer any questions that you have about our practice or your new child. Visit our expectant parent's page for more information.

We recommend that your newborn be seen in our office 1-2 days after discharge from the hospital. Our staff understands the importance of this first visit and will make every effort to schedule this visit promptly.

However, if your hospital recommended a 1 day follow up, then we defer to that. Some babies need a 1 day check if they are having some issues with feeding, weight loss, or jaundice. 

As all children are different, we advise following several appropriate steps to advance your child's diet based on age and development. Please discuss these steps with our providers at your well care visit.