Primary Care Doctors: Who's Who


Got a cough? Sniffles? Short of breath? Your primary care specialist can tell if it's an infection, like a cold — or if it's or something else, like asthma or allergies. If it's not something your doc can treat, he or she will refer you to a specialist.

Several different types of primary care physicians treat teens. What's right for you all depends on your needs. Primary care physicians are always doctors, but may have different focuses, such as caring for mostly kids or mostly adults. And they often work closely with other experts, like nurse practitioners, who also might be qualified in specialties like adolescent medicine.


These doctors care for babies, kids, and teens. Pediatricians can be great listeners and are often good at explaining medical concepts in a way that's easy to understand. Lots of teens continue to work with the doctor who has treated them since they were babies — after all, no one knows you and your medical history as well.

But if you stick with your childhood doctor, make sure he or she recognizes that you are growing up, and that your concerns are changing. Pediatricians stop treating patients as they reach different ages, so check with yours to see what the situation is.





Adolescent Medicine Specialists


Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Specialists

Called "med-peds" for short, these experts have training in both pediatrics and internal medicine. This allows them to bridge the gap between treating young patients and adults, something that can be helpful when transitioning from childhood to adult care.

Med-peds can be particularly helpful to people with diseases that start in childhood, such as cystic fibrosis, achondroplasia, or diabetes, because they understand pediatric illness better than other internal medicine docs. As with adolescent specialists, it may be harder to find med-peds specialists in certain areas.

Family Medicine Doctors



Reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MD
Date reviewed: March 2010

Kids Health

