Ask Haley

Looking for a pediatrician for your first child can be quite a daunting task. Our little family thinks we’ve found a wonderful office in Central Austin that just takes the cake. Pediatric Associates of Austin has so many benefits for a young family, and they’ve had over 40 years to perfect it.

We primarily see Dr. Ashley Gonzalez, who is such a kind and knowledgeable doctor. She always takes such care with our little girl, engaging with her and letter her “help” with little things, like holding her stethoscope in place. I feel so spoiled by getting to bring my daughter here. With 7 available doctors, she’ll still be able to get an appointment at the last minute, with a quality doctor. I don’t have to wait for days until her primary doctor is available. They also provide an After Hours Kids Clinic from 6:30-10:30pm, which is great considering we usually don’t see symptoms until the evening hours, when other offices are closed. What parent wants to take their child to the emergency room where they’ll be exposed to even more illness, not to mention the wait time? I love that we can just make a quick appointment and come into the same doctor’s office that we’d go to during the day. And it’s just a $30 convenience fee on top of the usual co-pay. Say goodbye to $500 emergency room visits! On top of that, there’s a 24 hour nurse line, and every single staff member is wonderful. We’re so spoiled, right?

With little ones, wait time can become an issue anywhere, and we’ve never had a long wait at Pediatric Associates. I love the waiting room feature where the room is divided into a play area for well patients and sick patients. No worrying about my child getting sick from playing with toys here! I also don’t have to be that parent that feels bad about my sick child spreading germs either, since she’ll have a play area too. During cold and flu season, I have seen that they’ll switch the signs, so that there’s more room for the sick families. It’s those little details that really make this practice shine. Each visiting room is personalized too. If you like the uniqueness that makes Austin, you’ll love this feature. There are a couple of Star Wars rooms, Princess rooms, Legos… it’s such a fun diversion for the kids to look at, and it also brings personality to the place too. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m a little comforted by the fact that there’s a Star Wars collector in the house, and he isn’t afraid to show it.