Through career fairs and work shadowing, introduce your youngster to the area of medicine. Make certain that your child develops an interest in math and science at school. Make an effort to ensure your child's academic achievement as well. To get into a good medical school, your child will need to acquire good marks.
After high school, many people choose to go to college to learn about becoming a doctor. These days, some schools offer the opportunity for students to work with doctors during clinical rotations. This is a great way for young people to experience what it's like to be a physician and to find out if this is actually the career path they want to follow.
The more your child knows about medicine, the better prepared he or she will be when making a choice about a future career.
If you know someone who is a doctor, ask him or her how they got started on their career path. You might be surprised by the story behind their employment!
Getting into medical school after graduation is the most difficult part of becoming a physician. However, once admitted to medical school, it is not difficult to specialize in pediatrics provided you are ready and able to put in the time and effort to pass your tests. The pediatric job market is good because there are many opportunities especially with the increasing number of young people.
Medical schools usually require their students to complete a pediatric clerkship during their third year of training. This is when they get exposure to pediatrics by attending clinic sessions and seeing patients under the care of pediatricians.
Some students may want to go into research right from college so as to better understand how the body works and what role medicine plays in preventing illness and promoting health. These students should consider pursuing a career in immunology or infectious diseases since research on these topics is very popular among young scientists.
Others may want to go into community medicine or even practice law before feeling confident enough to handle the stress of the hospital environment. Since each state has its own requirements, you should check the guidelines set by your preferred schools to see what options are available to you. In any case, understanding that there are many ways to contribute to the field of pediatrics makes the decision easier.
Tips for Making the Change
How to Assist Your School-Age Child in the Hospital
Your Alternatives There are three categories of competent providers for pediatric medical care: pediatricians, family doctors, and pediatric nurse practitioners. Pediatrics is a medical speciality that focuses on the physical, emotional, and social health of children from infancy to puberty. A pediatrician is a physician who has completed additional training in pediatrics.
Family physicians are responsible for overseeing the overall health of children as they grow up. They often work with patients' parents to understand their concerns about their children's health and to advise them on issues such as nutrition, exercise, immunizations, and school screening tests. By focusing on the whole person—not just their disease or injury—family physicians are able to provide better care than general internists, who focus primarily on treating illnesses.
A nurse practitioner is a healthcare professional who has received additional training in assessing health problems, performing laboratory tests, prescribing medications, and advising patients on preventive measures.
They can be found working in all areas of practice within the field of pediatrics and are usually assigned to a team of physicians who share responsibility for seeing patients.
Nurse practitioners can provide many of the same services as a family doctor but may have a special interest or more extensive training in a particular area of pediatric care. For example, an advanced practice nurse (APRN) might have additional training in adolescent medicine or behavioral health issues.
Tell your child the truth about why they need to go to the hospital. Involve kids in hospital preparations, such as packing their bags and selecting special toys to bring to the hospital. Allow lots of time for play and inquiries about why you're visiting the hospital.
Kids can be scared of hospitals. Explain that everyone gets scared when they go into a new place for the first time, but that patients are given lots of gifts and cookies to make them feel comfortable. Tell your child it's good to be worried about their health if they have normal questions or fears.
Some children may cry or argue when you take them to the hospital. It is normal for them to feel frightened or miss their friends. You can reassure them that they will see their friends again soon. No matter how old your child is, they should still visit the hospital every year to make sure their vaccinations are up-to-date.
Children who have never been to the hospital before may want to know what will happen during their stay. Tell them not to worry about this because doctors will ask them many questions to make sure they are getting better. If your child asks many questions, then this is a sign they have plenty of concerns about going to the hospital!
Talking with your child about their illness and hospital visits will help them understand what happens after accidents occur.