Should You Pursue a Career in Pediatrics?

If going into pediatrics is something that you desire to do, you have made a great choice. You will have the opportunity to help and ease the fears of both children and parents alike. Although this is a great career to get into it, there are several things you must consider before you make your final decision.

First of all, and most importantly, you must have a special place in your heart for children. This may seem like a no-brainer, but let?s face it. You will have to deal with them much of the time. Therefore, you can?t get tired of them too easily. There are some people who shouldn?t work with children, because they lack the proper compassion and patience. This isn?t to say that if you love being around children, that you will never run into issues. What you must realize is that some of them tend to be talkative and fidgety. These aren?t necessarily bad characteristics. However, it is just a reality.

So, if you aren?t able to gracefully handle them and all of their characteristics, you might want to think about choosing another career. Now, don?t overlook the word gracefully. Being able to deal with children isn?t enough. You should also be able to maintain your smile and cheerful attitude. This isn?t to say that you will never have a bad day or a day where you won?t feel like being cheerful. However, you should work to have a pleasant attitude at least most of the time.

Pediatrics will also require you to deal with parents. Sometimes, dealing with parents can be stressful. That?s because some parents tend to be overly protective of their children. Therefore, they may challenge just about anything you recommend or suggest. Then, there will be those who may blame you if a certain medication doesn?t work out for their child. So, you must be able to handle the adults as well.

Lastly, you should also be able to handle stress, in general. Contrary to what some may believe, pediatrics involves more than just performing routine checkups and prescribing medicine. However, many doctors also have hospitalized patients that they must check on. So, this means that they also deal with children who may have life-threatening injuries, sicknesses or diseases. This can weigh heavily on any physician. So, if you aren?t able to deal with stress, this isn?t the field for you.

The aforementioned examples weren?t given to discourage you. However, you should know the truth, before you make your final decision. You should never go into something without knowing all that is required or expected of you. So, although pediatrics is a great and noble field, you should make sure you are cut out for the job before you make a decision to pursue it.

Source: http://toddsblogs.com/healthandfitness/2012/09/14/should-you-pursue-a-career-in-pediatrics/

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