What are the advantages and disadvantages of becoming a pediatrician?
Answers:
Choosing a specialty is not a choice that is made by examining the advantages and disadvantages. It's different for each of us, so what I list as a disadvantage, somebody else might chronicle as an advantage.
Personally, I'd slit my throat if I had to work as a pediatrician. I thought that was what I needed to do when I started med school, but shortly into my peds rotation, I knew otherwise. Thank God there are culture who love it, or we'd have trouble looking after sick kids.
I can tell you some disadvantages, but I'm hard pressed to judge of a reason to subject myself to that torture.
Why I'm not a pediatrician:
Whiny kids
Whiny parents
Incompetent parents (when I saw a new mom feeding her infant grape soda within a bottle, I wanted to slap her)
Not allowed to slap incompetent parents
Lots of work, not so much income
Screaming kids
Screaming parents
Child abuse
Terminally ill kids (too sad)
ADHD
They squirm when you stick sharp things surrounded by them
Kids = germ factories
Biters
All your stuff has to come in different sizes for different sized little general public
Slobber Source(s): I'm an anesthesiologist. I know how to make kids behave :)
I guess I am the opposite of Pangolin. I went into pediatrics because I insufferable working on old people. (Almost fifty years later I'm vastly glad others don't feel this way!)
Advantages: medical history is usually short and sweet. You learn how to cope beside the uncooperative or frightened child. Most parents are pleasant to work with. Most childhood disease are easy to treat. Good reward to heartbreak ratio.
Disadvantages: lower income compared to most other specialties. Long hours, especially in winter, lots of after-hour phone call. Source(s): Retired pediatrician.
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