When you’re thinking about starting your career, one of the most important—and difficult—decisions you’ll make is what type of doctor to become. You have a lot of options: general practitioner, pediatrician, psychiatrist, dermatologist and so on. To help you navigate this decision we’ve put together an ultimate guide for becoming a pediatrician that will walk through everything from how to become a pediatrician and what it takes to be good at this specialty.
How To Become A Pediatrician
To become a pediatrician like Dr. Lou Hampers, you’ll need to complete a medical degree program at an accredited university. You can expect to spend four years in medical school and then another three years on an internship and residency program. During that time, you will be required to take courses in anatomy and physiology; microbiology; pharmacology; pathology; psychology; ethics; biochemistry; human development through adolescence (pediatrics); physical diagnosis through infancy (pediatrics); pediatrics specialty rotations such as neonatal care or infectious disease management.
After Lou Hampers completing your residency program successfully, you will need to pass examinations given by the American Board of Pediatrics before being eligible for board certification as a pediatrician. Once this step has been completed successfully–which usually takes about two years after graduation from medical school–you are able to begin practicing medicine independently under supervision from another qualified physician until gaining enough experience under his/her direction so that no further supervision is necessary
What Does It Take To Be A Pediatrician
The first step to becoming a pediatrician is to determine whether this is the right career path for you. If you don’t have a passion for children, then it may not be worth pursuing.
● Do you have a genuine interest in learning and helping children? Pediatricians must stay up-to-date on current research and practice standards in order to provide quality care for their patients. They must also keep up with advances in technology that affect patient care (e.g., new diagnostic tests). This requires a lot of reading and study time outside of work hours–and sometimes during work hours too!
● Are willing to work hard? While there are plenty of opportunities for relaxation during breaks from clinical duties (such as lunch breaks), most pediatricians will spend much more time working than relaxing when compared with their colleagues who specialize in other fields such as internal medicine or surgery.
Dr. Lou Hampers: What You Need To Know Before Starting Practice
