There are many specialisations and roles within the medical field; being as wide reaching and complex as it is, it would be irresponsible and impractical to expect any single physician to have a comprehensive knowledge of all facets of medicine. This article takes a look at paediatrics, explaining the role and different facets of the work paediatricians do, and give an overview of the stages of training involved when becoming a paediatrician.
Defining a Paediatrician
Paediatricians are those doctors who specialise in the field of children. They manage the medical conditions afflicting children, infants, and young people. Paediatrics as a field is split up into four general categories:
- Neonatology: specialising in the care of newborns, oftentimes based in intensive care units and dealing with the care of premature children
- Paediatric Cardiology: specialising in the treatment of children with heart problems
- Community Paediatrics: community based doctors specialising in the treatment of social, developmental, or behavioural problems, including those with physical disabilities.
- General Paediatrics: By far the most common (as most paediatrics fall under the label of generalists), these are the people most commonly thought of when paediatrics is mentioned. They specialise in the treatment of children from birth up until the age of 16.
Most paediatrics serve as generalists in a hospital environment, but, as mentioned, they can also work within communities or specialist units as well.
What Training do Paediatricians Do?
Like all medical professions, paediatricians are trained to the highest possible professional standards. Becoming a paediatrician involves many years of study at various levels.
More specifically, the training begins as far back as GCSEs. Having at a minimum 5 A*/A grades including english, maths, and science, as well as 3 A-Levels including Chemistry, and another science or maths are the general prerequisites to a medical degree. Failing this, some medical schools offer pre-medical courses, allowing for those without the appropriate A-Levels to learn the appropriate foundation knowledge for a medicine course. Likewise, non-medicine graduates can apply for certain graduate medical degrees, again depending on the course provider.
A medicine degree takes five years to complete, and entry is always competitive; most medical schools also look for appropriate voluntary work and work experience as part of their requirements.This can take the form of work with schools, children’s groups, shadowing of doctors, or work with charities related to young people.
Many paediatricians also choose to take elective modules related to paediatrics during their degrees, meaning many have additional experience with the field which is expanded upon in later training. Completion of the degree means one is now a qualified doctor. After completion, training for paediatrics begins in earnest. Immediately following the degree, all UK doctors undergo a two year programme at medical school known as the Foundation Programme. This course covers general practice, and is followed by specialist training in the field of paediatrics.
The specialist training takes 8 years to complete fully, and is considered to be a ‘run-through’ course; that is, training is continuous and students pass through the stages on the basis of competence. The training is based on a set of learning outcomes that are approved of by leading medical bodies and councils.
Further Reading:
The Royal College of Paediatrics’ website offers much information on the work of paediatricians. It also offers much information and advice appropriate to those seeking to become paediatrics, at whatever stage of training they happen to be at:- https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/
The NHS Careers website also offers information on the role of paediatricians, and provides links to more sources of information on the topic: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/paediatrics
