Black Intelligentsia Libraries
The New Way Of Thinking
Pediatrician
Ever felt the frustrations of playing Charades, Guesstures, or Taboo? Now, imagine being a doctor having to work under those conditions while having to"race against the clock." Intrigued by the challenge? View it as an opportunity? If so, and if you excel under pressure and at "thinking outside the box," are highly observant, detail-oriented, and analytical, love Science, Health, and Math, and have a special gift of and enjoy working with children, then you should become a Pediatrician.
Pediatricians are Physicians who diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries specific to younger people, providing care for infants, children, teenagers, as well as young adults—from birth to early adulthood. Most treat day-to-day illnesses, minor injuries, and infectious diseases and administer vaccinations. Some even specialize in Pediatric Surgery or serious medical conditions that commonly affect younger patients (autoimmune disorders, serious chronic ailments, etc.). Pediatricians are responsible for monitoring the healthy growth and development of children, and because many of their patients have yet to develop any communication skills (and cannot convey their symptoms), they must be able to diagnose infants based strictly on thorough visual and auditory examination.
The duties of a Pediatrician include but are not limited to: tracking and administering immunizations on schedule; monitoring and tracking their patients’ growth to adulthood; thoroughly examining every patient to determine whether a child is suffering from a health condition; using preventative methods to ensure that there is no presence of a disease in the child’s body; providing the appropriate treatment measures for a disease; treating minor illnesses (common cold, fever, physical injuries, etc.), teenagers' acne, and infectious childhood diseases (mumps, measles, chicken pox, etc.) to a child's ongoing battle with muscular dystrophy; consulting and advising hospital doctors when one of their regular patients is brought in as an emergency patient; working with parents and developing appropriate assessments and diagnoses; performing research to understand how to best help their patients; performing lab work, tests, or any number of blood tests to work towards a proper diagnosis; prescribing medicine; handling paperwork; and keeping/maintaining patients' records.
High school students interested in becoming a Pediatrician benefit from taking Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, Biology/Anatomy, Nutrition, Nursing, Health, Physical Science, Chemistry, and Physics. Students entering Pre-Medical Bachelor's of Science programs with no previous Pediatrics training should expect a period of 4 years to complete said program. Upon completion of undergraduate studies, candidates must earn a 4-year Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy degree from an accredited school of medicine/Osteopathy, complete a 3-to-8-year Pediatric residency (sub-specialties in Auto-Immune Disorders and Pediatric Surgery can lengthen residency), and pass the United States Medical Licensing examination in order to practice medicine as a licensed, credentialed Pediatric Physician. The American Board of Medical Specialists directs General Pediatricians to acquire certification through the American Board of Pediatricians (ABP). Licensure is required in all states.
Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and children's hospitals hire the majority of Pediatricians, with smaller private Pediatric Clinics being the second largest employer. Due to the increase of doctors set to retire and to the growth of the overall population, employment of Pediatricians and Pediatric Surgeons is expected to grow 24 percent over the next decade. Job prospects should be particularly good for Pediatricians who are willing to practice in rural, low-income, and other underserved areas, as these areas tend to have difficulty attracting Physicians.
Job Description
Median Salary & Range
Median Salary: $158,170
Salary Range: ~$85,850 - $187,000+
College Majors & Attainment Routes
The normal routes to becoming a Pediatrician have been to attain a Bachelor's of Science degree in Pre-Medical, Physics, Biology or Biological Sciences, Physiology or Physiology Sciences, Chemistry (Pre-Professional), Biomedical Sciences, Health Sciences, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Engineering Physics, Biochemistry, or Pre-Professional Education.
Pre-Medical students must complete undergraduate work in Physics, Biology, Mathematics, and Inorganic and Organic Chemistry and successfully complete the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Many students volunteer at local hospitals or clinics to gain practical experience in the health professions and to build mentor-mentee relationships with Pediatricians.
Colleges That Provide Above Majors
Colleges and universities that have Medical/Pediatrics Schools and related majors are: Meharry Medical College (Nashville, Tennessee); Howard University (Washington, DC); Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (Los Angeles, California); Delaware State University (Dover, Delaware); Morgan State University (Baltimore, Maryland); Norfolk State University (Norfolk, Virginia); Elizabeth City State University (Elizabeth City, North Carolina); Fayetteville State University (Fayetteville, North Carolina); North Carolina Central University (Durham, North Carolina); North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro, North Carolina); Virginia State University (Petersburg, Virginia); Morehouse College (Atlanta, Georgia); Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte, North Carolina); Winston Salem State University (Winston Salem, North Carolina); Albany State University (Albany, Georgia); South Carolina State University (Orangeburg, South Carolina); Savannah State University (Savannah, Georgia); Spelman College (Atlanta, Georgia); Claflin University (Orangeburg, South Carolina); Allen University (Columbia, South Carolina); Fort Valley State University (Fort Valley, Georgia); Paine College (Augusta, Georgia); Livingstone College (Salisbury, North Carolina); Benedict College (Columbia, South Carolina); Huston-Tillotson University (Austin, Texas); Voorhees College (Denmark, South Carolina); and Hampton University (Hampton, Virginia).
Available Scholarships
