Is it a bad thing that all of my experience is in pediatrics?

[AB16]

I've worked in an adult ER and a pediatric ER for the past two years as a scribe and a ED tech and am really interested in pediatrics EM. I don't like working with adult patients at all and plan on going into pediatrics. All of my volunteering and shadowing experiences are in pediatrics and was wondering if admissions committees would see this as a bad thing or if it was a good thing that I am very much interested in pediatrics?

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[SpoiledMilk]

I've worked in an adult ER and a pediatric ER for the past two years as a scribe and a ED tech and am really interested in pediatrics EM. I don't like working with adult patients at all and plan on going into pediatrics. All of my volunteering and shadowing experiences are in pediatrics and was wondering if admissions committees would see this as a bad thing or if it was a good thing that I am very much interested in pediatrics?

Others more knowledgeable will provide you the answer you seek, but make sure this sentiment is not somehow conveyed in your PS, secondaries, or interviews. It will be a sure fire rejection.

 

[efle]

I don't like working with adult patients at all

If all your experience has been with peds, then what experience taught you this?

 

[angeloflogic]

No man, what you're doing seems alright. Kudos for knowing what you already like. As long as you can explain it if it comes up in an interview, you're golden. Besides, a lot of schools push for their students to go into primary care, and peds is one of them.

 

[efle]

Hold up I just re-read it and now I'm really confused. If you've been working for two years in both an adult and peds ER setting, how do you not have clinical experience with adults? Wasn't the adult ER work experience with adults?

 

[Lannister]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just make it clear during interviews that you're "keeping an open mind", because I think that's considered preferable to being dead set on one specialty.

 

[mwsapphire]

Hold up I just re-read it and now I'm really confused. If you've been working for two years in both an adult and peds ER setting, how do you not have clinical experience with adults? Wasn't the adult ER work experience with adults?

I think they mean they worked in the adult for a small, negligible period of time before switching to peds so the peds experience is waaaay more than the adult patient experience.
Also, OP, that's fine, but don't make it seem like you don't like caring for adults in your app. Make it seem like ' I enjoy working with children much more, I prefer child patients b/c they're funny/cute/interesting/ I love kids", this is demonstrated by how much work I did with children patients, but don't make it seem like " Ugh adult patients. I would hate to work with adults. "
Veer it more towards how much you like kids, not how much you don't want to work with adults. Make sense?

 

[AB16]

If all your experience has been with peds, then what experience taught you this?

I've worked FT in an adult ER for about 6 months and then I switched to peds. I've shadowed other specialities too (derm, ortho, GI) not just peds but the majority of my experience is in peds

 

[PiggyPug6]

All my experience in terms of clinical volunteering and shadowing was in one field and no one cared. Long as you get the hours, it's fine.

 

[efle]

I've worked FT in an adult ER for about 6 months

I've shadowed other specialities too (derm, ortho, GI)

You've got plenty of non-peds experience then! I think you're gonna be fine.