Med Peds

[doctorp82]

Wanted to know if anyone is pursuing medicine-pediatrics, and why. Also, has anyone given you flack for saying you still may be open for a fellowship after 4 years, and tell you that you wasted that extra year?

cheers

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[HurricaneKatt]

I might go into Peds. What I really want is to be a neonatal or pediatric surgeon, but I also want to have time for a family so I might just go Peds.
Why? Easy: I want to be a doctor, I love children and babies, and I will be giving them a chance at life. I would love to spend some time in Jude's. I'm not too interested in cancer, but it would be a neat experience.

 

[Gotcha!]

...But I just logged into point out how funny the previous comment was considering the initial question, and the level of experience required to answer it.

That is all.

 

[TexasRose]

Wanted to know if anyone is pursuing medicine-pediatrics, and why. Also, has anyone given you flack for saying you still may be open for a fellowship after 4 years, and tell you that you wasted that extra year?

cheers

I've worked with several Medpeds folks who plan, or are doing, fellowships. Nephrology and Cardiology are common pedi fellowships following medpeds. The reasoning I've heard, and think makes good sense, is that children with heart defects and renal problems grow up these days to become adults with congenital heart and kidney defects. Adult cards and renal training doesn't adequately prepare docs to take care of 21 yr olds with a history of, say, hypoplastic left heart. But those same adults some day will have cardiac needs that surpass the training of your average pedi cardiologist as well. Medpeds provides the training in both adult and pediatric medicine that allows specialists to care for their patients throughout their lives. (I see a lot of need for this in GI as well. We have some short-gut patients who are living into their 20's still being seen at a children's hospital)

 

[ekydrd]

I am finishing my Med-Peds residency this year. I chose it because I really do want to take care of children and adults. I am going to a rural location where they are in need of a physician who can do both adult and peds inpatient care, as well as primary outpatient care. None of the FPs will do peds inpatient care, and there are only 2 other pediatricians at this time (Q2 call would really suck!), so all peds go to St. Louis for now. But next year when I get there we will be starting up a Hospitalist program manned with Med-Peds docs (hospitalist - either IM, Peds or IM/Peds is the wave of the future for hospitals).


Also consider income potential. The average Pediatrician (even a subspecialist) will make much less on average then an IM physician, but IM/Peds makes as much as (or even more than) the IM doc, and takes care of kids. Go figure.

 

[myry]

Mechelle, I PMed you