Parents and Pediatrics

[premed101]

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People mention the negative of pediatrics is the dealing with the parents. I was wondering how many of you generally find parents to be very rude? Is this really very common or just an occasional thing?

 

[facetguy]

I'm not a pediatrician, so I can't answer your question. But I can understand that parents of sick kids are often stressed, which may come across as rudeness. That said, there are rude people everywhere and they visit pediatricians too.

 

[rotatores]

People mention the negative of pediatrics is the dealing with the parents. I was wondering how many of you generally find parents to be very rude? Is this really very common or just an occasional thing?

I think as pediatricians we get both ends of the spectrum....parents who are "rude" and parents who don't give a crap about the health of there little one (i.e. parents who treat the NICU as free daycare). I'd say the majority of parents are just very concerned and are appreciative of the care their children receive.

 

[Marigold]

I don't see having to deal with parents as a "negative." Rarely are they rude; much more often they're simply concerned about their child, and if you take the time to communicate well with them about what you're thinking and what you're doing, you will find your interactions with them to be pleasant. Of course, every so often you come across one whose neck you want to wring because of the way they're treating (or not treating) their child, but if they are truly being abusive or neglectful then you can do something about it (namely, get protective services involved). I can only think of a few times when I became really frustrated with a parent...usually they are reasonable people who just want the best for their children.

 

[generic]

rarely a problem...

also, those stressed/bipolar/mean-spirited parents may be parents to me, but they're adults and therefore they are someone else's adult patient.

So I don't really see it as a reason to avoid peds. You'll have patients/parents that present challenges in relating to no matter what specialty you're in.