Career Research Report On Pediatrician Job

Introduction

I am very interested in pursuing a career as a pediatrician. Pediatricians are more commonly known as doctors for children and teenagers. Throughout this report, you will find information on the work they do, the skills they need and other facts about being a pediatrician.

Job description

Pediatricians are doctors who focus on the treatment of children and teenagers from the time they are born to their adolescence. These doctors diagnose and treat diseases, injuries and infections in their patients. Pediatricians are also responsible for providing active, emotional support to their patients and help them through stressful times in their life.

Job Duties

Pediatricians meet with a lot of children on a daily basis. Their job is to keep track of all of their patients in terms of growth and development. Pediatricians can accomplish this by keeping a friendly relationship with their patients. As a doctor, you are responsible for treating the many illnesses and diseases that affect young kids. Some of these illnesses include the flu, chicken pox and measles. When children suffer through life threatening diseases, pediatricians must know how to diagnose those as well, so that they can recommend that child to a specialist.

Rationale for Occupation

I chose this job because first of all, I enjoy working with kids and I have had valuable experience working with them in my community’s afterschool program. Secondly, I have always wanted to be a doctor ever since I was young because of my interest in the field of medical research, especially when it comes to the benefit of kids.

Education and Training

Educational Pathway

The pathway students take in order to become a pediatrician is the university pathway. First, you can take an undergraduate program in order to work towards a Bachelor Degree in life sciences. Then, you apply to medical school and are asked to take the Medical College Admissions Test during your undergraduate studies. At the end of medical school, you will receive a Doctor of Medicine degree, certifying your passing of medical school. You can continue this pathway with further certification and achieving a medical license.

Post-secondary institution

I would like to complete my undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto-St. George campus and then apply for their medical institute; the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine. To get into the UFT for post-secondary education, studying life sciences, you must have a range in the mid-80s for marks. To apply for their medical school, you must get at least 125 on your Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and an undergraduate GPA of 3. 6.

High school courses

In Grade 12, you should take English 4U and Calculus along with science prerequisites. It is recommended that you take high school courses of university level biology, chemistry, physics, algebra, calculus and functions and healthcare.

Total number of years for your pathway

It would take four years to do your undergraduate studies before getting into a medical school for four years. Then, you would undergo 3 years of residency training (apprenticeship) before you can get a medical license in a particular field. Basically, it takes around 11-12 years of undergraduate studies, medical school and training to achieve the Doctor of Medicine (Medical degree) and then your medical licence after training.

Investment of Money

I will be applying as a domestic student because I am from the Toronto area. For the University of Toronto Medical program at the St. George campus, the yearly tuition is $24,440. The incidental fee is $1,393. 90. The educational resources fee is $355. The total payable fee for year one would be $26,188. 90. The cost for books is $1,700. Residence is $16,740, and it includes your rent and food provided by the university. So, the additional student first year items total $18,440. You need to pay the total payable fee every 4 years for completion of this medical school in order to achieve a Doctor of Medicine (M. D).

Further certification to complete your pathway

At the end of medical school, you will receive a Doctor of Medicine degree, certifying your passing of medical school. After that, you must complete a residency in pediatrics where you get actual practice (it is like an apprenticeship). Finally, you get your medical license and can start looking for a job in a hospital or clinic.

Required skills

Three essentials skills needed for this job:

• One essential skill pediatricians need is patience. They need patience because they constantly have to be patient with kids by helping them deal with their emotions and stress. I show patience similar to that of a pediatrician’s when I stay patient with the children at the Hindi language class I volunteer at.
• Another skill needed is good communication skills. This is important because a good pediatrician needs to be able to communicate with their patient and understand how that patient is feeling. The pediatrician also needs to be able to communicate to the parents of that child and give instructions on how to improve the child’s health. I communicate well with my fellow group members in the Malvern Youth Cabinet when we plan events for the community (like fundraisers and bake sales).
• Thirdly, a pediatrician should be organized because they have to keep track of the patients they see every day, prescribe medications and organize schedules for their work. I already make a daily schedule for my homework at school, so I am organized.

Earnings and Wages

Recent figures for occupation salary

The salary a pediatrician in Ontario makes can range from $237,615 per year. Depending on the experience of the pediatrician, the salary can go up to $333,000 to $340,000 a year; this range varies through each province in Canada.

Working conditions/Work environment

Working conditions and benefits of the job

A pediatrician can work in a hospital, public health clinic, school or even own a private practice. An average pediatrician will work 50 hours a week. Despite having a schedule for knowing when to see patients, pediatricians should be ready for on-calls after their working hours in case of an emergency with their patients. This also includes the willingness to work long hours at night if there is an emergency. Pediatricians get three to four weeks of vacation per year. Female and male pediatricians who are expecting a child are allowed maternity/paternity leave with the knowledge that their job is secure.

Work environment

Most of the time, pediatricians will be on their feet; standing up and examining a child sitting in front of them on a bed. At the end of a child’s examination, the pediatrician will sit down in his or her office and talk with the child’s parents. Pediatricians also have to do paperwork that includes their observations on their patients. Pediatricians use a variety of hand-held tools like stethoscopes, body weight and height scales, reflex hammers and thermometers to track a child’s development. Pediatricians working in a hospital are usually assigned to a particular room or ward.

Job satisfaction/Job stress

Job satisfaction

First of all, I can expect to be satisfied doing my part in helping children and teenagers. I would feel satisfied knowing that I have helped someone grow up to be a healthy individual. Secondly, I will be satisfied that I am using my skills in science and medicine to help change someone’s life for the better. I enjoy conducting research in science class; so if I get an opportunity to use my research skills to benefit children then I would be satisfied with being a pediatrician.

Job stress

One job stress that pediatricians face is working long hours. This could be a problem because I value my sleep and if I do not get enough sleep, I tend to lose focus in school. I could end up getting more stressed out due to a lack of sleep and that means that I might not perform my job well. Another cause of stress in this career would be taking care of crying kids. When children cry, it becomes difficult for any doctor, even a pediatrician, to deal with due to their screaming, kicking and flailing that could be dangerous if I was for example, giving the child flu shots.

Related jobs, future trends, or self employment opportunities

Resulting occupations

If you continue to study in pediatrics, you could develop the skills and knowledge needed for becoming a pediatric surgeon. Also, once a pediatrician achieves his or her desired amount of experience working with children, they could take further apprenticeship and become a family physician (family doctor for all ages). Other resulting occupations include being a guidance counsellor, physician assistants and being a child psychiatrist.

Future prospect for this job

In Ontario, the job prospect for being a pediatrician is “fair” (two stars out of three). Employment growth continues to grow for pediatricians due to the increasing population growth of Toronto; therefore, more doctors are needed for newborn children and toddlers. Pediatricians get hired at many city hospitals and are in high demand at special child-care hospitals like the Sick-kids Hospital.

Opportunities for advancement

You can advance in your career as a pediatrician by owning your own private practice. This way, you become self-employed and can take care of your own business. Pediatricians can be promoted to a hospital’s position as head pediatrician or head surgeon, if they decide to advance their field of work and perform surgery on children.

Career Reflection

I am still interested in becoming a pediatrician because of the many opportunities you get to connect with your patients. Pediatricians interact with many patients throughout the day. They get to prescribe a variety of medications and research many different illnesses. I like how close pediatricians can get with other families and children in a community. There are so many fields of medicine you can explore and you are not limited to one field of research like cardiologists or optometrists. However, I am not keen on dealing with giving children injections because that terrifies me. I don’t even like injections myself and I would hate to deal with a kid’s response to that. One surprising fact I found was that Alberta pays the highest salary for pediatricians in Canada. Originally, I thought Ontario was the highest paying province. I hope I can become a pediatrician in the future.