Why Choose A Career in

Pediatrics?
Kishore Vellody, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Childrens Hosp of Pittsburgh

Job Satisfaction

96% of graduating pediatric residents who are

in the job market for a general pediatric job
state that they would choose Pediatrics again if
they had to do it all over.

2003 AAP Survey Data

Job Satisfaction

Pediatricians rated higher satisfaction than

internists in job, career, and specialty
satisfaction
General pediatricians more satisfied than all
other physicians regarding their relationship
with patients and personal time
More likely to recommend their specialty to
students seeking advice

Shugerman, et. al. 2001, Leigh et. al. 2002

Job Opportunities

80% of residents seeking a general practice

position report obtaining their most desired
position
Workforce shortages in a variety of pediatric
subspecialties mean more job opportunities for
graduates

Job Flexibility

26% of pediatricians (as opposed to 14% of all

other specialties) have worked part time at
some point in their career
Multiple types of jobs offered ranging from
part-time to more demanding hours

Serving the Underserved

Estimated that 48% of health care markets do

not have a pediatrician
~ 290,000 children live in markets without a
pediatrician or family practitioner
51 million people (1/5th) in the US lives in a
rural area and only 10% of all U.S. physicians
live there.

Pediatrics Training

3 year training (203 programs avail.)

Inpatient
Outpatient clinic
General and subspecialty exposure
NICU, PICU
ER

Combined Peds/Adult Residency

Training

Pediatrics/Internal Medicine (4 yrs)

Pediatrics/Derm (5 yrs)
Pediatrics/ER (5 yrs)
Pediatrics/Genetics (5 yrs)
Pediatrics/PM&R (5 yrs)
Pediatrics/Adult Psych/Peds Psych (5 yrs)

What are the options?

General Pediatrics

Clinic Based
Community
Academic

Hospital Based
Community
Academic

General Pediatrics - background

Focus on the physical, mental, social health of

children from birth to 21 years.

Prevention, detection, and management of these

issues

Major advocates for children (i.e. health/safety

policies, education)

General Pediatrics - Scope

Health supervision
Anticipatory guidance
Monitoring physical and
psychosocial growth
and development
Diagnosis and treatment
of acute and chronic
disorders

Management of serious
and life-threatening
illnesses
Referral of complex
conditions
Consultative
partnerships
Community based
activities (i.e. sports,
schools, etc)

Subspecialty Pediatrics

Most require 2-3 years of post-residency

fellowships
Some require training in another discipline
before becoming more focused on pediatrics
such as: surgery, pathology, radiology
Pediatric neurology and psychiatry can be
done with 2 years of general pediatric training
followed by 2 years of fellowship

Subspecialty Pediatrics

Adolescent Medicine
Allergy/Immunology
Cardiology
Clinical Genetics
Critical Care Medicine
Dermatology
Developmental
Emergency Medicine
Endocrinology

Gastroenterology
Hematology/Oncology
Infectious Disease
Medical Toxicology
Neonatology
Nephrology
Pulmonology
Rheumatology
Sports Medicine

Research

Those in subspecialties or in academic

environments can choose between more
research intensive goals or patient care/clinical
goals or a combination of the two

Questions?