What is a Pediatrician?

By: Sambriddi Adhikari 

There are various kinds of doctors in the healthcare system, each of whom specializes in something different. Some specialize in a specific disease or illness, while others have specialities in women's health or a certain age group of individuals. Doctors who specialise in babies as they grow through childhood and adolescence are called pediatricians. They are incredibly important to the growth of young individuals because they care for them during such a crucial part of their development. As crucial as pediatricians are in healthcare, they have to go through a long journey filled with many challenges before becoming licensed doctors. 

The educational journey for aspiring pediatricians starts during undergrad as they are on their way to receive their bachelor's degree. During this time, it is recommended that they major in a topic related to pediatrics and take various pre-med science courses so they can be fully prepared for medical school. Once they get their bachelor's degree, they have to complete four years of medical school, where they go through various coursework as well as clinicals. Then they have to complete three years of residency, which are usually in hospitals or clinics, in order to make them experts in their field before officially being licensed. But the journey doesn't end there, as they still have to pass a standardized exam in order to start practicing as pediatricians in a hospital. Pediatricians also often obtain extra training in order to specialize in a specific topic, such as pediatric oncology, neurology, cardiology, adolescent medicine, emergency medicine, and many more within pediatrics, as it is a wide field.

Overall, pediatricians do a variety of different things in the hospital depending on their specialty. They check the overall physical health of a patient's body from their heart and blood to their brain. They also check the mental and emotional health of their patients, especially during their adolescent years, as individuals usually face mental struggles such as depression and anxiety during that time period. In their day-to-day lives, pediatricians perform physical exams on their patients, treat injuries or other forms of medical conditions, vaccinate their patients as well and prescribe specific medications for them. 

It is important for children, adolescents and young adults to go for frequent chekcups and visit their peditricians often. Young individuals are often going through rapid changes in both their physical and mental health, which can cause certain issues at times so pediatric visits are so crucial in order to identify any issues in a persons health early on. Overall, pediatricians are so important in healthcare but more specifically in the health of a young individual.

Work Cited 

“How to Become a Pediatrician: A Complete Guide.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024, www.forbes.com/advisor/education/healthcare/become-a-pediatrician/. Accessed 01 June 2025. 

“What Is a Pediatrician? Everything You Need to Know.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-is-a-pediatrician#when-to-visit. Accessed 01 June 2025. 

“What Is a Pediatrician? What They Do, When You Should See One, What to Expect.” WebMD, www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-pediatrician. Accessed 01 June 2025. 

What Are the Duties and Responsibilities of a Pediatrician?, learn.org/articles/What_Are_the_Duties_and_Responsibilities_of_a_Pediatrician.html. Accessed 01 June 2025.