How To Become A Pediatrician?

The Adolescent Medicine doctor is committed to providing clinical care to teens and their families through specialty teen clinic programs. These doctors specially trained in the Eating Disorders Program, the Substance Abuse Program, Young Families Program, and Transgender Youth Clinic (with Endocrinology).

A Pediatric cardiologist is a medical professional specialized in diagnosing and treating heart problems in children. The common specialty areas include advanced imaging methods (MRI/CT/Ultrasound), heart catheterization procedures, electrophysiology (EP), heart failure & heart transplant, and Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) conditions.

​Child abuse pediatricians are medical doctors with specific training, experience, and skills in diagnosing children who may be victims of abuse or neglect.

Pediatric critical care specialists deal with children from birth through their teen years. These medical professionals provide unique medical care in PICUs for children who are very sick.

The developmental-behavioral pediatrician is a medical doctor who specializes in treating kids with developmental, learning, and behavioral problems. These doctors provide treatments from both medical as well as psychosocial aspects.

Pediatric Emergency Medicine is the branch of medicine specialized in acute health care to children of all ages. They perform triage, stabilization, diagnosis, treatment, and appropriate follow-up care for emergencies.

A pediatric endocrinologist is a medical doctor who diagnoses and treats children with diseases of the endocrine system (diabetes and growth disorders).

Pediatric gastroenterologists are the medical doctors trained to perform diagnostic tests of a child’s digestive system by examining biopsies (tissue samples).

A pediatric oncologist is another type of pediatrician who specializes in research and treatment for cancers in infants, toddlers, children, adolescents, and teenagers.

Pediatric hospitalist is a sub-specialty within pediatrics who performs his/her job primarily in hospitals. Generally, these doctors care for children in pediatric wards, labor and delivery rooms, the newborn nurseries, the neonatal intensive care units, and the pediatric intensive care units.

Pediatric infectious disease specialist provides inpatient consultation and treatment for children requiring secondary/tertiary/quaternary Paediatric services.

Neonatologists are one of the types of pediatricians who diagnose and treat newborns with breathing disorders, infections, and congenital disabilities.

Pediatric nephrologists are medical doctors who diagnose and treat kidney-related disorders. The disorders include urinary tract infections, kidney failure, high blood pressure, and inherited kidney diseases in children.

A pediatric pulmonologist diagnoses, treats, and manages children from birth to 21 years old with breathing and lung-related diseases.

A pediatric rheumatologist is a healthcare professional who specializes in diagnosing and treating children with rheumatic diseases, especially arthritis.

In order to become a pediatrician, one should:

• Graduate high school with a good GPA.
• Complete a 4-year Bachelor’s degree with a required number of courses in Biology, Chemistry, and Math.
• Pass the Medical college admission test (MCAT).
• If you study at an osteopathic school, you would need to pass the United States Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA).
• Obtain a degree in medicine or osteopathic medicine (M.D. or D.O.).
• Join a three-year residency in pediatrics.
• Get licensed by the American Board of Pediatrics in General Pediatrics.
• Join a fellowship in a pediatric subspecialty. There are 15 subspecialties, including but not limited by:
  • Pediatric Allergy/immunology.
  • Pediatric Anesthesiology.
  • Pediatric Cardiology.
  • Pediatric Dermatology.
  • Pediatric Surgery.

An average salary for a pediatrician in the USA is between $181,100 and $208,000 per year.