Who is a pediatrician? What is pediatrics?
A pediatrician is a physician who focuses on treating babies, children, adolescents, and young adults. Their duties range from performing routine well-child exams to identifying and treating diseases, wounds, and other health issues. Pediatricians look after a child's health from conception until adulthood.
Pediatricians are essential in providing healthcare and medical treatment to children. Since children have needs that differ from those of adults, these doctors are crucial in ensuring the proper form and mode of treatment best suited to children's growing bodies. Pediatricians are also valuable advocates for the best health choices for all children.
Pediatrics aims to lessen infant and child mortality rates, encourage healthy lifestyles for a long life free of disease, stop the spread of infectious diseases, and assist in easing the chronic conditions some kids and teenagers face.
Pediatricians diagnose and treat several ailments, including:
- Injuries
- Infections
- Organ diseases and dysfunctions
- Genetic and congenital conditions
- Cancers
What does a pediatrician do?
Pediatricians play an important role in ensuring the health and well-being of children through a comprehensive range of services. Some of them are.
1. Conducting well-baby or well-child visits: Pediatricians conduct regular health and wellness checkups to monitor children's overall health and address emerging concerns.
2. Performing physical exams: Pediatricians assess a child's development and well-being through thorough physical examinations that last about 30 minutes. It is advisable to take your child for physical examinations annually once.
3. Monitoring developmental progress: Over time, pediatricians track the physical, emotional, and social development of children. As per a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, roughly 16% of kids under 6 years suffer from clinically crucial mental health issues that necessitate medical care early on. Hence, identifying any potential developmental challenges is obligatory.
4. Diagnosing and treating health conditions: Pediatricians play a pivotal role in diagnosing and treating a spectrum of illnesses, injuries, and health conditions that may impact children, employing a holistic approach to healthcare.
5. Administering vaccines: To shield children from infectious diseases, pediatricians administer vaccines as per established schedules, preventing potentially serious health threats.
6. Prescribing medication: Pediatricians prescribe medicines as per the health needs. Some of the common drugs prescribed for children and teens include Amoxicillin, Azithromycin, Albuterol, Cefdinir, and Cephalexin, among others.
7. Parental guidance and support: Pediatricians also listen to parental concerns regarding a child's health and offer informed responses to such queries.
8. Health advice on nutrition, exercise, and safety: The healthcare specialists guide parents on crucial aspects of a child’s health, such as nutrition, exercise, and safety.
9. Referral to specialists: Pediatricians may also refer a child to specialists when needed.
Pediatricians serve as pillars of support for children and parents, contributing significantly to the foundation of a healthy and thriving future for the younger generation.
The education and training of a pediatrician
A pediatrician must earn an undergraduate degree in science and complete medical school before specializing in children's health. After completing four years of undergraduate studies and four years of medical school, they go for three years in an accredited pediatric residency program.
During their residency, pediatricians acquire the knowledge and hands-on experience necessary to treat children across all age groups. These residencies serve as invaluable opportunities, exposing them to various subspecialties within pediatrics. After their residency, pediatric doctors can apply for a practice license. The pediatric residency program, a hands-on practical training experience, is designed to increase doctors' understanding of providing the best medical care for infants, kids, and teenagers.
Pediatricians can choose to become board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) after completing their residency. Pediatricians must retake the examination every seven years to maintain their certification.
Subspecialties in pediatrics
A pediatrician may decide to specialize in a specific area of pediatric health, such as:
- Oncology
- Cardiology
- Hematology
- Nephrology
- Critical care
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- Neonatal medicine
A pediatrician may also pursue further education in other fields if the field of their choice has applications in pediatric healthcare.
Why should you consult a pediatrician?
You should consult a pediatrician for the following:
1. Newborn health
Pay close attention to your infant's health, as there is no instruction manual for caring for and handling newborn babies. Parents often feel confused and are left scared and wondering if every cry or symptom is something to be concerned about because your little bundle of joy can't tell you what's wrong. After the birth, ensure a health analysis is done within the first week. Your specialized pediatrician will take about thirty to forty minutes to evaluate the health of your newborn. After evaluation, they will provide a conclusive analysis of the baby's health.
Therefore, having a specialized licensed pediatrician is crucial as the analysis of your newborn child is essential for their growth and life.
2. Annual physician exam
You need to make sure that your child is healthy and growing appropriately. Therefore, child wellness checks are advisable to be taken regularly.
Annual physician exams are routine health checkups for your child. These are crucial for your child's wellness as they help you know whether the baby is growing well.
Usually, the pediatricians in these annual physician exams check the growth and specific measures of the baby— height, weight, and overall body size and appearance.
If your child doesn't match the expected growth, the pediatrician will help the child incorporate a few measures for their wellness. These measures will help the child to achieve the desired and proper development.
3. Immunizations
Immunization is a must for your child to grow well. The American Academy of Pediatrics has implemented a schedule for immunizations that should be followed in the letter.
It is a must to keep your child under pediatric care to ensure that your baby adheres to the immunization schedule. The immunization administered to babies commonly begins from birth till around eighteen months.
Hence, immunization of the child is not only crucial for the child's health but also a legal requirement.
4. Nutritional advice
Now that you have undergone immunization and routine checkups let us guide you through one more important step toward your children's care. Good and balanced nutrition ensures your baby grows appropriately.
Kids can be quite selective when it comes to eating food. Unfortunately, that means they will need to eat more nutrients and miss out on their daily intake of nutrition, which is required for their growth.
Under the expert advice of a specialized pediatrician, you will be free from that worry. Your pediatrician will ensure that the children get adequate nutrients daily.
If your child is too fussy about eating, the best pediatrician will always provide some alternative nutrient sources to their kid's parents.
5. Behavioral Issues
Pediatric specialists have advanced training and experience in analyzing the medical and psychosocial aspects of children's and adolescents' developmental and behavioral problems.
Often, young parents worry about their children's behavior. Most of them are unaware whether their child is behaving as expected out of their age or they have some behavioral aspects that need attention from a specialist.
Behavioral issues include learning disorders, habit disorders like tics, regulatory disorders like feeding problems, or discipline difficulties. It can also be developmental disabilities like autism, delayed development, and behavioral and developmental issues.
Hence, it is crucial to consider a licensed pediatric experienced specialist to get help in understanding your child's behavior. The pediatrician will help you notify and immediately explain if any behavioral disorder is detected in your child and will help treat the same.
6. Infections
Newborns and young babies are prone to infections, especially ear infections. Ear infections are common amongst young children and should be acknowledged before the infection increases.
According to various studies by the Department of Health, children are more likely to develop ear infections than adults. Hence, being a parent, you must keep your child under the supervision of an expert pediatrician. They will check on your child about the infections during the routine checkups. Moreover, an ear infection is easier to treat when detected early.
Young children, especially newborn babies, often catch a common cold. Along with the common cold come many other infections. If not checked and treated immediately, it might also lead to severe conditions.
A specialized pediatrician will help the babies be regularly checked for infections and get early treatment if any condition is detected. Hence, it is highly advisable to find the best pediatricians near you to ensure comprehensive care for your baby from birth.
Pediatrician or family physician: What's the difference?
Pediatricians, nurses, and physician assistants usually see newborns, young children, and adolescents aged 21. Specifically, pediatric training focuses on diagnosing, caring for, and treating children from birth until adulthood. Family physicians are trained to care for patients of all ages- ranging from young children to seniors in their old age.
Both pediatricians and family physicians have the same years of training, but the only difference is that pediatricians specialize in treating newborns and young children. That gives them immense knowledge and understanding of children's health needs and how to care for a child's growing, developing body and overall wellness.
How do you find the best pediatricians near you?
Being pregnant already brings up lots of challenges for young parents. However, getting some burden off your shoulders and into responsible hands always feels good. Therefore, looking for a pediatrician about three months before your baby is due is recommended.
Being a young parent, you are probably new to this and need clarification with the recommendations provided by your loved ones. Worry not. Zocdoc gives you the best-specialized pediatrician available in your area.
The most common reasons people in Chicago seek pediatricians are infections and allergies. Most commonly, children suffer from ear, nose, and throat infections. Moreover, children are also likely to suffer from tonsillitis more often.
If the infections or allergies increase and your child needs urgent care, you can seek help from Zocdoc to look for a pediatrician. You can find those listed on Zocdoc, along with all the information about their expertise, educational background, and board certifications. You can also read verified reviews left by other parents. Make sure you select a pediatrician that suits your child the best. You can instantly book an appointment with the best pediatricians near you anytime to ensure your child gets the best care.
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Pediatrician in Illinois
According to the CDC, birth abnormalities afflict one out of every 33 babies (3 percent of all kids) born in the United States yearly. A congenital disability is observed in a newborn approximately every four and a half minutes.
A birth defect is responsible for one out of every five deaths in the first year of life. About 28,000 of the approximately 4 million children born in the United States yearly will experience birth injuries. That's a 0.7 percent rate. Total hospital costs for children and adults with birth abnormalities in the United States surpassed $2.6 billion annually (without outpatient charges).
According to reports from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the CDC, 144,828 babies were born in Illinois in 2018, a decrease of about 5,000 from the 149,390 births in 2017. In 2018, teen moms gave birth to 5% of all babies, the lowest number since 1959. Preterm births accounted for 15,448 newborns or 10.7% of all deliveries.
There were 12,432 babies born with a low birth weight of fewer than 5.5 pounds and 2,190 babies with a light birth weight of fewer than 3 pounds, accounting for 8.6% and 1.5% of all births, respectively. In 2018, Illinois' infant mortality rate was 6.5 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Sources
Mayo Clinic
Bureau of Labor
WebMD
The University of Chicago - Department of Pediatrics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
News Medical Life Science
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic [1]
American Academy of Pediatrics
Verywellhealth
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