Who are pediatricians?
Pediatricians are specialists who study and train in all aspects of children's development, health, and illnesses. They treat kids of all age groups, including newborns, infants, children, teenagers, and adolescents until the age of 21. These experts also monitor children's well-being and educate their parents on maintaining health and preventing diseases.
Pediatricians work independently or coordinate with other specialists to provide medical and surgical care for acute and chronic conditions. They can be general pediatricians, providing general medical care and performing annual checkups, or they may specialize in the various subspecialties of pediatrics and concentrate on treating specific conditions within their specialty.
Usually, pediatric experts practice in private or government settings, monitor children's physical, emotional, and mental development, and track all milestones.
Education and training of pediatricians
After completing high school, people interested in pursuing a career in pediatrics complete an undergraduate science degree that takes up to four years. Following this, they obtain admission to an accredited medical school. The medical school also takes up to four years to complete.
Following medical school graduation comes the mandatory pediatrics residency, a three-year program. After completing their residency, doctors can sit for a board certification examination, an elaborate written test overseen by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). Once pediatricians clear this test, they are board-certified.
Many pediatricians opt to study further and enter fellowship programs. They focus their learning on one of the following pediatrics subspecialties: adolescent medicine, cardiology, critical care medicine, emergency medicine, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology, infectious diseases, neonatology, neurology, nephrology, pulmonology, and rheumatology.
What are the different specialties of pediatricians?
Various pediatricians serve different roles within the healthcare system. Many function as primary care physicians, conducting routine health checkups, diagnosing and treating general health conditions, administering vaccinations, and offering health guidance to children and their caregivers.
Alternatively, some pediatricians specialize in specific medical areas or age groups. For instance:
- Adolescent medicine specialists focus on healthcare for individuals aged 11 to 21.
- Critical care pediatricians lead teams managing children in unstable health situations, usually in intensive care units.
- Developmental behavioral pediatricians assess the psychosocial and medical factors determining the behavioral development of children and teens and address habit disorders, learning disorders, regulatory disorders like discipline difficulties or feeding problems, and disabilities like cerebral palsy/and autism spectrum disorders, among others.
- Child abuse pediatricians are experts in evaluating signs of abuse or neglect in children.
- Pediatric oncologists diagnose and treat various kinds of cancers in children.
- Pediatric cardiologists handle heart conditions in children, often collaborating with pediatric heart surgeons.
- Pediatric pulmonologists address breathing problems and lung diseases in children.
- Pediatric rheumatologists treat musculoskeletal disorders in children, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
- Pediatric nephrologists focus on conditions affecting the urinary system in children.
- Pediatric neurologists manage neurological disorders in children, overseeing care from diagnosis through adolescence.
- Neonatal-perinatal pediatricians provide care to infants before, during, and after birth, including premature and critically ill newborns.
- Pediatric gastroenterologists specialize in the digestive system health of young individuals.
- Pediatric endocrinologists concentrate on the endocrine system and related conditions in children, such as diabetes.
Pediatricians help reduce infant mortality, promote a healthy lifestyle among children, and control infectious diseases by preventing, diagnosing, and treating these conditions in time.
Why do children need to visit a pediatrician?
Pediatricians are the first doctors to check your baby when they are born. Since they specialize in childhood and neonatal disorders, they have a broader understanding of such conditions. They perform well-baby and well-child checkups, conduct a physical examination, and administer the recommended immunizations.
What does a pediatric physical examination include?
During a pediatric physical examination, your doctor will assess your child's height and weight to calculate body mass index (BMI). They might also put these metrics on a growth chart to compare your child's height and weight with other children in the same age group. This helps them understand if your child is growing proportionately.
During the examination, your pediatrician will also perform the following checks on your child:
- Listen to their lungs
- Measure their heart rate
- Move their legs and hips
- Take their blood pressure
- Check their oxygen levels
- Inspect their ears, eyes, and throat
- Press on their tummy to feel for internal organs
Doctors perform pediatric physical examinations for various reasons, which include:
- Developmental milestones: Doctors evaluate your child's developmental milestones to ensure they meet age-appropriate cognitive, social, and physical benchmarks.
- Early detection: Physical exams can help doctors identify health concerns that might not be immediately obvious, such as heart murmurs and vision or hearing problems. By detecting the early signs, they can treat the conditions before complications occur.
- Preventive care: Pediatricians administer necessary vaccines during well-child visits and perform health screenings to prevent severe illnesses and promote overall health.
- Health education: During these visits, healthcare providers educate you on your child's safety, nutritional requirements, physical activity, and other aspects of healthy living.
Parenting tips suggested by pediatricians
A parent's job is one of the hardest ones. From protecting your children to supporting them, you do it all. Moreover, unclear and contradictory facts and opinions can make finding information regarding parenting tips more arduous. Hence, looking for trusted resources is the best bet you can make. Besides, to get answers to some common questions asked by parents, you can refer to the following solutions provided by experienced pediatricians in the Sutter Health network:
Why does my child get sick so frequently?
This is a usual concern for parents with children born after the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing, wearing masks, and avoiding indoor places have resulted in less exposure to many viruses in young children. When these children return to school, they are exposed to viruses for the first time.
Doctors suggest patience in this case. They explain that it takes about a year for a child's immune system to adjust to the viruses around them. This exposure indicates that your child's immune system is improving, and it's a normal part of growing up.
Why is my child not eating enough?
According to researchers, toddlers are naturally erratic eaters. "Sometimes, they don't eat at all. Some days, they eat a lot," Dr. Tejeda states.
Pediatricians advise parents not to push meals on their children. They also suggest restricting milk to 15 to 20 ounces daily, juice to fewer than 8 ounces daily, and smoothies to help include fruit and vegetables in your child's diet.
Is my child hyperactive?
Being very physically active is quite normal for young children. According to doctors, playing outdoors is vital for them.
Healthy eating, proper sleep, and physical exercise are the foundations of good health. Going to a playground and playing sports like soccer, chase, or tag is what you should engage your child in. When your child starts attending school, they usually calm down.
Doctors also advise parents to set realistic time limits for their children's schoolwork and teach them to organize things properly. This helps them learn to balance things out.
Moreover, you should take your child to see a pediatrician near you if you are concerned about their conduct or ability to focus.
How can I support my adolescent in coping with anxiety and sadness?
Anxiety and despair have significantly grown in the last two years. In doctors' opinion, when you're an adolescent, you're meant to be sociable, not secluded, as during COVID. Furthermore, social media might exacerbate the problem. Teens compare their lives to those of their peers and feel left out.
Limiting screen time is usually a brilliant idea. But it's not a solution. Parents should ensure their teens or children are having fun, attending school, and getting the grades they deserve based on their abilities. Also, involvement with family and friends is essential.
However, if an adolescent appears to be suffering, physicians advise parents to seek further assistance from a therapist or support program.
When should you take your child to a pediatrician near you?
A pediatric visit happens at least once every two months during the first year of an infant's life. Wellness visits occur every three to six months between the ages of one and three. Once the child turns four years old, they go for annual checkups. During the first initial years of a child's life, the pediatrician's primary role is to track their physical, mental, and emotional growth. They also monitor and advise on eating, exercising, and sleeping habits. They administer timely vaccinations to kids to prevent many infections, such as pneumonia.
Once children enter their teenage years, they need an excellent physician to monitor their bodies' various physical and emotional changes and provide them with a safe space to privately share any questions and concerns regarding their health. Pediatricians are trained in dealing with substance abuse, sexual identity crises, and eating disorders commonly seen in adolescents.
If you still need to make it, the correct time to transition from a pediatrician to a family physician is usually when the kids are between the ages of 16 and 21.
How do I make the most out of my pediatric visit?
Opt for early morning or post-lunch appointments, as most doctors stick to those given slots, minimizing your wait time. Steer clear of scheduling on Mondays and Fridays, the busiest days in most pediatric offices.
Next, bring your toys to the appointment; even though many offices have separate waiting areas for "sick" and "well" patients, the toys there might be filled with germs. Ensure your toys are clean, and pack essentials like extra diapers, juice boxes, snacks, and books. Consider bringing a favorite stuffed animal or blanket for comfort to ease potential stress, especially during vaccinations.
Efficiently utilize your time with the doctor, as appointments are often brief. Prioritize your most pressing concerns and inquire whether they relate to sleep issues or behavioral problems. Don't hesitate to raise questions, regardless of how trivial they seem. Address concerns early in the appointment to ensure sufficient time for comprehensive answers. Request an extended appointment if you need more time for a detailed discussion.
Find the best pediatrician near you in Fort Lee, New Jersey
Some of the main questions that you need answers to while choosing a pediatrician for your kids include which hospitals the doctors have affiliations with, what their office hours are, whether they will be available during emergencies, how they process the bills, and whether or not they accept your insurance plans. The database at Zocdoc provides answers to all these questions and more.
Zocdoc is a website that allows you to filter pediatricians based on your problem, current location, preferred date and time for an appointment, and even your insurance plan. Once you fill in this vital information into the search boxes, Zocdoc will display a curated list of the best pediatricians near you.
All pediatricians listed on Zocdoc have profiles that detail all the information you need to choose. In terms of educational background, the profile tells you the doctor's qualifications, accreditations, certifications, areas of specialization, years of work experience, and any awards or recognitions they have received for exemplary work in their field. The profile also tells you about the doctors' affiliations, the languages they are fluent in, the age group of patients they specialize in, and the days and hours of their availability.
While you can add medical, dental, and vision insurance plans to your Zocdoc account, you can only search for and schedule an appointment with one insurance plan at a time. If you have multiple plans, you can mention your secondary insurance plan and carrier in your notes for the provider in the last step of the booking process. If your provider uses Zocdoc's intake forms, you can add details about your secondary insurance while filling out your forms online. For more insurance-related queries, check Zocdoc's patient help center.
All practitioners' pages provide detailed and verified patient reviews and ratings. Zocdoc makes finding the best pediatricians near you easier!
All bookings on Zocdoc are fast, free, and secure!
Pediatrics statistics for Fort Lee, New Jersey
As per the "State Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics" report, in May 2021, there were 1,130 licensed pediatricians practicing in New Jersey. The location quotient for pediatricians' employment in the state is 1.23, higher than the national average. The location quotient means the ratio between the concentration of pediatricians in New Jersey and the average concentration in the US. A less than one location quotient indicates a lower prevalence of that occupation in the state.
The New Jersey Department of Health published a report on the percentage of obese high school students between 2001 and 2019. Among all the US kids between the grades nine to 12 surveyed, 15.5% were obese in 2019. In New Jersey, the percentage of obesity in high school children was 11.9%, lower than the national average.
Per another report published by the New Jersey Department of Health titled "Childhood Cancer in New Jersey 1979-2013", a childhood cancer diagnosis is made for 465 new cases yearly, and 50 children die from this diagnosis. These numbers make childhood cancer the number one cause of death in children between the ages of five and 14. The top cancers diagnosed among kids included leukemia, central nervous system tumors, and lymphoma. The report also stated that although the incidence rates have increased over the years, the mortality rates have steadily decreased due to the advancements in treatment modalities.
Sources
WebMD[1]
University of Rochester Medical Center
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
New Jersey State Health Assessment Data
New Jersey Department of Health
Sutter Health
Medical News Today
Verywellhealth
WebMD[2]
Cleveland Clinic
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