What do pediatricians do?
Pediatricians are medical practitioners who specialize in detecting and managing diseases affecting infants, children, teenagers, and young adults. Pediatricians keep children healthy by monitoring their growth and development regularly. They provide immunizations and general health counseling to help prevent sickness. Pediatricians treat children with different kinds of illnesses and injuries. Although they are primary care physicians, they are also specialists in various fields like:
- Otolaryngology (the treatment of ear, nose, throat, and neck problems in children)
- Oncology (the treatment of kids' cancers)
- Neurology (the treatment and management of brain and nervous system diseases in kids)
- Neonatology (the care of premature babies)
- Allergy and immunology (the treatment of food and environmental allergies in children)
Pediatric subspecialties
The pediatric subspecialties encompass various medical fields that address specific age groups and conditions, providing comprehensive care and expertise. Here's an exploration of some pediatric subspecialties and their focal points.
- Neonatal/perinatal medicine: Neonatologists care for newborns with low birth weight or conditions requiring specialized treatment. They manage issues like premature birth, congenital heart disease, genetic syndromes, and respiratory challenges.
- Adolescent/young adult medicine: This subspecialty focuses on individuals aged 12 to 21 (sometimes extended to 24), addressing various issues such as chronic condition management (e.g., diabetes, asthma), birth control, and emotional distress support related to pregnancy, substance abuse, or depression.
- Pediatric critical care medicine: Specialists handle acute pediatric problems, including lung and heart issues, severe infections, liver failure, blood disorders, and neurological conditions, providing immediate and specialized care for critical situations.
- Pediatric emergency medicine: Centered on stabilizing children in emergencies, this subspecialty addresses trauma, injuries, severe asthma attacks, pneumonia, smoke inhalation, near-drowning incidents, and intoxication or poisoning, ensuring rapid and effective interventions.
- Pediatric cardiology: Pediatric cardiologists specialize in treating children with heart disease, often stemming from congenital disabilities and genetic syndromes, providing comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for cardiac conditions in pediatric patients.
- Pediatric endocrinology: Covering disorders of the endocrine system, pediatric endocrinologists address conditions like diabetes, growth-related deficiencies, thyroid problems, high cholesterol or triglycerides, and hirsutism (excessive body hair due to hormonal abnormalities) in children.
- Pediatric gastroenterology: Focusing on digestive tract disorders, pediatric gastroenterologists manage conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, food allergies, celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and common bowel issues such as constipation and diarrhea in children.
- Pediatric infectious diseases: Specialists focus on treating complicated infections in children, including Lyme disease, MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus), and unidentified infections or unexplained fever, ensuring effective and specialized care for infectious conditions.
- Pediatric nephrology: Addressing diseases and disorders of the kidneys, pediatric nephrologists address congenital kidney malformations, kidney failure, proteinuria (excess protein in urine), electrolyte disorders, and kidney stones in children.
- Pediatric pulmonology: Pediatric pulmonologists specialize in breathing disorders and allergies, managing conditions like asthma, eosinophilic esophagitis, chronic lung disease, eczema, and allergies to latex, food, drugs, or pollen.
- Pediatric rheumatology: Focused on disorders of joints, muscles, and ligaments in children, pediatric rheumatologists diagnose and treat conditions like lupus and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, ensuring comprehensive care for pediatric rheumatic disorders.
- Pediatric hematology/oncology: Specialists focus on childhood cancers and blood diseases, addressing conditions such as leukemia, brain and organ tumors, anemia (low red blood cell count), and blood cell abnormalities with a focus on specialized cancer care for pediatric patients.
What training must a pediatrician take?
Upon graduating from medical school and earning a state license, a doctor who wishes to become a pediatrician must undergo a three-year pediatric residency. Pediatricians may seek additional study in a specialist area or begin practicing pediatric medicine after residency. Some pediatricians go even further and become board-certified in pediatrics. Pediatricians who intend to acquire and maintain certification from the state board must clear rigorous exams and commit to continuing education.
Should you find a pediatrician before your baby is born?
Some parents want to get to know their baby's doctor before they arrive. You can look for a pediatrician in your neighborhood who accepts your insurance and is close to home or work when you're pregnant. Once you've decided on a pediatrician, you can meet with them to share your family's medical history and establish a plan for caring for your baby in the first few days and weeks. Your pediatrician may advise you about potential postnatal emotional ups and downs, help you schedule a circumcision, and discuss any other concerns you may have as a future parent. You could arrange for your pediatrician to visit you in the hospital and check the baby.
What are the duties of a pediatrician?
In their practice, pediatricians are in charge of observing and treating growing children and giving advice to the concerned parents and guardians. Some of the primary duties of pediatricians are as follows:
- Putting children and teens at ease during physical examinations
- Keeping parents and guardians informed of any unusual findings regarding the child's health
- Evaluating symptoms
- Arriving at a diagnosis
- Prescribing tests, investigations, and medications
- Interpreting laboratory findings and sharing them with the parents/guardians
- Managing illnesses and recommending specialized treatment, if needed
- Abiding by consent laws concerning the legal guardians and child
Why should you visit the best pediatrician near you?
Your child's requirements will change as they grow from infancy to young adulthood.
For infants and toddlers: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends taking your baby to the pediatrician's office at least six times during the first year of their life. Your child should see a pediatrician every three to six months between the ages of one and three. After four, children typically only require wellness visits once a year. Throughout these appointments, your pediatrician will monitor your child's growth, eating habits, physical and emotional development, and sleeping habits. They may also discuss the vaccination plans for your child and when to administer them. Well-baby checkups are an excellent chance to discuss your concerns or changes you've seen since your last visit with your physician.
For teenagers: A positive relationship with a physician is particularly vital during adolescence, when teens go through many physical and emotional changes. When children hit puberty, they may prefer speaking privately with their doctors. A study presented in the Journal of Adolescent Health observed that parents and children believe teens should be free to ask their doctors about intimate concerns regarding health issues. Depending on your child and your doctor, you may switch to a general practitioner between 16 and 21.
When should you seek a pediatrician?
Watch out for the following symptoms before you decide to take your child to a pediatrician:
- Persistent and high fever
- Labored, fast, or related breathing issues
- Sudden unbearable pain in any part of the body
- Sore throat and difficulty in swallowing
- An ongoing ache in the ear
- Severe headache
- Discharge or discoloration from the eye
- Swelling, bruises, or burns in any part of the body
- Dislocated limb
- Rashes or pigmentation on the skin
- Warts
- Severe bleeding from any injuries
- Frequent episodes of vomiting or diarrhea with a lack of appetite
- Seizures
Finding the best pediatricians near you in Miami
Most parents choose a specialist for their child's medical requirements based on the advice of individuals close to them. Parents seeking skilled pediatric treatment for their children and teenagers have an equal opportunity with Zocdoc. You must visit the website, fill out your information, check your insurance using the insurance checker, and pick the best pediatrician near you from the list. You'll find all the details on each practitioner's educational qualifications, licensure, experience, and specialty on Zocdoc. To better interact with your pediatrician, you can find out what languages they speak through their profiles on Zocdoc. The pediatricians on Zocdoc are verified and can help your child through vaccines, screenings, and yearly physicals.
Patient-verified testimonies and ratings are great for choosing a physician without reservations. Once you've decided on a pediatrician, you can schedule an in-person or online appointment with them on a day that works best for you and the doctor. All bookings on Zocdoc are entirely free, safe, and secure.
Pediatrician and child health statistics in Miami
There were nearly 93,235 licensed physicians in Florida during the 2019–20 survey period. 83,535 (89.6%) of the licensed physicians have a license that enables them to practice in Florida. About 75,625 doctors renewed their permits in 2019 and 2020 and answered the workforce survey. 54,677 (72.3%) of physicians renewing their medical licenses said they provide immediate patient treatment in Florida. In 2020, there were over 4,265 pediatricians in Florida. Only 17% of general practitioners specialize in pediatrics. From a gender standpoint, there are more female pediatricians (55.9%) than males.
Obesity is a significant issue in Miami-Dade County, Florida, which has a population of about 2.5 million. Obese and overweight people account for 67.4% of adults in the county. Around 13% of high school students are obese, and only 13% attend daily physical education lessons, which is significantly lower than the state average of 44%. Obesity is exacerbated by poor diet and physical inactivity.
According to the "Child Health Status Profile" published on the Florida Department of Health website, as of 2021, there were 675,132 children and young adults under 21 in Miami-Dade County. Of these, the maximum numbers were seen among whites (74.9%), and blacks (21.1%) were the least. The report also stated that by 2021, there were 805 licensed pediatricians in the county, with 28.1 practitioners for every 100,000 population.
About 368 infants died in the county between 2019 and 2021, and the infant mortality rate during this period was 4.3 deaths for every 1,000 live births. Around 356 kids between the ages of 5 and 19 died during this period, keeping the child death rate at 24.9 for every 100,000 people, which was relatively high compared to the rest of the state (28.6).
Nearly 93.2% of kindergarteners in Miami-Dade County received all their vaccinations during 2019-2021. In 2021, 122,290 kids between 5 and 19 years old visited the emergency department. Among kids between 5 and 11 years old, around 313 were hospitalized due to asthma, and about 64 with diabetes. Between the age group of 12 to 18 years, the hospitalization for asthma stood at nearly 553 cases, and for diabetes, it was approximately 266. Between 2019 and 2021, 78 kids between 13 and 19 years were diagnosed to be HIV positive.
Between 2019 and 2021, homicide deaths were highest among kids between 19 and 21 years (74) and lowest among kids between 5 and 11 years (5). During this period, suicide death rates were also higher among 19-21-year-olds (8.3) compared to 12-18-year-olds (3.0). More shocking statistics were that approximately 1,074 kids between 5 and 11 years experienced various forms of child abuse, and about 448 went through sexual abuse.
Sources
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Florida Department of Health
Journal of Adolescent Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Everyday Health
