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Who are pediatricians? Why are they important?

Pediatricians are doctors who treat infants, children, and adolescents and help them maintain a healthy life. They provide medical care during acute illnesses and manage the children’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being at every stage of their development. Pediatrics, the medical branch of child care, combines general and specialized medicine, requiring pediatricians to possess knowledge of the entire body, its interrelatedness, and how to treat various aspects of children’s health.

Owing to the physiological differences between children and adults, pediatricians are crucial in ensuring that the treatment and care are child-friendly. For example, drugs that are safe for adults may have harmful side effects on children and hence, cannot be prescribed to them. Additionally, pediatricians are mindful that children have a greater ability to rebound quickly, which may result in a sustained period followed by sudden and severe deterioration requiring urgent medical attention.

If a parent has concerns about their child’s growth, development, and mental or physical health, they should visit a pediatrician. It is an excellent idea to locate a reputable pediatrician before the baby’s birth to ensure proper care from birth to early adulthood.

Qualifications of a pediatrician

Pediatricians complete a pre-medical undergraduate degree and then take the Medical College Admissions Test to be eligible for medical school. Once selected, they spend four years in medical school: two years covering classroom lessons and the remaining years participating in clinical rotations before graduating with an MD or a DO degree.

After graduating from medical school, pediatricians complete three years of a pediatric residency program, where they train to treat and care for children. To become eligible for board certifications, pediatricians must pass a written test by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) after completing their residency.

When seeking a pediatrician, you should consider the following skills:

• Strong interpersonal skills: A pediatrician must communicate effectively and empathetically with children and parents, especially in situations involving chronic illness and personal hygiene.
• Flexibility and energy: Since medical emergencies can occur at any time, your pediatrician must be available and able to work irregular hours and weekends while remaining active and productive during rounds, surgeries, and other duties.
• Emotional stability: Your pediatrician should act professionally and maintain emotional composure while working with patients.

What does a pediatrician do?

Pediatricians cover various health-related issues, from critical care of children to counseling during childbirth and routine care for their children. Some of the reasons why you may need a pediatrician are:

• Routine care: Pediatricians are trained to look after children’s physical, emotional, and behavioral needs. During the children’s development phase, routine care will help them maintain a healthy life.
• Care for child-specific difficulties: Children have unique needs and require special attention, as adults often find it challenging to understand their difficulties. Pediatricians specialize in identifying the problems faced by children and understanding their needs.
• Care for congenital disorders: For children with a congenital health condition requiring close monitoring and treatment, a pediatrician is the right choice, as they can provide specialized care.
• Specialized care: Pediatricians who are specialized in specific fields like nephrology, cardiology, or oncology can treat critical illnesses in children.

During a child’s first two years, they must have frequent “well-child visits” with a pediatrician. These visits typically occur semi-annually from ages 2 to 5 and continue every year after age 5. Schedule timely wellness visits with one of the best pediatricians near you to ensure your child hits all standard developmental milestones. In caring for your child, they will:

• Conduct physical examinations
• Administer recommended immunizations
• Monitor the child’s growth, behavior, and skills to ensure they meet developmental milestones
• Diagnose and treat the child’s health issues, such as illnesses, infections, and injuries
• Provide advice on health, safety, nutrition, and fitness
• Respond to inquiries regarding the child’s growth and development
• Collaborate with specialists if the child requires care beyond the pediatrician’s expertise

Subspecialties in pediatrics

• Critical care pediatricians

Critical illnesses in children that cause the child to be unstable or critical, like a severe asthma attack, diabetic ketoacidosis, severe pneumonia or meningitis, kidney or liver failure, severe injuries from accidents, and cancer, are treated by critical care pediatrics. Children suffering from acute illnesses require pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) monitoring. Critical care pediatricians coordinate with a team of doctors, nurses, and other health care specialists. 

• Pediatric oncologists

Pediatric oncologists are specialists who treat cancers in children and adolescents. Pediatric oncologists are also trained in treating blood disorders (hematology). After completing their certification, the specialists conduct a 3-year fellowship in pediatric oncology. Doctors follow standard procedures like chemotherapy, immunotherapy, stem cell transplants, and surgery during the treatment. 

• Pediatric cardiologists

Pediatric cardiologists deal with heart-related diseases like arrhythmia, congenital heart defects (CHD), and genetic conditions like Down syndrome, Marfan syndrome, and Turner syndrome in children and adolescents. Pediatric cardiologists coordinate with other specialists, like the primary care provider and the child’s regular pediatrician, during the treatment. The doctors use echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, and imaging tools to detect heart issues. Depending on the severity of the illness, the doctor can give inpatient or outpatient care. 

• Pediatric neurologists

Pediatric neurologists treat conditions related to the nervous system in children. The doctors treat children from birth through 18 years of age and address the child-specific requirements. Pediatric neurologists treat common neurological conditions like migraine, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and rare diseases like traumatic brain injury, metabolic disorders, and degenerative conditions. During a visit to the pediatric neurologist, children are assessed using several techniques, like using a reflex hammer on the knees and elbows to check reflexes. The doctor might also ask the child to perform actions like walking, running, standing up, reporting words, and answering questions to check their motor skills, mental status, and coordination.

• Neonatologists

Neonatologists are doctors trained to care for newborn children. Newborns with health challenges like underdeveloped organs or structural deformities require specific medical expertise and intensive care. Neonatologists also play an essential role in routine aspects of care, like counseling the parents during childbirth. Neonatologists are the first line of support for high-risk births. They help during complications such as underdeveloped respiratory or digestive systems, premature labor, and perinatal asphyxia, i.e., lack of oxygen during birth. These specialists primarily work inside the neonatal intensive care units (NICU). Some common conditions taken care of inside NICUs are premature birth, hypoglycemia, respiratory distress, and acute infections like sepsis.  

Other pediatric specializations include:

• Adolescent medicine specialists: They help adolescents and young adults between 11 and 21 with their complex emotional, physical, and behavioral health requirements by performing physical exams, immunizations, and reproductive and mental healthcare.
• Child abuse pediatrics: They have special training and experience in assessing children who might be victims of some form of abuse or neglect.
• Developmental-behavioral pediatrics: They help manage and treat developmental and behavioral problems in children and adolescents by taking into consideration the medical and psychosocial aspects of these conditions. 
• Pediatric emergency medicine specialists: They work in the emergency departments of hospitals, where they take care of acutely ill or injured children.
• Pediatric endocrinologists: They specialize in diagnosing and treating conditions affecting children’s hormones and hormone-producing glands. 
• Pediatric gastroenterologists: They cater to digestive disorders in children and teens.
• Pediatric hospital medicine specialists: They work in hospitals, where they care for children across different units, including pediatric acute care, newborn nursery, labor and delivery, emergency care, and neonatal and pediatric intensive care.
• Pediatric infectious disease specialists: They specialize in diagnosing and treating children with congenital or acquired illnesses of the immune system, including those caused by bacteria, parasites, fungus, and other rare infectious agents.
• Pediatric pulmonologists: They specialize in treating children with breathing problems and other lung conditions.
• Pediatric rheumatologists: They cater to children with autoimmune (diseases where the immune system harms the body’s healthy cells) and rheumatic disorders (fevers, joint pain, and disorders affecting the internal organs).

Find the best pediatricians near you in San Diego

Anxiety is a natural emotion most parents face regarding their children’s health. It is not easy to trust anyone with a child’s well-being. Finding a doctor or pediatrician who can take proper care of and guide you through the different phases of your child’s development is crucial.

A platform like Zocdoc helps you find the right one by providing several top-rated pediatricians who are qualified and experienced in treating various conditions. One can access essential and verified information about a provider’s training, certification, and qualification on the platform.

You can book both in-person and online appointments via Zocdoc. While browsing the list of doctors matching your criteria, look for a purple video icon beside their name. The presence of this icon indicates that the doctor offers virtual consultations.

Zocdoc provides an easy alternative to an otherwise lengthy and taxing process of booking appointments with its straightforward interface. To identify the best pediatricians near you, you can filter all healthcare providers based on their insurance network, location, verified patient testimonials, and specialty. All bookings made on Zocdoc are 100% free, fast, and safe!

Pediatric statistics in San Diego

According to statistics from Kidsdata by the Population Reference Bureau, there have been 1778 deaths in children from San Diego caused by vaccine-preventable childhood diseases like diphtheria, measles, polio, and tetanus.

On average, 796 cases of cancer in children were detected between 0-19 years in San Diego. Similarly, between 2017 and 2018, 11.4 percent of children between the ages of 0-19 were diagnosed with asthma.

Sources

Cleveland Clinic

WebMD[1]

WebMD[2]

WebMD[3]

Verywell Health

The content herein is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medical information changes constantly, and therefore the content on this website should not be assumed to be current, complete or exhaustive. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, please call your doctor or 9-1-1 immediately.