Interesting Facts About Pediatricians:
Pediatrics is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of kids.
Pediatricians, also referred to as pediatric doctors, treat ailments and illnesses of infants, children, and adolescents, as well as work with parents to help keep children healthy.
Here Are Top 27 Interesting Facts About Pediatricians:
History
#1 The word ”pediatrics” derives from two Greek words – παῖς (”pais” translating as ”child”) and ἰατρός (”iatros” translating as ”healer” or ”doctor”).
#2 Hippocrates wrote about a few problems relating to pediatric health, including cephalhematoma (a hemorrhage found between the periosteum and skull of a newborn baby), asthma, diarrhea, clubfoot, mumps, hydrocephalus, worms, and scrofula (a condition in which the pathogenic bacteria which causes tuberculosis causes symptoms outside the lungs).
#3 In the 1800s, even in the most progressive countries, only two-thirds of kids lived past 5 years old.
#4 In June 1802, the first pediatric hospital is the ”Hôpital des Enfants Malades,” opened in Paris.
#5 In 1854, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is established and becomes America’s 1st children’s hospital.
#6 Dr. Abraham Jacobi (1830–1919), a German pediatrician, is considered to be the father of American pediatrics. In 1861, he established the pediatrics chair at the New York Medical College.
#7 He also helped found the American Journal of Obstetrics. Dr. Abraham Jacobi held professorships at Surgeons of Columbia University (1870–1902) and New York University (1865–70). Even now, Dr. Abraham Jacobi is the only foreign-born president of the American Medical Association.
#8 Other renowned early promoters of pediatrics include:
- Dr. William McKim Marriott (1885-1936) of St. Louis, Missouri;
- Dr. John Forsyth Meigs (1818-1882) of Philadelphia;
- Dr. Luther Emmett Holt (1855-1924) of New York City.
#9 On June 23, 1930, the American Academy of Pediatrics is formed, by a group of 35 pediatricians in Detroit.
#10 Interestingly, the Georgia Pediatric Society may even have antedated the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) which is reputed to be the oldest pediatric society in the United States.
#11 The American Board of Pediatrics was founded in 1933 and is currently one of the 24 certifying boards of the ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialties).
#12 Benjamin McLane Spock was a pediatrician whose book ”Baby and Child Care,” issued in 1946, is probably the best-seller of all time.
#13 In 1962, Dr. C. Henry Kempe publishes a scientific paper about child abuse, entitled – “The Battered Child Syndrome.”
#14 In 1969, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Accidental Poisoning issues a paper on “Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Lead Poisoning in Childhood.”
#15 In 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics first suggested putting infants to sleep on their sides or backs. This led to a decrease in sudden infant death syndrome.
#16 In the present day, the lowest sudden infant death syndrome is in Japan and the Netherlands.
#17 Leila Denmark was a working pediatrician for 74 years. She retired in 2001, aged 103, and lived to 114.
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Job Description
#18 Responsibilities of a pediatrician include:
- keep abreast of advancements in pediatrics by attending conferences and seminars;
- conduct regular thorough examinations on children to check and record their normal physical development and health;
- keep updated records of patients’ surgeries, illnesses, or other medical episodes;
- advise parents on children’s exercise, diet, and disease-preventive measures;
- examine and treat injuries and, when necessary, refer its patients to physicians of other disciplines;
- administer vaccines according to the governmental vaccination plan;
- interpret and prescribe appropriate lab tests to gain more information for possible abnormalities or infections;
- prescribe medications and give detailed instructions for their administration;
- reach an informed diagnosis based on individual medical history and scientific knowledge;
- ask questions to gather information about his patient’s symptoms;
- examine sick children to determine their condition.
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Education Requirements
#19 The path to becoming a pediatrician begins with earning a bachelor’s degree.
#20 Earning a doctor of osteopathy or doctor of medicine degree is a requirement to become a pediatrician. It takes 4 years to complete medical school and 3 years to complete a general pediatrics residency.
#21 During the residency, doctors work with certified pediatricians and receive more responsibility for treating children and managing medical staff and students.
#22 Successful completion of the residency means that students are eligible to take the certification examination in general pediatrics with the ABP (American Board of Pediatrics).
#23 A pediatrician who aspires to specialize in a sub-field of pediatrics will pursue a fellowship program. Depending on the sub-specialty, training lasts 2 to 3 years.
#24 A pediatrician can specialize in particular areas, like:
- neonatology – it is a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of premature or ill newborns;
- developmental-behavioral – it focuses on treating children with physical disabilities or social, developmental, and behavioral conditions;
- nephrology – it focuses on urinary tract disease, kidney disease, kidney stones, bladder problems, or high blood pressure;
- infectious diseases – it focuses on infectious agents, from the bacteria and viruses which cause respiratory tract infections to more serious illnesses;
- gastroenterology – it focuses on treating the liver, gastrointestinal tract, and pancreas;
- cardiology – it provides health care for children with congenital and acquired heart disease;
- allergy and immunology – it focuses on the treatment of asthma, allergies, and other immunological disorders;
- rheumatology – it focuses on treating arthritis and inflammatory disorder.
Salary
#25 In the United States, the median annual salary is $193,826. Also, bonuses and benefits will offer added compensation. Therefore, according to the data, a pediatrician’s base salary only represents around 72 percent of her or his yearly earnings.
#26 The highest payment in the pediatrician profession is registered in these metropolitan areas:
- Cape Coral, Florida – $252,540;
- Chattanooga, Tennessee – $254,760;
- Jackson, Mississippi – $262,720;
- Jacksonville, Florida – $275,540;
- Salt Lake City -$280,190.
#27 The total number of pediatricians is estimated to increase by 15% from 29,600 to 34,100 by 2026.
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References https://www.aap.org/en-us/professional-resources/Research/pediatrician https://www.ucas.com/ucas/after-gcses/find-career-ideas/explore-jobs/ http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/chw/future-paediatricians/index.php