The Art Of Pediatrics
...school student is way above the non-medical student. Pediatricians typically complete eleven years of training to become an official pediatrician. This includes four years of college, four years of medical school, one year of an internship in pediatrics and two years of a pediatric residency (Lehman 12). Pediatric specialists, like a pediatric cardiologist or pediatric endocrinologist, also have to complete at least three years of specialty fellowship training (13). The difficulty of completing an internship and residency is due to working practically non-stop. For a whole year the student will be working in between eighty and one hundred and twenty hours a week with thirty six hour shifts (Dale).While there may be some long nights and days, it is usually only for a few months while working in the intensive care unit (Dale). Some people are frightened from a career in pediatrics or in medicine in general because of the commitment to put in so much time towards their career. There are certain pre-med course requirements that you have to complete before applying to medical school that can be taken outside your major. Pre-med requirements usually include: one year of English, two years of Biology, one semester of college calculus or statistics, one year of physics, and two years of chemistry (Grayson 367). It may seem easier to just pick a major that includes one of the listed above, but it is recommended that you pick a major in which you will enjoy and succeed in. To be admitted into medical school, it is not required to have perfect 4.0 GPA. Grades are only one thing that medical schools look at when considering applicants for medical school. Med schools also look at your MCAT scores, recommendations from your professors and advisors, extracurricular activities, and your personal qualities (Dale). Besides your grades, medical schools want to see that you are able to be successful at something. This may include competitive sports, leadership roles in an organization, being active in a community project, or simply participating in a piano competition. The point of that influence is to show that if you are successful at something; you have a chance of becoming a successful doctor (Dale). Medical school application committees do look at how hard your courses in college were and how successful you were in them. One is more likely to get into medical school achieving all A’s at a smaller school than receiving C’s and D’s at Harvard or other big schools (Grayson 355). An “elite” college is preferred if you wish to attend a highly competitive or top medical school, such as John Hopkins or Harvard (355). Schooling for any college is not cheap. The price all depends where you attend to college. Private schools and medical schools are generally more expensive than public colleges. Most medical students apply for financial aid, loans and grants to help pay for their education though. In year 2000, the average debt of medical students was $95,000. (US Department) Depending whether you go to a public or private medical school, you might pay from $24,553 to $37,455 a year, and end up with an average of about $90,745 in debt (US Department). Although you might build up a large debt in medical school from student loans, there will be plenty of time to pay it off and you will likely make a more than comfortable living. The average starting salary for fulltime pediatricians ranges from $ 100-130,000 and are up to $150-180,000 after three years (US Department). Pediatrics is generally considered a low risk area of medicine and traditionally has low malpractice insurance costs. Reports of crisis and rising cost of malpractice insurance, with some doctors in high risk specialties, like neurosurgery and obstetrics, are paying over $100,000 a year (US Department). There are many reasons on why a career in medicine, and especially pediatrics, would be a great idea. Once you are an established pediatrician, you will have a lot of flexibility and independence in how and where you practice (Kapoor). You can start your own office and be your own boss, join a group of doctors and share some responsibility, but in general still be your own boss, or work somewhere else and totally leave the trouble of running a business to them. About fifteen percent of Pediatricians work part-time, leaving you more time to stay home with your family or pursue other interests (Dale). As you...