Before I talk about my experience in peds, I gotta give a shout out to all Parents...it's a tough job! Keep up the good work! I also gotta give a shout out to all Pediatricians...it's also a tough job! And one I don't think i'll take, thank you very much. The ironic thing is, I really enjoyed my experience playing games with the little tykes as I examined them. I enjoyed Dr. Bowser(great name for a pediatrician don't you think? :)) and her love for the kids rubbed off onto me. I enjoyed the staff I worked with. I enjoyed the hours. So, I bet you're asking why I am not considering Pediatrics as my future career right now, right? Well, there are a couple of reasons but in a nutshell I was usually exhausted and sick of kids by the time I was finished at the end of each day...and I don't want that to affect how I treat my future kids. It takes a lot of energy to persuade those little ones to let you look in their mouth, ears and eyes. :) Also, after doing 6-7 well child checks my first afternoon, I was tired of doing them and listening to the laundry list of concerns parents had. I figure if I was already sick of doing them at that point, how would I feel about them in 5yrs, 10 yrs and especially 20 yrs down the road. Don't misunderstand me here though because I think parents should talk about ANY concerns they have with their pediatrician and I am happy to help any parent who reads this blog, but I just don't want to do that all day every day. Anyway, here are some of my observations about pediatrics:
1. Find a good Pediatrician. In my eyes, a good peds doc is one who helps a parent stay up to date on immunizations, guides them on what to expect in the next phase of the child's development, provides guidance and troubleshoots with parents about nutrition, sleep, hygiene and lifestyle habits, pays attention to detail and conducts thorough physical exams. Recognize that a pediatrician does not have copious amounts of time and may refer you to a counselor for behavioral issues or other services if need be.
2. Female Pediatricians vs. Male Pediatricians. Both of the ped's docs I worked with were females and they were superb by how they took care of the kids and how they patiently communicated with parents...which makes me wonder if female pediatricians are better suited for the job because of their natural ability to nurture and listen. I'm sure there are great male pediatricians...I just haven't met too many of them yet. :)
3. I struggled on occasion when I dealt with the sexually active or drug abusing 12-14 yr olds(or younger). It was so sad and frustrating to see them ruining their lives. I found it hard to have to act non-judgemental about their actions.
4. My preceptor tended to share with parents strategies that had worked in her personal life about raising her son which seemed to be widely accepted by parents. I knew what she was sharing was usually evidenced based but the way she was presenting it made her feel more like a caring friend going through the same experience giving sound advice rather than a "mighty doctor" looking down on her patient and spewing out the facts. I liked that and hope to incorporate it in my future practice in whatever field I end up in.
5. Call your pediatrician before going to the ER if you can. Most of the time, the pediatrician can do more for the child and save you the hassle(and the hours of waiting) of the ER if the child really doesn't need emergent care. They will likely work you in to be seen that day if your child needs to be seen. I would only take my child to the ER if they were less than a few months old and had a high fever, if they were seriously having trouble breathing(more than what a cough and congestion would cause), if they had been vomiting and had diarrhea for days and I was concerned about their dehydration level or if there was a severe injury and needed immediate attention or pain relief. This is not a comprehensive list.
6. If your child has a rash, consider if there are ANY recent changes in detergents, soaps, deodorants(teenagers), new clothes, environments, school rooms, new pets, etc, etc, and try to remove those agents before going to the doctor. You can try an over the counter steroid cream to help with the rash...or try a lamisil cream for possible fungal infections. If that doesn't work you'll probably need to see the doc to get a higher strength prescription cream because the rash is likely eczema or fungal. Of course if there is a fever or viral syndrome associated with the rash you should see the doctor either way. This is my random health tip of the rotation to you...at no charge! ;)
Have a great day and look forward to my some day in the future postings about my Emergency Medicine rotation I just completed, and of course my MARRIAGE!
