INSIDE INFORMATION

Click on the questions below to view comments from clinicians.

Why did you choose this specialty, and what do you most like about it?

 

	There is huge variety in paediatrics, both in the range of conditions that you treat and in the age of the patients. The work is exciting, fast-paced and extremely rewarding. You feel like you can make a difference working with children. I love their creativity and spontaneity.

 

	You have to like children and you must be approachable and be able to communicate effectively with the patients and their caregivers. It is important to be able to instil confidence in parents by being an effective communicator and developing a relationship with the child and the parents. You need to be resilient since you have to deal with tragic situations on a daily basis. You also need to be adaptable and well organised, and possess aptitude for learning procedural skills. Results aren’t always immediate in this specialty.

 

	A typical daily schedule for a hospital-based specialist would consist of ward rounds, outpatient consultations, meetings and paperwork.  There are an increasing number of paediatricians who spend most of their time working in the community.

 

	In future there is likely to be greater emphasis on outpatient work, and you should expect to complete some of your training within rural communities. For registrars and consultants there will be greater endeavour to accommodate lifestyle choices such as part time work or time out to have a family. An ongoing challenge that faces this specialty (and all others in medicine) is the rapid pace of change: it is essential for practitioners to keep up-to-date with new developments.

 

	You should gain some paediatric experience as a house officer to ensure that you enjoy the specialty. Runs that would be worthwhile considering include neonatal care, emergency medicine and surgery.

 

	Contributors commented that there are no guarantees of employment in this specialty but that the discipline is expanding so there is a good chance that you will find work.

 

	You are encouraged to travel during training. Part time work is usually possible, often as a job-share arrangement.

 

	Contributors commented that any specialty within the medical profession will have some negative impact on family life, and that paediatrics is no exception. Usually there is not much on-call work, but this can vary according to the particular workplace and area of specialty. In general, paediatrics is considered to be reasonably family-friendly.

 

	The work can be stressful and demanding at times and the specialty is relatively poorly remunerated. Employment is largely in the public system and there is only limited scope for private practice.

 

	One registrar described the training programme as being flexible and well co-ordinated. Exposure to subspecialties is limited early in training due to intense competition for posts. An increasing number of Fellowship jobs are becoming available to advanced trainees in the Auckland region.