Student Portal > Career Counseling > Course Selection > Pediatrics

Pediatrics

Pediatrics offers an exciting career combining the intellectual challenges of medicine with the unpredictability and humor intrinsic to children. The career possibilities in pediatrics can be as diverse as those of medicine in general. For example:

• one can practice general pediatrics in a solo, outpatient group, or hospital based setting
• one may choose a sub-specialty in any of 18 different areas and then enter a practice or academic track
• a career in research may be most attractive, either bench or clinical research
• one that includes a combination of research and clinical practice

The preventive health aspects of pediatrics are attractive to some, while for others the interventional nature of cardiology, gastroenterology, pediatric emergency medicine or critical care medicine is what draws them to the medical care of children. Whatever the aspired goals (and most who enter the specialty do not have a clear-cut idea of what they plan to do after a residency) a program that provides a solid background in general pediatrics and exposure to the sub-specialties should be sought. Most pediatric training programs in the United States begin interviewing intern applicants in November and continue through January.

Required:

Pediatrics externship

Highly Recommended:

2 Pediatric electives
NICU, PICU or CICU
Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Pediatric Infectious Disease

Helpful:

Neonatology
Infectious Disease
Hematology
Gastroenterology
Cardiology
Dermatology
Radiology
Child Psychiatry

To learn more about Penn's Department of Pediatrics visit their website at http://www.med.upenn.edu/pediatrics.html or email Dr. Stephen Ludwig at Ludwig@email.chop.edu

---