Pediatricians

            
             Pediatrics is a branch of medicine that consists of the care and treatment of the diseases of childhood and the study of normal growth. Pediatrics became a specialty in the 20th century. In the 1980s some pediatricians began a subspecialty called adolescent medicine, which deals with the special medical and emotional needs of persons between the ages of twelve and twenty years old. Pediatricians are trained to recognize congenital defects and to treat them when possible. One important treatable class of these conditions is congenital heart malformations; surgical correction of these defects has become increasingly successful. Other congenital illnesses that must be diagnosed and treated soon after birth are phenylketonuria and congenital hypothyroidism. Pediatricians must also handle a number of infectious diseases that are most often seen in childhood. Many diseases can be prevented by immunization, which is the responsibility of the pediatrician. Pediatricians also monitor the normal growth and development of a child according to important motor and intellectual milestones. Recognition of developmental lags may point to lack of proper nutrition, poisoning with environmental substances such as lead, or hyperactivity. In addition, pediatricians must be alert for disorders that usually first become apparent in childhood, such as allergies, immune deficiency diseases, and epilepsy. .
             Making personal choices about career directions is difficult. Many students express that they "always wanted to be a doctor" and that they "love children." There may also be siblings or parents who are physicians and making the choice of a career in medicine almost inevitable. There are many different paths to choose from in pediatrics and they can take you many different directions.