Pursuing Pediatrics: Tips from MU-COM Alumni - Part 4

Katelyn Dato-on ‘21, DO: "Pediatrics is an immensely gratifying specialty! You will work with some of the most lighthearted, passionate people in the medical field. From premature babies in the ICU to adolescents in an office setting, you will have a ton of variety to choose from. It is incredibly diverse in terms of setting, subspecialties, and acuity."

"Every specialty has its downsides. However, compared to others, I find pediatrics much more rewarding because the majority of my patients’ problems are not caused by poor lifestyle changes--something I found challenging in adult medicine. If families are being difficult, your duty is to advocate and do what is best for the child. For me, the rewarding nature of pediatrics outweighs any cons to the specialty."

Katelyn Campbell ’20, DO: "It’s the best. One of the perks of being one of the statistically least paid specialties means that the people that pursue peds are people that want to be there. Being around people that are passionate about and invested in what they do makes life so much better. Each specialty has its own worst thing, but most of my peers agree that seeing kids become very sick or pass away is one of the worst parts of pediatrics. Thankfully, we all know that and make a support system for each other when these things happen."

Tyler King '18, DO: "It is important to recognize that we do work with sick children. They are resilient and often get better but there are times when unfortunately that is not the case, which can be very disheartening. We are also working with not just the patients but their caregivers. This offers a unique opportunity to educate and advocate for our patients. There are times that this can be challenging but very doable. I think working with this population is so rewarding that even the tough cases are manageable."

Katelyn Dato-on ‘21, DO: "Some people may have reservations about pediatrics because of the difficult parents. However, most parents display frustrations out of worry or fear. Often, they simply want what is best for their child. If you communicate effectively and educate your patients and families, most will be pleasant to work with. In the end, you, your patients, and their families are all on the same team! Difficult families are not unique to pediatrics. In most other medical specialties, you will also have challenging encounters with worried family members."

Katelyn Campbell ’20, DO: "When making a decision about specialty, talk with your mentors, and be honest with yourself. We all have different reasons and motives for picking our individual specialties. Find what you enjoy doing. No matter what you specialize in, there will be hard days – find the specialty that you can handle the hard days as well as find joy in the good days."

Tyler King '18, DO: "There is so much overlap between residency specialties that you may find you like multiple areas of medicine which is okay. I think that identifying a patient population you have an interest in working with during your medical education is the most important step in your medical career. There are so many areas in pediatrics that if you like working with children, there is an area that will serve you well in pediatrics. Working with pediatric patients is so rewarding and something that for me is so intangible. This was the main reason I chose pediatrics as a specialty."

Katelyn Dato-on ‘21, DO: "[Prior to residency] at this point, I am just about to start as a pediatric intern! While I don’t have a specific answer for this currently, I am sure many will come up in the next few weeks to months! However, being fresh out of interview season, I will say to not be afraid to advocate for yourself! If you are super interested in a program or certain location, let them know and show them. No one else will advocate for you but yourself. Send emails to the program coordinator, reach out to the residents if you have questions, and attend any virtual open houses/information sessions programs may offer."

"[After her first few months of residency] something I wish I knew was to truly take advantage of the time you have off before you start residency. While I'm only a month into residency, I quickly realized how limited and how precious my free time is. It will be very, very rare to have freedom like that in the future. Go travel, spend time with your friends and family, and let your mind have some time away from the books. Get a wellness routine down and commit to it because it is very easy to neglect your own health when you're exhausted!"

Katelyn Campbell ’20, DO: "Residency can be so much fun, especially in peds. Yes, I work a lot of hours most of the time, but my patients help me see the world from a different perspective which brings me so much joy and makes residency a wonderful place."