Pediatrics

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I liked pediatrics.  This seems to surprise many of my friends, but not having children doesn't mean that I don't like children.  This rotation was fun and frustrating, as at times I was seeing an entire family at one time.  I saw newborns and 18 year olds and everything in between.  I got close to memorizing vaccination schedules, milestones, and most importantly learned over and over what normal is.  Having this rotation in August led me to do so many sports physicals.  Oh, so many.  Pediatrics has its seasons and I am glad I got sport physical season and not flu season.
Kids are fun and their parents aren't (typically) but I was surprised how much I liked interacting with the kids, joking with them, comforting them.  Unfortunately the office I was in didn't have anyone else in it so I spent 20 minutes examining patients, making them feel like the pediatrician office is cool and safe, only to return 5 minutes later and jab them in the leg.  No mercy.  Oh well.  I really liked my doc because he gave no attention to screaming children.  He was so good at tuning it out and giving shots like...YOU'RE WELCOME!
It would be cool to work in pediatrics...to be really good at one thing, and like a lot of primary care it's making sure they're meeting milestones, growing up properly, getting the right screenings, and if anything looks weird....send it to a specialist. I draw comfort in that, but also fear as I will still have to find out what's wrong to some extent.  Anyway, one more specialty I have not ruled out completely, and the job search is just starting!

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