How to Become a Paediatrician

About Paediatrician

A career as a paediatrician has emerged as one of the most prominent career options in India. By choosing a career as a paediatrician, one can not only find lucrative job profiles in India but overseas as well because the demand for talented and proficient pediatricians is growing day by day. If you have a passion for children and patience to analyse and diagnose their problems then a career in the field of pediatrics can be for you. Paediatricians work to take care for the physical, mental and emotional health of children from birth to adolescence. They also serve as counsellors of infants and children, advising parents on infant care to help them deal with various kinds of health-related problems.

The job of a paediatrician is to monitor growth and development, prevent problems, as well as to diagnose and treat a wide variety of illnesses or injuries of children and explain test results or prescribed treatments to their parents or guardians. They prescribe medications and give detailed instructions for administration and also collect, record and maintain patient information, such as medical history, reports and examination results.

Eligibility to become Paediatrician

A paediatrician is a specialist who diagnoses and treats the injuries and illnesses of babies, children, and teenagers. He/she examines paediatric patients, performs diagnostic tests and prescribes or administers treatments, such as medications, vaccinations, and other therapies. To become a paediatrician, one needs to have special aptitude and love for children. Apart from this, there is a minimum academic benchmark that one must attain to become a pediatrician. One must have MBBS and MD degree in pediatrics to start a career as a pediatrician.

The academic qualifications required for becoming a pediatrician are mentioned below:

Subject Combination – Science stream with Physics, Chemistry & Biology in class 12.

Exam – NEET, AIIMS PG, NEET PG, JIPMER PG

Eligibility -

• Candidates should have cleared class 12 with a minimum of 50% in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English (taken together) from a recognised board. 
• To pursue a career as a paediatrician, candidates should hold an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery) degree recognized by Medical Council of India.
• After that, candidates should have a postgraduate degree, i.e. M.D. in pediatrics, successful postgraduates can go for further specialization in medical or surgical fields. For this, candidates should have an MBBS degree with minimum 55% marks from a recognized institute/university.
• Candidates can also choose to pursue Ph.D. in pediatrics and step into the field of research. For this, candidates should have a postgraduate degree in relevant subject or equivalent with at least 50% marks in aggregate. Candidates should also clear entrance exams conducted by the respective universities for the course.

Types of Job Roles Paediatrician

Pediatricians work closely with other healthcare professionals to provide children with medical care to the fullest extent possible. Pediatricians can work both in private and government hospitals on a regular basis, however, the job prospects for pediatricians with subspecialties are much more than those simply having a degree in pediatrics. Mentioned below are some of the paediatrician job profiles that one can target on the basis of their interest areas.

Pediatric Surgeon: Pediatric surgeons are specially trained to perform various medical procedures on young patients. They are responsible for diagnosing and providing operative care to children with a variety of illnesses, diseases and health conditions and are skilled in performing surgical procedures on newborns.

Neonatologist: Neonatologists basically work in the neonatal intensive care unit. They provide diagnosis and treatment to premature newborns and those suffering from defects, injury, and illness at birth. They help deliver babies requiring special assistance and take special care of infants’ timely nutrition to endure their required growth and development.

Developmental-behavioral Pediatricians: A developmental-behavioral pediatrician treat behavioral issues rather than medical issues associated with childhood illnesses or disabilities. They also counsel children and adolescents for behavioral difficulties such as anxiety, dyslexia, math disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, cerebral palsy autism and visual and hearing impairments.

Pediatric Cardiologists: Pediatric cardiologists have extensive training and expertise in dealing with children and in treating children with heart problems. They specializes in treating children who are born with or who develop heart or vascular system deficiencies, defects or abnormalities.

Pediatric Endocrinologists: Pediatric endocrinologists have extensive training and expertise in dealing with children and treating children with endocrine disorders and hormonal problems. They diagnose, treat, and manage hormonal disorders including, growth problems, early or delayed puberty, enlarged thyroid gland (goiter), diabetes, obesity etc.

Pediatric Orthopedists: Pediatric orthopedics diagnoses, treats and manages diseases, conditions and injuries of the musculoskeletal system, or the bones and muscles, of children and young adults.

Employment Opportunities for Paediatrician

Lucrative employment opportunities abound in the field of pediatrics. Being a paediatrician is a rewarding and enriching career, and offers opportunities from research to public health to volunteering overseas. Most paediatricians are in private practice while some work in hospitals or clinics. One can also work as a practitioner in a research centre. Some of the top sectors/industry that requires a paediatrician are mentioned below:

• Schools
• Hospitals and Clinics
• Nursing Homes
• Clinics and Health Departments
• Industrial Houses and Factories
• Orphanages and Old Age Homes
• Military
• Government Departments
• Training Institutes as Educators
• Railways and Public Sector Medical Departments
• Universities
• Medical Centers and Research Laboratories

Top Recruiting Companies for Paediatrician

Some of the leading recruiting companies where a paediatrician can find employment opportunities are listed below:

• AIIMS, Delhi
• Max Healthcare
• Fortis
• Apollo
• Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi
• Surya Child Care, Mumbai
• Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore
• Lotus Children’s Hospital

Pay Scale/Salary of Paediatrician

The salary of a paediatrician depends on various factors. One of the biggest factors is the experience or number of years one has spent practicing. Additionally, one's education, skills and the geographical location may play a greater role in the salary that a pediatrician earns. There is also a salary discrepancy in different sectors like in the private and government sector.

Following are some relative salary figures for different job profiles of a paediatrician:

Note: The above figures are an estimate and may vary from individual to individual and company to company.

Books & Study Material to Become Paediatrician

To be in the field pediatrics, here is a list of some of the best books that one can refer to:

• Pediatric Oral Pathology by Kavita Kholi
• Paediapaedia: An Imaging Encyclopedia of Pediatric Disease by Michael P.D’Alessandro
• Child Injury Prevention by David C. Schwebel
• Becoming a Pediatrician by Daniel Schumacher
• Autism Spectrum Disorder by Michael Fitzgerald
• Babies A to Z by Warwick Carter
• Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics by Robert M. Kliegman, Hal B. Jenson, Richard E. Behrman.

Pros of becoming a Paediatrician

• A career as a paediatrician is emotionally satisfying and intellectually rewarding.
• The range of potential interests and subspecialisations within the field of paediatrics is huge.
• A paediatrician can work in most of the geographic locations.

Cons of becoming a Paediatrician

• One has to work for long hours and on weekends or holidays.
• Child protection evaluation can be difficult and strenuous as one has to go through the necessary training.
• Pediatricians often face an enormous amount of stress or become depressed when dealing with ill patients on a regular basis.