Deciding on your career path is often a difficult decision that requires preparation, thought and knowledge of the vast career options available to medical professionals. Our office hopes to serve as a resource and guide to you in making this very important decision. Below, we've provided some of the most recent data from the American Board of Pediatrics (www.abp.org) as well as excerpts from American Academy of Pediatrics excellent career resource Pediatrics 101 to help you begin to access some important information.
The following comment from a pediatric specialist in Pediatrics 101, summarizes the important decision-making process:
"My belief is that you have to do what will make you happy," he said. "It's hard to know what the job market is going to be 10 years out, and even if it's going to be tight, you've got to do what you're most interested in." Students are sometimes overwhelmed by medical school debt, and make a specialty choice based primarily on income, he added. "Debt drives a lot of decisions, but I think a choice that is based on economics alone has the wrong motivation," he said. "Some specialties pay more than others, but all provide a good living. Students need to ask themselves, ‘Am I going to be intellectually stimulated enough with whatever choice I'm contemplating? Am I going to be happy 2 or 3 years down the road? Or am I doing this for the wrong reasons?'"
Pediatrics
Main article: Careers in Pediatrics
Resources
American Academy of Pediatrics
The section on Medicine - Pediatrics Web page features more than 50 frequently asked questions on everything from starting a job search to contract negotiation
http://www.aap.org/sections/med-peds/
American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)
Links and contact information for approved member boards, which can provide more detailed information about training in their specialties
www.abms.org/who_we_help/consumers/specialties.aspx
American Medical Association (AMA)
Choosing Your Medical Specialty offers brief descriptions of the 8 specialties most frequently selected by participants in the National Medical Residency Match:
http://www.naahp.org/
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
The Careers in Medicine Web site, which features online decision-making tools to choose a specialty, review career information about specialties, and finally, select and apply for a residency.
www.aamc.org/students/cim/start.htm
Career Planning Resources, a collection of links to career advice, specialty boards, and practical tools for students and residents.
www.aamc.org/students/cim/careerplanning.htm