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If you are interested in medicine, you love kids and you’re excited to spend much of your life learning, a career as a pediatrician may be the right fit for you. These professionals help children and their families by diagnosing illnesses, prescribing medicines and providing advice on how to live healthy lifestyles.
It takes more than a decade of hard work to become a pediatrician, along with a significant financial investment. However, if this career is right for you, it can pay off big time in the long run.
Keep reading to learn more about how to become a pediatrician.
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What Is a Pediatrician?
Pediatricians care for children from birth through adolescence, providing services to promote patients’ mental, physical and social health. Pediatricians may provide various health services to their patients, including preventative care, diagnosis and treatment of acute diseases.
Types of Pediatricians
The umbrella term “pediatrician” encompasses pediatric surgeons, pediatric specialists and primary care pediatricians who provide direct care to patients. Pediatricians are experts on children’s health and provide tips to parents and caregivers so they can create healthy, nurturing environments at home.
Pediatrics Specializations
Pediatric specialties include but are not limited to the following:
- Pediatric surgery
- Pediatric gastroenterology
- Pediatric cardiology
- Pediatric neurology
- Critical care pediatrics
- Pediatric oncology
Work Environment
Pediatricians can work in private practices, hospitals, universities and various other healthcare facilities. On a typical day, a pediatrician may see several children and their families, providing diagnoses, treatment and medical support. They often order tests, prescribe medications, answer questions, and provide general advice to parents and guardians on how to help their children lead healthy lives.
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How To Become a Pediatrician
Below, we’ve outlined the steps required to become a pediatrician.
Take STEM Courses and Work with Children in High School
Pediatricians spend a lot of time interacting with children. As such, if you eventually want to become a pediatrician, you need to be able to communicate with and relate to kids. It’s best to start early with a part-time or volunteer position before college, perhaps as a camp counselor or a tutor.
These jobs can help you learn whether you enjoy spending time with kids while also strengthening your application for pediatric programs and residencies.
Like most medical fields, pediatrics is fairly STEM-heavy. In high school, you should plan on taking courses in hard sciences like biology and chemistry. If International Baccalaureate® or Advanced Placement® classes are available, you should pursue them, as these courses can strengthen your college applications and even give you college credit.
Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
Technically, you do not need to pursue any particular undergraduate major to get into medical school. Many universities offer undergraduate pre-med tracks, which typically include courses in biology, chemistry, anatomy and other medicine-adjacent fields to ensure you meet the basic admission requirements for med school. Some pre-med students complete English or art majors, but many opt for biology, chemistry and similar majors.
To get into medical school, focus on earning good grades in your pre-med courses.
Pass the MCAT
During your senior year of undergrad, you should take the Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT). The MCAT is a standardized, multiple-choice test that takes more than seven hours to complete. The test consists of 230 questions. You can choose from as many as 30 MCAT test dates annually.
The MCAT tests knowledge in four fields, and scores are reported in four corresponding sections:
- Biological and biochemical foundations of living systems
- Chemical and physical foundations of biological systems
- Psychological, social and biological foundations of behavior
- Critical analysis and reasoning skills
Earn a Medical Degree
Most medical degrees take four years of full-time study to complete. In med school, students attend labs and lectures in subjects like anatomy and physiology, biochemistry and behavioral science. During the second part of medical school, students generally complete clinical rotations in various branches of medicine, which helps them narrow down a specialty for residency. Rotations may include surgery and internal medicine, among other fields.
One way to mitigate the cost of med school is by applying to dual MD/Ph.D. degree programs, which often offer tuition stipends. Learners in these programs must perform research and may take longer to complete medical school—six to eight years, generally.
Complete Your Residency
After graduating from medical school, you must match to a pediatric residency. The match process relies on an algorithm in which future residents rank residency programs by preference and vice versa. The algorithm then tries to ensure fair and ideal outcomes for both the residents and their placement medical facilities.
During a pediatric residency, you’ll get direct experience working with patients in a variety of environments, including clinics, hospitals and intensive care units. Most residents gain responsibility as they build experience, eventually becoming a doctor who can make key decisions. Most pediatric residencies take three years to complete.
Apply for Licensure and Jobs
You must be licensed to practice medicine in the United States. At different points throughout medical school and residency, you’ll complete the three steps of the United States Medical Licensing Examination. Prospective doctors generally take Step 1 at the end of their second year of med school, Step 2 during their fourth year and Step 3 in residency.
Once licensed, you may pursue pediatrician jobs across the nation.
Pediatrician Salary and Job Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as of May 2022, pediatricians earned a mean annual salary of $203,240. However, several factors can affect your earning potential, including specialty, experience and location. For example, pediatricians working in physicians’ offices—usually private practices—earn the highest annual wages at $213,230 on average.
The top-paying states for pediatricians in May 2022 were Mississippi, Alaska, New Hampshire, Texas and Iowa.
Certifications for Pediatricians
Beyond medical licensure, pediatricians can demonstrate credibility by pursuing certification through the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). Candidates can become certified in general pediatrics or in subspecialties like adolescent medicine, pediatric emergency medicine, pediatric endocrinology and pediatric gastroenterology.
Requirements vary by certification. General certification, for example, requires at least three years of post-medical school training in accredited programs. Visit ABP’s website for more information on specific certifications.
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Professional Organizations for Pediatricians
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): AAP counts both medical students and practicing pediatricians among its members. The academy offers advocacy, resources and educational opportunities to help members grow in the profession.
- American Pediatric Society (APS): APS promotes research and acknowledges excellence in scholarship and practice in the pediatric field.
- Academic Pediatric Association (APA): APA primarily serves pediatric professionals working in research and academia. The association assists these professionals with their scholarship and inquiry.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Becoming a Pediatrician
How long does it take to become a pediatrician?
Starting with undergrad, it usually takes at least 11 years to become a pediatrician: four years for a bachelor’s degree, four years in medical school and at least three years of residency. Some pediatric residencies may take longer than three years.
What are the pros and cons of being a pediatrician?
Pediatricians earn high salaries, and their work makes a major difference in the world. However, pediatrics is a high-stakes, high-stress field in which your decisions can mean the difference between life and death.
What type of pediatrician makes the most money?
According to the BLS, as of May 2022, pediatricians working in physicians’ offices—private practices, in most cases—earned the highest mean annual salary at $213,230.
