Career as a Pediatrician after 12th: Courses, Jobs, Salary of Pediatrics

Pediatrics is a specialization course after MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) that accords with the study of ailments, injuries, malignancies, congenital defects, and its diagnosis in children from their birth to 21 years of age. Pediatric patients are those who fall below the age group of 21 years at the time of diagnosis. Pediatricians are child specialists who treat and diagnose childhood illnesses of pediatric patients. According to the report of Humanium, over 2.2 billion children are residing on earth at present. The average median ratio to be calculated between pediatricians and pediatric patients is very huge, i.e., 0.5-72 pediatricians per 100,000 children approximately. The need for pediatricians is growing in demand at a greater pace. Given is the data of the number of pediatricians and children present in some countries

*Countries*	Children	Pediatrician
South Africa	19.6 million	1699
Argentina	1.6 million	250
India	158 million	23,000
Nepal	11 million	120
Mauritius	280 thousand	30
Switzerland	1.32 million	1890
Ireland	1 million	150
Germany	10.7 million	14,000
Australia	4.7 million	3015
America	73 million	91,000
Singapore	672 thousand	424
Netherlands	3.8 million	1818
Sweden	2 million	934

From the above chart, we can understand that there is uneven equity between pediatricians and children which makes this a matter of concern as many children die because of lack of treatment at the right time.

Scope in pediatrics

Pediatrics is the most promising career concerning to current scenario, there are lucrative job opportunities in this profession and it has a great demand in India as well as overseas countries. After the course completion, one might work in government/private/multispecialty hospitals, health centers, child diagnostic centers, nursing homes, NGOs, research centers. Mostly, pediatricians own their clinics, they can also work as lecturers/professors in medical institutes to train students. There are enormous career paths after pursuing pediatrics, aspirants can easily find jobs in public and private health sectors.

Subject study of pediatrics

Pediatrics course is a vast subject that one needs to study, it involves the study of

Adolescent Medicine
Alternative Medicine
Developmental Pediatrics
ENT
General Pediatrics
Genetics
Immunodeficiencies
Immunology
Infectious Diseases
Laboratory Medicine
Medical Procedures
Medico-Legal Issues
Neonatology
Nutrition
Pediatric Anesthesia
Pediatric Cardiology
Pediatric Critical Care
Pediatric Dentistry
Pediatric Dermatology
Pediatric Endocrinology
Pediatric GI and Hepatology
Pediatric Hematology
Pediatric Nephrology
Pediatric Neurology
Pediatric Oncology
Pediatric Ophthalmology
Pediatric Orthopedics
Pediatric Pulmonology
Pediatric Radiology
Pediatric Rheumatology
Pediatric Surgery
Vaccinology

Career opportunities in pediatrics

This profession unfolds a prodigious career path as it provides specialization in various fields such as

Pediatric cardiology
Child abuse pediatrics
Child neurology
Neonatology
Pediatric hematology/oncology
Adolescent medicine
Pediatric surgery
Pediatric emergency and critical care
Pediatric endocrinology
Pediatric gastroenterology
Pediatric infectious diseases
Pediatric hospice and palliative medicine
Pediatric pulmonology

Skills and responsibilities of a pediatrician

The Prime duty of a pediatrician is to provide the best medical care to the pediatric patients
He should be able to diagnose the illness and respective treatment in infants
He should be a keen observer
He should possess good communication skills to communicate with children
One should be disciplined and have the patience to deal with minors

Salary package and Pay scale

Pediatricians often get a high package after the completion of the course. The average starting salary of a pediatrician ranges between 6-7 LPA which is quite high as compared to many other courses. With experience, one gets promoted to the senior level where they can get up to 15-20 LPA in government sectors. As there is no such shortfall in this profession, therefore, private institutions also pay high to pediatricians. Payscale depends on the country in which one is working. Most of the developed countries pay a lofty amount of $26,000-$35,000 per annum to pediatricians.

Eligibility criteria and course duration

Since pediatrics is a specialization course, aspirants have to complete their MBBS to be eligible for this course. To pursue pediatrics as a career, one might complete his 10+2 higher secondary education with physics, chemistry, and biology in science stream with a minimum of 60% in boards and after that appear of national eligibility entrance exam (NEET). After qualifying NEET, candidates have to pursue a 5 years bachelor’s degree program i.e., MBBS (bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery). After successful completion of MBBS, aspirants can get enrolled in a 3 years postgraduate program of MD (Doctor of Medicine) in pediatrics. For admission in MD (pediatrics), one might complete their MBBS with satisfactory marks, some colleges also take their entrance exam for MD admissions.

Top colleges in India for MD pediatrics

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
Christian Medical College, Vellore
Armed Forces Medical College, Pune
Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi
King George’s Medical University, Lucknow
Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi
Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi
Grant Medical College and Sri Jamshedjee Jeejeebhoy group of hospitals, Mumbai
Seth GS Medical College, Mumbai
St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore
Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad
Sri Ramchandra University, Chennai
Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore

Top colleges for MD pediatrics abroad

Stanford University, USA
Harvard University, USA
University of Oxford, UK
University of Cambridge, UK
University of London, UK
University of Pennsylvania, USA
University of Michigan, USA
University of Exeter, UK
National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
The University of Melbourne, Australia