While in the United States the more common spelling for a doctor dealing with the medical care of children is pediatrician, in much of the rest of the world it is paediatrician.
Regardless of the spelling, finding the right professional to provide the medical care for your children from birth into their teenage years is always important. Finding the right professional starts with doing your research and learning as much as you can about the professionals in your area.
Specialization and Subspecialization
A doctor with a specialization as a paediatrician has completed additional training and residency in the care and treatment of children. This includes general health care as well as preventative health practices in addition to treating childhood illnesses and health issues.
There are additional subspecializations that some pediatricians may also have. Doctors have to complete additional training and residency requirements to obtain these professional designations. They include many of the same subspecializations that doctor treating adults may earn. They include:
- Cardiology
- Critical care
- Development and Behavioral
- Endocrinology
- Infectious diseases
- Oncology and Hematology
- Rheumatology
There are also those doctors specializing in neonatology, which is the care of newborns including those children born prematurely or with specific congenital heath conditions.
In most cases, parents of children with known health issues will want to select a paediatrician with training in a relevant subspecialization. It may also be possible to work within a clinic where the generalist works closely with the subspecialists to provide a team approach to treating the child.
Most children will continue to see their pediatric specialist at least through the childhood years and possibility until the late teenage years. Then, the child will transfer to an internist or a primary care physician depending on the child’s presenting health issues and if special care and services will be required.
