1. Interview # 1
2. Interview # 2
3. Interview # 3
4. Interview # 4
5. Interview # 5
6. Interview # 6
7. Interview # 7
8. Interview # 8
9. Disclaimer

• Read Questions & Answers in Another Column
• Read Other Student Interviews.

Interview # 1

• 1.) What subjects did you like in school that may have influenced you to go into pediatrics?
• 1.a) What interests/Aptitudes did you have or develop that caused you to go into this profession?
• 2.) When did you decide to enter pediatrics?
• 3.) How much and what type of education is required for your job?
• 4.) Is continuing education a part of your professional growth? If so, what type is required?
• 5.) Where are you employed presently and how many other companies or institutions have employed you previously?
• 6.) What are your job responsibilities? Are all your job duties in your job description or are there “implied” duties also?
• 7.) What are your working conditions? Describe them please.
• 8.) Does your job have extra benefits or “perks”? If so, what are some of these?
• 9.) What is the best and worst part of your daily routine?
• 10.) What advice would you give someone who is considering entering pediatrics?
• 11.) How many years have you been working in your profession?
• 12.) If you have to do it over again, would you choose the same profession? Why or why not?
• 13.) Have you ever worked in another capacity in another profession? What did you do? Why did you leave?
• 14.) Could you give a salary range for pediatricians? You don’t have to be specific-just a starting and ending salary.

Thanks.

-Samantha

Dear Samantha: Please read the previous student interviews posted on my web site at http://www.askdrwarren.com/student.htm. I've answered questions about income, job responsibility, education requirements, and what I like and dislike about being a pediatrician so many times already that I expect the students to find those answers on my web site and save me the trouble of answering the same questions again and again. The words to the question may not be exactly the same, but you should be able to figure out which answers answer your questions. As you read the answers below, if I've skipped a question completely, it means I feel I've fully answered it before and you can find that answer on my web site.

1. I enjoyed most of my subjects in school but nothing in school influenced me to become a pediatrician. I've liked kids as long as I can remember.

2. When I was 16 I worked as a camp counselor at a camp for handicapped kids. That's when I decided I wanted to be a pediatrician.

4. Continuing education is necessary. New medicines and treatments come into existence all the time. Even new diseases come into being. When I went to medical school AIDS and HIV were unknown. Even Lyme disease first became known while I was already in practice. I go to lectures and read journals and also pay attention to medical news.

5. I'm in my own practice in Lynbrook, NY. I worked for 2 years for a pediatrician in Middletown, NY before I joined my current practice. Before that I did my residency and internship at Montefiore Hospital.

6. You can read about my job responsibilities in previous interviews. There is no job description in private practice. By the time a person finishes his residency in pediatrics he has a pretty good idea of what a pediatrician has to do. The it's up to him how he wants to set up his practice. Since a lot of what a pediatrician does is based on figuring out how to help his patient, what he does will depend on what a patient needs.

7. I work in an office with examining rooms and a waiting room. I have a partner for 20 years and a wonderful staff that have worked for me forever. We're like a family. I'd call that pretty good working conditions, but there's still a lot of stress, long hours, and mounds of paper work.

8. Unless you consider respect and satisfaction with what you do a job perk, I'd say there are no perks. One expects to earn a living at what he does. As a self employed person I pay for all my own "perks."

10. Go into pediatrics because you like kids. Don't go into pediatrics to avoid dealing with adults because helping and dealing with the parents is at least 50% of your job. Go into pediatrics because you're dedicated to helping people. Don't go into pediatrics for the money. There are better ways to earn a higher income and if you don't care about your patients you'll hate your job and be awful at it. The world doesn't need doctors whose sole motivation is some perceived personal reward.

11. I've been a pediatrician for 22 years. 25 years if you count residency.

12. I'd do it again because I like taking care of kids and helping parents.

13. I worked various summer jobs to support myself through school, but my only profession has been pediatrics.

14. I have no knowledge of current starting salaries and have discussed income before.

Sincerely,
Dr. Warren

What does a pediatrician on average salary rage from?

Are there any mottos you live by?

What is a average work week?

Thanks for your time.

-Rylan

Dear Rylan: You can find the answers to all your questions and more in previous interviews I have done for students. You can find links to all those interviews at http://www.askdrwarren.com/student.htm.

My philosophy regarding pediatrics should be evident in my prior interviews. My motto, which is part of my AOL profile is, "You must be honest with yourself before you can seek the truth. When you find the truth use it wisely and gently to benefit all creatures."

Sincerely,
Dr. Warren

What the "trends" (ie. Technological, social, etc.) are in this field of work? What I could do, or need to know in order to better prepare myself for the future world of work?

What kind of lifestyle you live, how many hours you work, what your social life is like? That is if you don't mind answering the question!

What experiences would help me to achieve my goal in getting hired in this profession, (ex, volunteer work, part-time or summer work, apperenticeship. etc.)?

I would like to thank you for you time, it would mean a lot to me if you could answer these questions asap. They are for a small career search assignment! And I figure that the only way I could get the most accurate answers for the questions we are required to answer, is to go directly to the source!

Thank you again!

-AT

Dear AT: The major trend affecting pediatrics and medical care in general is the effect managed care has on health care delivery. Patients change doctors frequently due to changes in insurance plans rather than establishing long term relationships with one physician. Care must be fashioned around the rules of each HMO when possible without compromising patient care. Since no two HMO's have the same rules or formularies it is more difficult to establish a consistent approach to dealing with certain medical problems. A large portion of physician time is now spent dealing with referral procedures rather than direct patient care.
Another important trend in pediatrics is the increasingly rapid pace of vaccine development. Now that the major diseases like smallpox and polio have been wiped out by vaccines, and others like diphtheria and whooping cough are well controlled by immunization, research and development is focusing on other, less serious infectious diseases. Since antibiotic resistance may play a major role in the coming years, vaccines are being developed to deal with some of the diseases we now treat with antibiotics.

Work can be stimulating and enjoyable, but it's called work rather than fun because when you work you have a responsibility to get a job done regardless of how you feel while you're doing it. All work, including pediatrics, can involve unpleasant tasks and drudgery. The best preparation for the future world of work is to get experience working while you are young and doing the best job you can no matter what kind of work you get. Work in a medical field requires acquisition of certain skills and knowledge which you cannot expect to get now and do not need to get now in order to succeed. therefore, the best preparation is working hard in school and experiencing the responsibility of a job, any job.

My life style is no different than most other people living in a middle class family. I am not wealthy. I have a nice house which could use some repair work, but that will wait since I have 3 kids in college now. I have two 12 year old cars. Since I have a Web site, you may surmise that I have computer. I work 50-60 hours a week. I'm sure that impacts on my social life, but not as much as my own personal preferences. I like to spend my time with my family. Occasionally we get out to a movie or restaurant. I doubt that my lifestyle is representative of the average pediatrician.

You should have revised your last question to fit the profession you were asking about. Anyone who goes to medical school and completes a residency will have no difficulty finding a job or starting a practice. Getting into a good residency depends largely on doing well in medical school. Getting into medical school depends largely on doing well in college and on the MCAT. Extracurricular activities and summer jobs may help somewhat in getting into medical school. A research project may be even more useful.

Sincerely,
Dr. Warren

• 1) Please tell me about any special equipment that you may use.
• 2) Are there more men or women pediatricians? Why?
• 3) Were you involved in any high school activities that helped you prepare for being a pediatrician? If so, which ones?
• 4) Are there advancement opportunities in pediatrics? Could you explain them to me?
• 5) Are there other related jobs to pediatrics?
• 6) Do you feel there will be a growth or decline in pediatrics in the next 5 years? Why?

Sincerely,
-Deanna

Dear Deanna: 1. Equipment: I use a stethoscope to listen to heart and lungs, an otoscope to look in ears, an ophthamoscope to look in eyes, and a sphygmomanometer to measure blood pressure. I use a microscope and other laboratory equipment to examine urine and blood.

2. I suspect there are more men than women in pediatrics just because there are still more men becoming physicians, but those numbers are getting closer together. Pediatrics attracts a lot of women. I suppose that's because women like working with kids.

3. None of my high school activities had anything to do with pediatrics other than the academic preparation for college. My summer job as a camp counselor at a camp for the physically handicapped sparked my interest in pediatrics.

4. Reread the interviews. I'm not answering this one again.

5. Unclear question. All of the people who work in my office have jobs related to pediatrics. If you're asking about jobs for the pediatrician, you'll find employment opportunities for pediatricians discussed in previous interviews.

6. As long as there are children there will be a need for pediatricians. At the moment, there does not appear to be any movement to replace routine pediatric care with PAs or Nurse Practitioners, but that could change and I cannot predict that. I would expect career opportunities in pediatrics to remain fairly stable unless there is a major change in the number of kids out there.

Sincerely,
Dr. Warren

• What classes did you have to take and what schools did you go to to become a pediatrician?
• What are your transferable skills?
• How many annual holidays do you get?
• How much leisure time do you get?
• How much money do you make?
• Do you like your job, why/why not?
• Did you become a Pediatric Surgeon for the money?
• Why did you choose this job?
• How old are you?
• What company do you work for?

With Gratitude,
-A Young Student

Dear Young Student: I'm not sure just how much gratitude you will feel after you read my answers. For starters, it is clear that you either didn't read the instructions to students or chose to ignore them. You can find those instructions along with links to the previous interviews you were supposed to read before submitting your questions on my web site.

When you review those interviews you will see that I have discussed my schooling, leisure time, reasons for becoming a pediatrician, and what I like and dislike about my job. I have answered general questions about pediatricians' incomes and can't believe that any teacher would consider it appropriate to ask somebody what he earns. I don't consider my income anybody's business. In case my previous answers were not clear, I am a pediatrician, not a pediatric surgeon, and I did not become a pediatrician for the money.

I'm in private practice with a partner. We don't work for a company. We are the company. We don't have a set number of holidays or vacations. Someone has to be available to take care of the patients at all times. If the office is closed, or even if one of us is away, we can't see as many patients. Emergencies always get taken care of. But when we see fewer patients, we earn less. That's what happens when you're the boss.

I'm not sure what you mean by transferable skills. Besides taking care of patients, I'm qualified to teach about health and run my web site. I could go into another branch of medicine without starting all over again, but I would need more training. I'm sure my college degree would qualify me to work for any variety of companies somewhere above entry level.

I'm 53¾ years old.

Sincerely,
Dr. Warren

1. I live in Rhode Island and I'd like to know where, in your opinion, the best school for me to go to around Rhode Island would be.
2. If you feel schools around Rhode Island would not be the best choice for the career of a pediatrician where would advise me to go?
3. Since I was in the second grade I have been saving money to go to college. Although I have been saving money, I am almost positively sure that I will not have enough money to pay for college and then medical school. If you were in my position, what do you think you'd do?
4. I've done research on the career of a pediatrician and I'm sure that this is what I want to do! What would you do at my age to persue this career?.
5. Next year, as a freshman in high school, I will be taking Spanish Two. In the school I am going to they offer up to Spanish Five but since I am Portuguese and speak it fluently I would also like to take Portuguese to learn more than I already know. The school offers up to Portuguesse Three. This arrangement would give me the opportunity to take Spanish Two and then, for the last three years of high school take three years of Portuguesse but I also have the opportunity to take five years of Spanish. My guidance counselor told me that five years of a language would look better on a college application than two years of one language and three of another. What is your opinion on my situation?

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth: For questions 1 and 2 you should seek and follow the advice of your guidance counselor. I don't know anything about schools in Rhode Island. There are many fine schools around the country. There is no one school that I would recommend as the best. Of course Harvard has the top reputation, but not everyone can go there. By the time you near the end of your undergraduate degree in college you will know better which medical schools you have a chance at going to and which best suit your needs.

You should also follow your guidance counselor's advice about language requirements. It's her area of expertise, not mine. The only thing I would add is that in many inner cities in the USA you would find it very useful to the practice of medicine to be fluent in Spanish. Since you are already fluent in Portuguese, you can read books in Portuguese for enjoyment and further your knowledge of the language on your own.

Schools are so expensive today that virtually nobody has the money on hand. Unfortunately the only thing you can do is get jobs, apply for financial aid, and take out loans. Your choice of school then becomes affected by the financial aid packages and scholarships you qualify for. Keep in mind that state schools, including medical schools, cost considerably less than private institutions.

At 14 years of age the only thing you can do to pursue a career in pediatrics is to work on becoming a good student. Getting into good colleges and getting into medical school is very competitive. Volunteering at a hospital would help build character and look good on your resume. If any local doctors or hospitals have a program in which they allow high school students to accompany them, you could do that to get a sense of what it's all about.

Sincerely,
Dr. Warren

• What are the opportunities for advancement?
• Is there job security?
• Is the job structured, or is there flexibility?
• Do you feel you are respected in your position?
• What are the major responsibilities in the job?

-Cassy

Dear Cassy: The reason that I ask students to read all my student interviews carefully is that those who skim through the interviews looking for the same question they're asking miss the information that answers their questions just because the question isn't the same as theirs. You need to understand the question in order to recognize what information will help you.

In discussing opportunities for advancement, I've explained in other interviews that pediatricians in private practice are their own bosses, but if they have special skills, they may become recognized in their communities. Those who work in hospitals may advance to chief of their department or chief of staff. A physician with an excellent reputation may receive referrals from other physicians.

Job security depends on the actual job. There will always be a demand for pediatricians. A pediatrician in his own practice can't be fired, but as with any business, if you don't keep the customer happy, the business won't do well. Providing good care should keep most patients happy. If a pediatrician works for a hospital or clinic, there is always a possibility that the hospital or clinic will close or their staffing needs will change, but if that results in loss of a job, it's always possible to find another job or start a practice in an area that needs pediatricians.

Being a pediatrician is an extraordinarily complex job and therefore must be flexible. Still, there are basic things a pediatrician must do to provide good care for his patients. While individual style and practice setup may vary, infants and children must be seen on a regular schedule for checkups and receive certain immunizations according to a standard schedule.

I certainly feel respected in my position.

Here's another question that I've already answered. When you ask about the responsibilities of my job, you'll find the answer in the various descriptions of my day or similar questions like "What is a pediatrician?" or "What does a pediatrician do?". A pediatrician is responsible for examining healthy children and giving immunizations, following up on any problems found at the checkup, monitoring growth and development, answering parents and patients questions, educating patients about health and lifestyle issues, diagnosing and treating illness, keeping accurate records, and doing necessary paper work for insurance companies and HMOs. If I keep thinking about it I'm sure I'll think of other responsibilities, but those are the basics.

Sincerely,
Dr. Warren

Thanks so much!

-Nicole

Dear Nicole: My first name is Warren.

I hope you can do your interview without knowing my income, because I don't think it's anybody's business. In fact, I think it's rude to ask someone what he earns, and teachers who assign these kinds of interviews should make sure their students know that. The only appropriate questions to ask about income are general questions such as what are the average earnings for your profession, or the range of income, and what factors influence income. I've answered similar questions before. A recent article in Medical Economics listed average annual income for pediatricians at approximately $129,600 and indicated that income has been rising but not keeping up with the increase in the cost of living.

My income rose steadily for my first 14 years in practice and then, between 1993 and 1994 dropped by 33% because of the incursion of HMOs into my area. Since then, I joined many HMOs and my income has risen but has not reached the level earned in 1993.

Sincerely,
Dr. Warren

If your questions haven't been answered here, perhaps you would like to

ask Dr. Warren a question?!?