Paediatrics – Paediatrician

A paediatrician is a doctor who specialises in caring for children. They are experts in managing diseases that affect children however tend to subspecialise into various facets of paediatric medicine, surgery and psychiatry.

Find a Paediatrician

Medical Conditions

Any problem that affects children.

• Medical
• Surgical
• Psychiatric
• Developmental

Specialty Areas of Interest

• Neonatology - problems of the newborn
• Infectious diseases
• Developmental paediatrics
• Paediatric surgery
• Paediatric orthopaedic surgery
• Paediatric Ophthalmology
• Paediatric ear nose and throat surgery
• Paediatric plastic surgery and burns care
• Paediatric intensive care
• Paediatric respiratoy medicine
• Paediatric cardiology
• Paediatric nephrology
• Paediatric neurology
• Paediatric gastroenterology
• Paediatric urology
• Paediatric emergency medicine
• General paediatric medicine
• Paediatric psychiatry
• Paediatric dermatology

Associated Tests

• Urinalysis
• Clean catch specimen
• Suprapubic aspiration (SPA)
• Micturating cystourethrogram
• DMSA scan
• Respiratory Function Tests
• Peak flow
• Blood tests
• Ultrasound
• CT Scans
• MRI
• Plain X-Rays

Procedures

A broad range related to the specialist area in paediatrics.

What to expect

History

This will depend on the presentation.
It will generally begin with the doctor asking about the main problem (the presenting complaint), when it began, its progress, its severity, any previous treatment and their responses and so on. Next the doctor will focus on past medical problems, medications, allergies, social and family history.

Examination

Your paediatrician will usually commence by looking generally and checking temperature, pulse, respiratory rate and general appearance. They will then move on to examine the specific area involved with the presentation.
The findings of the history and examination will guide further investigations. All these facts are then put together to arrive at a diagnosis and treatment options are discussed.

Training and Qualifications

• Basic medical training
• Internship
• Residency
• Specialty Training

Links

• Find a Paediatrician
• Royal Australasian College of Physicians - Paediatrics and Child Health
• Parenting and Child Health Website - information for parents and caregivers
• The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (UK)
• American Academy of Pediatrics* (USA)
• Wikipedia – Pediatrics*

* Pediatrics – American spelling of Paediatrics.