Become a paediatrician

To become a paediatrician, you must complete a degree in human medicine followed by specialist training in paediatrics. As a specialist in paediatrics, you will then treat children and adolescents. Further training lasts around five years and usually takes place while you are working as a doctor in a clinic.

What exactly does a paediatrician do?

A paediatrician has completed specialist training in paediatrics and adolescent medicine. These doctors treat patients in the following age groups:

• Newborns
• Infants
• Infants
• Children
• Teenagers

In addition to diagnosis and treatment, preventive care and prevention also play an important role at the paediatrician.

Just as in other specialist areas, paediatrics is based on three fundamental pillars: Anamnesis, diagnosis and therapy:

Medical history

When taking the child's medical history, the doctor asks the parents and, depending on age, the patient themselves. This allows important information to be collected on symptoms, previous illnesses, previous progression and, if applicable, family health problems. This data can then help to make an accurate diagnosis and initiate the right treatment for the child in question.

Diagnostics

The exact diagnosis is made on the basis of various examinations. These may include a physical examination, blood count, X-ray or ultrasound. The aim of the diagnosis is to determine with certainty which diseases or developmental disorders are present.

Therapy

Once a particular disease or disorder has been diagnosed, treatment follows. Depending on the type, the aim may be to achieve a complete cure or to reduce the symptoms. Whether the treatment is carried out by the paediatrician him/herself or whether the young patient needs to be referred to a clinic or a doctor with the appropriate training and specialisation depends on the illness and the individual case.

Working with parents is an essential part of the work of a paediatric specialist

A specialist in paediatrics and adolescent medicine must not only be able to deal sensitively and skilfully with young patients. An essential part of the job description is working with the parents of children and adolescents.

Understandably, they often worry about their children, and not always without good reason. It is important not to lose sight of the empathic and supportive guidance of the whole family in the often stressful working day.

Parents and paediatricians don't always see eye to eye

Even though the vast majority of mothers and fathers want the best for their children, unfortunately not all of them act as the paediatrician recommends. Specialists need to have a good sense of which decisions are reserved for the child's legal guardians and where there is a tangible risk to the child's welfare.

Unfortunately, as a specialist in paediatrics and adolescent medicine, you will often encounter cases in your day-to-day work where you have to intervene due to such a risk. 

The guarantor position of paediatricians and adolescent medicine specialists

The profession of paediatrician entails a special responsibility towards the children and adolescents treated. The paediatrician is therefore obliged to act quickly and comprehensively in an emergency. In addition to treating the young patient, in some cases this also includes liaising with schools, youth welfare offices and other authorities.

However, the position of guarantor does not mean that data protection does not play a role in this job. Sensitive patient data may only be passed on by paediatricians if this is absolutely necessary for the well-being of the child or if the child's legal guardians have given their clear consent.

Accompanying the development of children

Not every job in the field of paediatrics and adolescent medicine involves working with sick children. As a paediatrician, you have the important task of monitoring the development of children by means of various check-ups. In this way, congenital and acquired diseases, developmental disorders and disabilities can be recognised at an early stage. In many cases, this is essential in order to provide the child with the help it needs for the best possible development.

Collaboration with many other disciplines

If you are a paediatrician, parents literally put the fate of their children in your hands. Not only do you have to be sympathetic to their worries and fears, but you also have to know at all times when the patients would be better off with another doctor.

This is often the case in paediatrics and adolescent medicine when complex diagnoses and illnesses are involved. Your task is to refer to the right specialist area at the right time and to recognise that, despite your extensive training, other doctors may be more suitable. 

If, for example, children and adolescents experience visual problems, you should refer them to an ophthalmologist. Serious developmental disorders should be clarified at a specialist centre and problems with the musculoskeletal system fall under the remit of an orthopaedist.

You can also specialise in diseases of children and adolescents in individual specialist areas

In almost all specialisms, there are doctors who have completed additional training for the special needs of children and adolescents. This is also very important, as there are special features in every area that differentiate younger patients from adults. A child is not a "small adult", but has completely different requirements in terms of metabolism, immune defence and chances of recovery, for example.

This also offers an interesting field of activity for paediatricians. If you are interested in another specialist area in addition to paediatrics, further training and specialisation may be a good option for you.

Even without specialisation, you need to know about the various specialist areas 

Even if you do not specialise as a paediatrician, it is important to recognise complex illnesses and dangers in good time. You can then refer the child to a specialist for a precise diagnosis and treatment, but as a paediatrician you are the first point of contact for mothers and fathers.

For this reason, you need to be able to do much more than just treat paediatric illnesses. You need to be able to recognise when problems arise that need to be addressed at an early stage. That way, you can help the children and young people entrusted to you in the best possible way.

The requirements for training to become a paediatrician

To work as a paediatrician, you first need to have studied human medicine and passed the state examination.

After studying medicine, the next step is specialist training. This usually takes 5-6 years for paediatric specialists and includes both practical training and theoretical content.

During their training, the prospective specialist doctor works in different areas in order to get to know the field of paediatricians from different perspectives and to acquire the relevant skills.

Not only technical expertise is important

In addition to sound professional training, emotional and social skills are also an important prerequisite for the activities that a paediatrician performs in the profession. There are many more aspects involved than just career opportunities and a good salary.

A paediatrician must be able to deal well with both infants and older children, even if they are often afraid and unwilling to cooperate.

Children as well as their mothers and fathers must be sensitively supported in difficult and sometimes life-changing situations, often over a long period of time.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle is admission to the degree programme

Anyone who wants to become a paediatrician after graduating from high school first faces the challenge of being admitted to study human medicine. This is because there are far fewer places available than applicants.

Acquire the requirements for further training in paediatrics abroad

If you are not accepted at a German university but still want to become a paediatrician, you fortunately have the opportunity to study human medicine in other countries for part or all of the six years. The important thing here is to choose a university where the entry requirements are better, but which still offers just as good a training for paediatricians as the universities in Germany. 

Finally, it must be ensured that your degree obtained abroad is recognised as equivalent to the German state examination and that you are licensed to practise medicine in Germany.

What is the salary as a paediatric specialist?

As a trained paediatrician, you earn quite well. Employed paediatricians in a clinic earn on average about 70,000 to 90,000 euros per year, depending on your position and professional experience. If you have your own practice with a licence from the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, your income may be significantly higher.

During your training as a paediatrician, you will usually work as a salaried doctor at a clinic. Here, trainee specialists usually earn between 55,000 and 65,000 euros annually.

Money is not the most important factor in training to become a specialist in paediatrics and adolescent medicine

When deciding on a career as a paediatrician, however, it's not just the salary that should be the deciding factor. After all, working in this speciality comes with a great deal of responsibility. When you enter the treatment room at the start of your shift, you usually don't know what to expect that day, but you still have to meet all the high demands and master the responsible tasks with confidence.

Future prospects in paediatrics and adolescent medicine

The career prospects in paediatrics also look promising for the future. Although the nature of the diseases that occur and their treatment has changed, competent specialists are needed more urgently than ever.

Whilst some childhood diseases have lost their terror or have almost disappeared thanks to effective vaccinations, there are now others that have gained in importance. Some diseases that were previously not properly researched and therefore not recognised can now be successfully treated. However, this requires a comprehensive understanding of the disease and, if necessary, referral to the right specialist.

As a medical specialist, you will accompany the development of children and adolescents, sometimes over long periods of time.

Lifelong learning plays a particularly important role for paediatricians

It is essential for paediatricians to continue their professional development throughout their career. After specialist training, further training does not end. New medical findings are constantly being made. Innovative treatment approaches and technologies are being researched that may not have been available during your training, but which you should still be familiar with as a qualified specialist.

It is therefore important not to neglect further training and to constantly develop yourself further. Specialist doctors must regularly take part in further training in order to always be up to date in practice.