About Pediatricians
As a pediatrician, you take care of children (newborn to age 18-21). You see sick sick patients whether they have a fever, runny nose, broken bones, etc. But sometimes you see patients when they are well (well child checks) to make sure they are growing and developing well. If a patient is sick and beyond your ability to take care and help them then you refer them to a pediatric specialist depending on what the problem is. A pediatrician is a child's physician who provides preventive health maintenance for healthy children and medical care for children who are acutely or chronically ill. Pediatricians manage the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of their patients in every stage of development. They diagnose and treat injuries, infections, genetic defects, malignancies, and organic diseases and dysfunctions. They also reduce infant and child mortality, control infectious disease, foster healthy lifestyles, and ease the difficulties of children and adolescents with chronic conditions. They are also involved in the prevention, early detection, and management of other problems that affect children and adolescents like behavioral difficulties, development disorders, functional problems, social stresses, and depressions of anxiety disorders.