Welcome to another installment of my tips on doing well in your 3rd year rotations! Disclaimer: I am talking from my experiences at my institution, mileage may vary where you are! Pediatrics is generally a more laid back rotation. The attendings are (usually) super nice and the environment is less stressful. However, you may find yourself stressing because, well, children are different than adults! First and foremost, have a general idea about child development. This was (and still is) the bane of my existence, but try to have a grasp of what a child should be able to do at certain ages. This will allow you to provide helpful counseling to parents–especially if you’re on outpatient! Make sure you know the nitty gritty about milestones and vaccinations for the shelf! When you’re on outpatient, make sure to check the growth curves for each patient. Pay attention to how the patient is tracking along those curves and bring this up during presentations! On inpatient pediatrics, make sure to pay attention to the ins and outs! While this is important for all patients, it is especially important in children that get dehydrated easily and need an appropriate amount of nutrition for adequate growth. Figure out what your patient is getting, how much they are getting, and when they received it. Ask about how many bowel movements your patients had. And above all, have fun! Kids can be silly, and you may find yourself having a great time. Even if you don’t see yourself working with children for the rest of your life, there may be moments that stick with you for years to come! Source
