Paediatrics

As a paediatrician you’ll deal with conditions that affect infants, children and young people. 

You could be a general paediatrician working in a hospital or be based in the community looking after children with a physical disability or with developmental, social or behavioural issues. 

You might be one of a smaller number of specialists  looking after newborn children in intensive care, or  treating children with heart conditions.

You’ll work alongside a range of colleagues within the NHS in areas such as emergency medicine, oncology and primary care. You may also provide clinical advice more widely, for example to social services, education and other agencies. 

What it takes to succeed

You’ll need the ability to create rapport with children and their carers to diagnose and treat effectively. You will have to manage emotionally charged situations with compassion and focus. Excellent communication, teamwork and the ability to lead and work within multidisciplinary teams are skills common to all paediatric roles. In surgical roles you’ll also need high levels of manual dexterity and the physical stamina to cope with the demands of the role.

Explore roles in paediatrics now

Discover the different roles within paediatrics to find the role that interests you most: 

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