I have been working in pediatric primary care for nearly 5 years post-residency and truly love my work. I currently am dealing with very painful post-herpetic neuralgia and many people with this quit working. At some personal cost, I have continued my practice because I find my work day so rewarding I simply can’t imagine not being a practicing pediatrician.
On a given day I might see a newborn fresh from the nursery or NICU and its exhausted but joyful parents and then next see a college student exploring a transgender identity. I might splint a finger, manage a childhood cancer survivor, do a well-child check, treat allergies, and assess if a stomach ache is appendicitis or nerves. It never gets old — there is a constant variety. Anything and everything can walk in the door.
It is very gratifying to help children. I recall a toddler who had asthma bad enough that he could not do active play. I placed him on an asthma control regimen, and soon he was able to run and play on the playground with his siblings. It felt amazing. In residency, a colleague going into critical care was lamenting all the “ears and throats” in clinic. To me, I see strep — fixable, ear infection — fixable. Although it is not always true, there are many easily solved problems in primary care pediatrics. It makes me happy to be able to make people feel better with a few simple interventions. A series of many small victories is a great workday.
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