After the four years spent earning their M.D., a medical student must choose their area of specialty and then obtain a spot in an appropriate residency program. As the doctors in this video explain, their pediatric center residency at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) helped make them better doctors overall. The challenges of working with such young patients helped them to develop better bedside manners while CHOP continually experimented with new treatments.
Each medical residency program offers specific benefits unique only to it.
A medical residency lasts between three and seven years. While med school teaches a broad range of knowledge, the residency focuses only on one area of medicine. A pediatrics residency offers the opportunity to help young patients battling a diverse range of diseases and those recovering from injury.
Pediatrics allows a doctor to help their patients at an age when it can make the most difference. Treating disease early or beginning a course of treatment for a chronic disorder makes a concerted difference in the child's development and well-being. Choosing the right residency program can provide the opportunity to hone the doctor's specialty. Each residency program offers multiple rotations, such as pediatric oncology and respiratory disease.
