Pediatrics is the medical specialty that deals with children and their illnesses, from intrauterine life (with the collaboration of obstetricians) to the end of adolescence.

The specialty focuses in particular on monitoring food and nutrition, growth and development, puberty and sexuality. In addition to this, it should be noted that prevention is one of the main priorities of pediatrics, whether it is done indirectly by early screening or direct by vaccination.

Note that there are specialties:

• cardiology ;
• endocrinology;
• gastroenterology ;
• hepatology;
• nephrology ;
• neurology ;
• or even pneumonology.

Pediatrics also has its own fields of expertise. Let us quote:

• adolescent medicine;
• neonatology;
• pediatric psychiatry;
• preventive and school medicine;
• or the management of infectious pathologies.

In addition to the regular follow-up he provides, the pediatrician receives his patients for many reasons. These include:

• infectious problems such as meningitis;
• poisoning;
• the allergies ;
• respiratory insufficiency;
• trauma;
• convulsions;
• metabolic disorders;
• development issues;
• motor deficits;
• learning disabilities;
• or even inflammatory diseases.

The pediatrician is the specialist for children, he is considered as the general practitioner of children. Moreover, it is the specific nature of the population he treats that makes the pediatrician a specialist.

To reach a diagnosis and treat his patient, the pediatrician may have to perform a number of examinations. Let us quote for example:

• he questions his patient (if he can speak!) in order to better understand the origin of his illness;
• he then performs a thorough clinical examination;
• he may need to perform a blood pressure measurement, a blood or urine sample for a biological analysis, a basic hearing assessment, a cardiac ultrasound or even a CT scan.

The consultation with a pediatrician does not involve any particular risks for the patient. It is in any case the role of the doctor to clearly explain the modalities, the possible difficulties or even the dangers associated with the procedures or examinations that he will have to perform.

Pediatrician training in France

To become a pediatrician, the student must obtain a diploma of specialized studies (DES) in pediatrics:

• he must first follow 6 years at the faculty of medicine, after his baccalaureate;
• at the end of the 6th year, students take the national classifying tests to enter the boarding school. Depending on their classification, they will be able to choose their specialty and their place of practice. The pediatric internship lasts 4 years and ends with obtaining the DES in pediatrics.

Finally, to be able to practice as a pediatrician and hold the title of doctor, the student must also defend a research thesis.

Pediatrician training in Quebec

After college studies, the student must:

• follow a doctorate in medicine, lasting 1 or 4 years (with or without a preparatory year for medicine for students admitted with a college or university training deemed insufficient in basic biological sciences);
• then specialize by following a residency in pediatrics for 4 years.

Before going to the appointment with a pediatrician, it is important to take recent prescriptions, any x-rays, scans or MRIs performed.

To find a pediatrician:

• in Quebec, you can consult the website of the association of pediatricians of Quebec, which offers a directory of its members3;
• in France, via the website of the Ordre des médecins4.

When the consultation with the pediatrician is prescribed by an attending physician, it is covered by the Health Insurance (France) or the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec.