Pediatricians in practice have spent, on average, four years in medical school and have successfully completed three years in pediatric residency (plus another two-to-three years if they trained in a subspecialty).
These pediatricians have qualified for a medical license in each state in which they practice. And the majority have taken and passed an intense, seven-hour, 335-question exam to become certified by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP).
This wealth of skills and knowledge provides a strong foundation on which to start a successful and rewarding career.
The journey of continuous learning for pediatricians begins during residency, when they are gaining the competencies to provide medical care for children without direct supervision. During these years of training, they are guided by pediatric program directors who, along with other pediatric faculty members, monitor their progress and help them identify and fill gaps in their knowledge and skills.
When a young child comes into the primary care center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, the medical team reviews vaccination records, checks weight, and screens for dental, vision, and hearing health. As part of the hospital’s Thrive at Five project, the team also checks the child’s speech, literacy, and mental, emotional, and behavioral health. If a child is lagging in any of these areas, the medical team helps the parent or guardian find appropriate resources to prepare the child to succeed in kindergarten.
“This project demonstrates not just that we can develop great QI collaboratives with community-wide stakeholders, but also that we can align the work with the ABP requirements for practitioners to get MOC credit,”
- Dr. Mark Weissman, Chief, Division of General Pediatrics and Community Health
FELLOW EARNS MOC CREDIT FOR CREATING MEDICAL RESPONSE TO VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC MINOR SEX TRAFFICKING
Approximately one month into her child abuse pediatrics fellowship at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Dana Kaplan, MD, had a 16-year-old patient in the clinic who had been exchanging sex for money.
“I went to go speak with her, and I didn’t know what to say,” says Dr. Kaplan, who is now Director of Child Abuse and Neglect for the Department of Pediatrics at Staten Island University Hospital. “I didn’t know what was relevant to ask. I didn’t know what was pertinent to provide her medically.”
As a pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physician, Manish Shah knows that a seizure or a severe allergic reaction can be deadly for children if they are not treated quickly and appropriately. With a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration’s Emergency Medical Services for Children program, he led the creation of guidelines for treating children during ambulance transport.
That was just the first step, though. He had to find a way to help paramedics understand and implement those new guidelines.
Pediatricians are often the first professionals parents turn to when their child needs behavioral or mental health services — because of their trusting doctor-patient relationship or to avoid the perceived stigma of going to a mental health professional. So when Alexis King’s* middle child needed mental health services, she looked for help where Simon* was already receiving care.
“It will take years for medical education systems to improve the preparation of pediatricians to prevent and manage behavioral and mental health problems,” Dr. Tayloe says. “But pediatricians do not need to wait until they are formally educated to begin addressing the epidemic now.”
The ABP extended a fond farewell in 2017 to Gail A. McGuinness, MD, and offers a warm welcome in 2018 to Suzanne K. Woods, MD.
Gail A. McGuinness, MD
Dr. McGuinness joined the ABP in 2002 as Senior Vice President of Examination Administration and Credentialing, responsible for exam administration, credentialing, oversight of the subboards, and new subspecialties. Also named Executive Vice President in 2006, she provided redundancy for internal operations activities for the President and CEO. In this role, she served as a voting member on the ABP Board of Directors and the ABP Foundation Board of Directors.
The journey of continuous learning for pediatricians begins during residency, when they are gaining the competencies to provide medical care for children without direct supervision. During these years of training, they are guided by pediatric program directors who, along with other pediatric faculty members, monitor their progress and help them identify and fill gaps in their knowledge and skills.
