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CC
Student
Hampton, Virginia
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As a high school student who loves working with children but struggles with science, what pediatric careers would you recommend How much science do you actually use in your daily work, and what type of science is most important for your job? What does a typical day look like in your job when working with children and families? What challenges come with working with children, and how do you handle them?
I am in the 12th Grade and Just want to know how the fields I am interested in are. Any ways I can prepare and if there are any internships.
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Michelle M.
Actress
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Michelle’s Answer
Hello again, CC !
Basically, Nursing and being a doctor is all about science and you would need extensive courses and Lab work in a pre-med path before Medical School. The courses would be in biology, chemistry, anatomy, physics, physiology and more. For nursing, you would get these in nursing school. Knowing all these subjects helps you understand how the human body works so that you can work with ill or injured patients. You'd also need to study medications, what they are used for, understand how they work, and extra effects they have. So life sciences are most important and in the forefront for these careers.
So it's not that you'd be doing "subjects" as a nurse or doctor, it's the knowledge you'd have to know how human body systems work. All of the life sciences are needed and important to know if you become a nurse or a doctor.
I was once a social services case manager and often around hospitals and doctor offices with clients and I also have had friends and collages that are nurses. This is why I can advise that there is no "typical" day for doctors or nurses. The work varies and can be expected or unexpected and you'll have different patients requiring all different needs. Medical or Nursing school will teach you how to work with a variety type of people and also have cultural understanding for your patients.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by how do you "handle" the patients, but that is not the exact approach. As a medical professional with prior experience, you will be focused on the physical aspect of the encounter as well as have established a bedside manner. In any event, if there is an emergency, providers have protocol and guidelines in place at their facilities. It may not be the best approach to think of all the bad things that can happen. You would be having your own experiences and no one can tell you beforehand what you would experience. You'd just have to have a passion for medical to be a doctor or nurse without foretelling negative scenarios. There are ups and downs in every career.
Since you are already in 12th grade, you could have taken four years of sciences such as Biology, Anatomy and Chemistry to prepare you for your Bachelors Degree in one of the life sciences before Medical School or as a base for Nursing School. As mentioned in my other advice for you, you would not be doing doctor or nursing work until you are in a nursing program or at medical school. You could see if you'd like to do some volunteer work at your local Department of Health and read up on various illnesses. You could also go for your certifications in CPR and First Aid. Ask your Guidance Counselor at school where to go for those certifications.
Take each step at a time. Volunteer work at a health related venue would be good, but remember that you would not be able to work with patients until Nursing School or Medical School. Some other places to look for volunteer work to learn more about health issues are HOPES Free Clinic (Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University), Southeastern Virginia Health System Health Centers, community and health related programs, including historical and educational events for volunteer opportunities at Southern Branch: Hampton, Virginia U.S. National Park Service.
The non-medical fields of work working with children are not referred to as pediatric, but there are other non-medical careers you can consider if you think the emersion in the sciences is something you would not want. You can consider going into Recreation and Youth Development roles. You can look into becoming a recreation director who plans sports leagues, summer camps, and community activities to promote physical fitness and social skills, Camp Counselor, Sports Coach, Children's Librarian, Photographer, Dance Teacher, Administrative and support roles in childcare settings. Psychology and Speech Therapy roles entail heavy sciences in college, too.
By exploring more, you will eventually discover the best niche for your future career. Give yourself time and I hope you choose a career that you will love as well as enjoy the academic path for!
Basically, Nursing and being a doctor is all about science and you would need extensive courses and Lab work in a pre-med path before Medical School. The courses would be in biology, chemistry, anatomy, physics, physiology and more. For nursing, you would get these in nursing school. Knowing all these subjects helps you understand how the human body works so that you can work with ill or injured patients. You'd also need to study medications, what they are used for, understand how they work, and extra effects they have. So life sciences are most important and in the forefront for these careers.
So it's not that you'd be doing "subjects" as a nurse or doctor, it's the knowledge you'd have to know how human body systems work. All of the life sciences are needed and important to know if you become a nurse or a doctor.
I was once a social services case manager and often around hospitals and doctor offices with clients and I also have had friends and collages that are nurses. This is why I can advise that there is no "typical" day for doctors or nurses. The work varies and can be expected or unexpected and you'll have different patients requiring all different needs. Medical or Nursing school will teach you how to work with a variety type of people and also have cultural understanding for your patients.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by how do you "handle" the patients, but that is not the exact approach. As a medical professional with prior experience, you will be focused on the physical aspect of the encounter as well as have established a bedside manner. In any event, if there is an emergency, providers have protocol and guidelines in place at their facilities. It may not be the best approach to think of all the bad things that can happen. You would be having your own experiences and no one can tell you beforehand what you would experience. You'd just have to have a passion for medical to be a doctor or nurse without foretelling negative scenarios. There are ups and downs in every career.
Since you are already in 12th grade, you could have taken four years of sciences such as Biology, Anatomy and Chemistry to prepare you for your Bachelors Degree in one of the life sciences before Medical School or as a base for Nursing School. As mentioned in my other advice for you, you would not be doing doctor or nursing work until you are in a nursing program or at medical school. You could see if you'd like to do some volunteer work at your local Department of Health and read up on various illnesses. You could also go for your certifications in CPR and First Aid. Ask your Guidance Counselor at school where to go for those certifications.
Take each step at a time. Volunteer work at a health related venue would be good, but remember that you would not be able to work with patients until Nursing School or Medical School. Some other places to look for volunteer work to learn more about health issues are HOPES Free Clinic (Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University), Southeastern Virginia Health System Health Centers, community and health related programs, including historical and educational events for volunteer opportunities at Southern Branch: Hampton, Virginia U.S. National Park Service.
The non-medical fields of work working with children are not referred to as pediatric, but there are other non-medical careers you can consider if you think the emersion in the sciences is something you would not want. You can consider going into Recreation and Youth Development roles. You can look into becoming a recreation director who plans sports leagues, summer camps, and community activities to promote physical fitness and social skills, Camp Counselor, Sports Coach, Children's Librarian, Photographer, Dance Teacher, Administrative and support roles in childcare settings. Psychology and Speech Therapy roles entail heavy sciences in college, too.
By exploring more, you will eventually discover the best niche for your future career. Give yourself time and I hope you choose a career that you will love as well as enjoy the academic path for!