By: Krishna Grandhe
In the current world of medicine, there are lots of different careers, from doctors to nurses to hospital receptionists. As our knowledge of medicine grows, the specialization of these careers have also expanded, each focusing on a certain aspect of medicine and mastering it to the best of their ability. One of these specializations are pediatric neurologists. “pediatric” means medicine pertaining to children, and “neuro” means brain. Given these two definitions, it’s simple to understand that this term refers to doctors who specialize in the brain and nervous system of adolescents.
But what does that mean? What exactly do they do in a hospital setting? Pediatric neurologists diagnose issues such as seizures, headaches, Tourette’s Syndrome, autism, and more. Given that the brain is home to mental disabilities, they are key members for diagnosis and treatment. They create their diagnosis using cognitive and reaction tests as well as tests involving machinery, such as an EEG or an MRI. These help to map out the brain and how the nervous system as a whole functions in a certain individual, pinpointing the cause of what the issue may be. Some of these pediatric neurologists are also surgeons and often they will have to perform surgery on their patients and treat them post-op.
Being a pediatric neurologist is a very specialized career, and the more specialized a career is, the less prevalent they are. There are approximately 2,000 of these specialists in the United States, whether it be in their own private practice or for a larger corporation. They tend to make a lot of money, averaging about $250,000 per year. While this may seem like a lot of money, it’s well deserved since following this career path is a huge investment of time and money. However in the end, it is worth it. Along with the salary, these specialists are able to help children when they are in need. Their years of learning and expertise can make countless lives of children easier, and even saving some!
A Day in the Life of a Pediatric Neurologist and a Patient
Dr. Peter Bingham is a longtime pediatric neurologist. He works at the Pediatric Neurology Clinic at The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital. Today, he’s meeting Tom, a young boy that seems to be having some mental issues, specifically motor tics (uncontrollable, repetitive movements). Tom seems nervous, and not willing to be there. However, interestingly enough, it seems that the tics have stopped. After a quick examination, Dr. Bingham concludes that there’s nothing wrong with his motor movements. Instead, it’s a standard case of ADHD. Dr. Bingham realizes that the tics were done on purpose by Tom, due to a previously given medicine and the fact that he was in a special class. The special class had made Tom feel unhappy. Dr. Bingham notices something else - Tom wants to own up to his issues and deal with them himself. He respects that. With this, he knows that no medication is required, and all that is really needed is some happiness.
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