Pediatric Physician Assistant: Is it the Right Career for You?

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Do you love working with kids? Are you the “fun uncle” or “fun aunt” in your family? Do you know all the lyrics to “We Don’t Talk About Bruno?”

If you answered yes to any of these questions, a career as a pediatric physician assistant (PA) may be for you! To help you decide, we’ll take a look at what pediatric PAs do, plus some ways you can get involved if you think becoming a pediatric PA is the right path for you. Let’s get started!

What does a pediatric PA do?

What is a pediatric physician assistant? A pediatric PA sees patients ranging from birth to age 18 (or 21 in some cases). Pediatric PAs diagnose conditions, order laboratory and imaging tests, and can even assist in surgery!

General pediatrics also covers many different things. Pediatric PAs see children for sick visits, well visits, sports physicals, mental health consults, injuries, and more.

Procedures

In general pediatrics especially, performing procedures is common. Things like casting, sutures, wart removals, ingrown toenail removals, circumcisions, etc. can all be done by pediatric PAs. Suturing is my personal favorite, and it does require a bit more finesse than suturing an adult patient!

Adult patients usually stay still during a medical procedure, while a child may be a little wiggle worm while you’re trying to place your sutures! There’s an art to practicing medicine for children, and in my opinion, knowing how to treat kids makes for a better clinician overall.

What settings do pediatric PAs work in?

One cool thing about pediatric PAs is they can work in a wide variety of settings: inpatient, outpatient, surgery, subspecialty, you name it! If there’s a specific specialty you think you’d enjoy, there’s most likely a pediatric version of that specialty.

Looking for a breakdown of individual physician assistant specialties? Check out these other blog posts from PAs who have been in your shoes!
🥼 Dermatology PA
🫀 Cardiology PA
🧬 Oncology PA

What kind of schedule does a pediatric physician assistant have?

The schedule of a pediatric PA depends on the setting they work in. For general pediatrics, the schedule is often Monday-Friday, from 8 or 9 a.m. to about 5 p.m.

Some pediatric practices may also have after hours clinics where they see urgent care type visits. These can be in the evenings during the week and also on the weekends.

What are the benefits of being a pediatric PA?

There are several benefits to being a pediatric PA. Here are a few that I personally enjoy:

1. Having fun is part of the job.

Sometimes the medical clinic can be a scary place for kids. They may not be feeling well, or they may know that they need to get a shot that day.

Making the pediatric clinic a fun and lighthearted environment is actually incredibly helpful for kids! When the provider and office staff are engaging with the kids, they feel more at ease and often respond better to any treatments they need during their visit.

Being a pediatric PA means you can bring your fun personality to the clinic and relate to kids on their level. The more Disney characters you know, the better! For this reason, pediatric specialties are often great environments to work in.

2. Building relationships with families is built-in.

As a pediatric PA, you can take care of a child from birth all the way into adulthood! During that time, getting to know the family of your patient is a big part of the job. When you’re treating pediatric patients, in a way you’re also responsible for the well-being of their family.

Developing these relationships is an incredibly rewarding part of the job, and families find a lot of value in working with a pediatric provider they can trust. Don’t be surprised if you receive dozens of graduation announcements, Christmas cards, or wedding invitations from your previous patients!

3. You’re involved in educating parents.

Because pediatric PAs see patients from birth to adulthood, parents often have a lot of questions about their child’s development. Educating families on developmental milestones, tips and tricks for getting the baby to sleep (this is very important!), and answering questions about how to navigate each new stage of life is a rewarding aspect of a career in pediatrics.

A lot of the things that parents have questions about are things that are not taught in PA school. They often ask about subjects like baby-led weaning, dealing with toddler tantrums, how to be successful in junior high, or education around safe driving practices for the newly-licensed teenager.

This is where collaborating with the other providers in the clinic can be very helpful. Many of the providers you’ll encounter have years of experience, and they know all the secrets for great pediatric care. If you’re the type of person who likes educating patients on a variety of topics, pediatrics is a great choice for you.

How do I become a pediatric PA?

If you think pediatrics is for you, there are a few things that can help you get started. These include:

1. Do some volunteering.

Before PA school, try to volunteer in as many kid-friendly settings as you can. This can help you understand how kids work, as well as how to talk to and interact with children. Some settings that may be looking for volunteers include your local children’s hospital, a community center near you, or even elementary schools in your area.

When I was applying to PA school, some members of the Pre-PA Club at my university and I put together a program for kids called Take 5 For A Healthy Life. We came up with five topics to discuss with kids on how to be healthy, and we contacted local elementary schools to see if we could present our program to the kids. Several schools agreed, and we got to spend a few weeks going to different elementary schools and educating kids on healthy habits that’ll last a lifetime.

2. Get experience.

Another thing that may be helpful to do before PA school is get some experience in a pediatric clinical setting. There are many members of a pediatric team. They include physicians, PAs, nurse practitioners (NPs), nurses, certified nursing assistants, medical assistants, child life specialists, pediatric physical therapy aides, and more.

Getting your foot in the door before PA school can be helpful for knowing what to expect in a pediatric setting. It can also help you with your job search after PA school!

3. Get involved.

During PA school, get involved with as many pediatric patients as you can during your clinical rotations. For example, if you’re rotating in the emergency room, offer to see the baby that just came in with a fever.

During your surgery rotation, ask if there are any opportunities to shadow pediatric surgeons. And during your pediatrics rotation, get involved as much as you can! Offer to assist in a casting procedure. Observe a wart removal. Try to get to know the other providers in the office. Let them know how passionate you are about pediatrics.

Treat every rotation as a potential job opportunity. Networking in this way landed me my first job in pediatrics. It can work for you too!

Final Thoughts

Pediatrics is a fun and rewarding field of medicine, and we need more passionate providers to help the kids in our communities live the healthiest lives possible. If being a pediatric physician assistant sounds like something you’re interested in, don’t hesitate to learn more!

Be sure to check out our “Physician Assistant Specialties: How to Decide Which is Right for You“ blog post to help you make your final decision. Good luck on your PA journey! 🩺

By Maddison Heyn, PA-C, DipACLM

Maddison Heyn, PA-C, DipACLM is a board certified physician assistant working in lifestyle medicine at Intermountain Health in Provo, UT. She enjoys helping her patients develop new healthy habits and make small changes that last a lifetime.