CHILD’S HEALTH CARE: WHO’S WHO — HEALTH PROFESSIONALS YOU MAY ENCOUNTER
Many health professionals are involved in the care of children. Virtually every child will periodically visit a general practitioner, who will assess and treat the common illnesses that are an inevitable part of childhood. Most children come into contact with other health professionals, although less frequently.
Listed below is a who’s who of professionals your child may need to see, together with a brief description of what each one does.
General Practitioner A doctor who looks after the whole range of illness in adults and children. All GPs will have had some training in child health as part of their undergraduate training. There is currently no requirement for any additional training in paediatrics, and many have not had any additional training in this area. Others will have had 3 months or more of additional training in paediatrics.
Paediatrician A doctor who has done a minimum of 6 years’ training in paediatrics and has passed postgraduate examinations in this field after qualifying as a doctor. General paediatricians are involved with the more general aspects of child health, on a consultant basis. This means that the child is referred for consultation by the GP or another health professional.
Many paediatricians specialise in a particular area of paediatrics:
anaesthetist – puts people to sleep for an operation
cardiologist – heart
developmental paediatrician – child development
endocrinologist – endocrine glands (e.g. thyroid)
gastroenterologist – gastrointestinal system, including the liver
haematologist – blood
immunologist – the body’s immune system
neonatologist – newborn babies
nephrologist – kidneys
neurologist – the brain and nervous system
oncologist – cancer
ophthalmologist – eyes
orthopaedic surgeon – bones and joints
otolaryngologist (ENT surgeon) – ear, nose and throat pulmonologist (respiratory paediatrician; – lungs rheumatologist – joints and limbs urologist – kidneys and urinary system.
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