How Do I Become A Pediatrician?

How did Michelle Sandberg decide to become a doctor? How did she decide to become a pediatrician?

• Answer:

  I grew up with a father who is a physician (an ophthalmologist). He was always very happy in his career and I admired him and aimed to be like him. Medicine seemed like a great combination of intellectual stimulation with the ability to help people/make a positive contribution. My brother became a doctor for similar reasons. I chose pediatrics during my clinical rotations in medical school. There were many reasons for this choice. I liked and admired the pediatricians at my medical school (Johns Hopkins medical school) and felt like I fit in with them. Each field of medicine has a specific culture and pediatrics felt like a good fit for me. As a medical student I could envision myself working with these doctors as my colleagues. In addition, I loved working with kids. I enjoyed working with children of all ages and found myself looking forward to my work days and my interactions with these kids during my pediatrics rotations. I became very interested in child development, genetics, and the pathology of childhood diseases. Finally, pediatrics seemed like a field that would allow me to balance having my own family with having a career.