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Paediatrician

Paediatricians diagnose and treat health conditions that affect babies, children and young people.

Annual Salary

£44,000 to £81,000

Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

41 to 48 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on a rota

3.8%
Future employment

There will be 3.8% more Paediatrician jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

In this role you could:

  • assess children who are ill, injured or have disabilities
  • refer patients to specialist consultants for tests
  • prescribe medication, surgery or therapies
  • explain diagnosis and treatments to parents and children
  • write patient notes, monitor progress and produce medical reports
  • supervise and train junior medical staff

Working environment

You may need to wear a uniform.

You could work in an NHS or private hospital, at a health centre or in the community.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.

You can get into this job through a university course or an apprenticeship.

University

To become a paediatrician you'll need to complete:

a degree in medicine recognised by the General Medical Council

a 2-year foundation programme of general training

specialist training which takes a minimum of 8 years

A medical degree normally takes 5 years to complete. Some courses have the option to include an extra year if you want to study a subject further. This is called an intercalated year.

You might be able to study a foundation year before starting a medical degree. This will depend on your circumstances or if you have not studied enough sciences. Check with the admissions department where you want to study.

If you already have a degree, you could take a 4-year graduate entry route into medicine. There’s lots of competition and entry requirements vary, so check with the admissions department where you want to study.

Entry tests

When you apply for a course in medicine, you could be asked to take the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT), BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) or Graduate Medical Schools Admissions Test (GAMSAT).

They test the skills you'll need on the course, like critical thinking, problem solving, data analysis, communication and scientific knowledge.

Work experience

Medical schools will also expect you to have some relevant paid or voluntary work experience. The British Medical Association provides information on how to find a placement.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • at least 5 GCSEs grades 9 to 7 (A* or A), including English maths and sciences
  • 3 A levels, or equivalent, including biology and chemistry
For more information
Apprenticeship

From September 2024, you might be able to do a doctor degree apprenticeship which will take around 5 years to complete.

The apprenticeship is recognised by the General Medical Council.

You could then progress to the foundation course of general training before completing the specialist training.

For more information
Volunteering and work experience

You can gain valuable caring skills from volunteering in education, health, charity or social care settings. You could:

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

More information

Career tips

The General Medical Council has a guide on what it means to be a good doctor. You might find this useful when preparing for medical school interviews.

You can use online resources to find out more about the types of interviews you can expect to get into for medical school.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the British Medical Association for professional development and training opportunities.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in paediatrics from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and Health Careers.

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With experience you could:become a senior consultant, once you're on the General Medical Council Specialist Register; lead a team or manage a department; become medical director for an NHS trust; move into teaching students, trainee doctors and other healthcare professionals

As a specialist or senior consultant you can expect to earn a much higher salary.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • knowledge of medicine and dentistry
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
  • thinking and reasoning skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • knowledge of psychology
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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