PEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGY

What does a Pediatric Gastroenterologist do?
What are the career opportunities?
What Board, if any, certifies a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?
What is the lifestyle of a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?
What is the compensation of a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?
How do I become a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?
Where do I find out about available programs?
When do I apply?
Why should I choose to become a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?

What does a Pediatric Gastroenterologist do?
A Pediatric Gastroenterologist has the knowledge and technical skills to diagnose and manage digestive, nutritional, and liver disorders in infants, children, and adolescents. Patients may have a wide range of conditions including chronic diarrhea and malabsorption syndromes, feeding problems and swallowing disorders, functional gastrointestinal disorders, gastroesophageal reflux disease, peptic disease, motility disorders, acute and chronic inflammatory bowel disease, acute and chronic hepatitis, and inherited metabolic and immunological defects. In addition, some patients may have liver failure requiring artificial liver support or liver transplant, while others have short bowel syndrome and intestinal failure requiring intravenous or tube feedings and, in severe cases, small intestinal transplant.

Pediatric Gastroenterologists have the capability to diagnose and treat many of these disorders complementing laboratory tests with many different types of endoscopic procedures. Pediatric Gastroenterologists often work collaboratively with primary care providers to provide ongoing specialty care for their patients with chronic gastrointestinal, liver, and/or nutrition-related conditions.

What are the career opportunities?
Most Pediatric Gastroenterologists practice in an academic medical center or are hospital based where they primarily provide outpatient care. Some also provide inpatient and consultation services. Nonetheless, the number of Pediatric Gastroenterologists entering private practice has increased. In academic centers, the Pediatric Gastroenterologist has opportunities to provide clinical care, conduct clinical, translational or basic research (generally with protected time from clinical work) and/or participate in the education of fellows in pediatric gastroenterology, pediatric residents, medical students and general pediatricians. Specialists in liver disease often focus their academic practices and research on pediatric liver disease, including acute and chronic hepatitis, metabolic liver disease, liver failure and liver transplantation.

What Board, if any, certifies a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?
Pediatric Gastroenterologists must first be certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in General Pediatrics and then subsequently by the Sub-board of Pediatric Gastroenterology. Qualified physicians who have an additional year of training and who are certified in Pediatric Gastroenterology may also become certified in specialty care in Pediatric Hepatology and Transplantation, receiving a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in Pediatric Transplant Hepatology.

What is the lifestyle of a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?
Pediatric Gastroenterologists involved in clinical care have a variety of demands on their time. Schedules include time allocated to clinics (typically 5-8 half-day sessions per week) and procedures (1-2 days per week), in addition to responsibilities common with the other subspecialties (e.g. paperwork and phone calls). Night call is primarily phone call coverage, although occasional emergency situations (e.g., foreign body ingestion, GI bleeding, liver failure) may require urgent consultations. In academic centers, shared call schedules and time for research, teaching and administrative roles reduce the clinical obligations proportional to the specific job expectations.

What is the compensation of a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?
Compensation for Pediatric Gastroenterologists is generally in the upper quartile for pediatric subspecialties and increases with experience. Driving forces affecting compensation include procedural skills and expertise in inflammatory bowel disease and/or liver disease. Those in private-practice may earn substantially more compared with academic Pediatric Gastroenterologists. For more information, click here or here.

How do I become a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?
Trainees enter fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology after completing a three-year pediatric residency program. However, those that choose the Accelerated Research Pathway may enter subspecialty training after 2 years of General Pediatrics residency. Programs that aim to train academic Pediatric Gastroenterologists often require trainees to complete one intensive year of clinical training and 2-3 years of additional research training while other programs may place a greater emphasis on clinical training.

Where do I find out about available programs?
Information about Pediatric Gastroenterology fellowship programs is available through Frieda, the ACGME and ERAS Fellowships. The later has links to websites of participating programs.

When do I apply?
Applications for programs participating in the NRMP match are generally accepted between January and April in the year prior to the start of fellowship. Interviews are conducted throughout this period. Most Pediatric Gastroenterology programs participate in the NRMP Pediatric Subspecialties Spring Match and most also utilize ERAS for their application. Programs not participating in the match process typically interview during the same time period. For match statistics, click here.

Why should I choose to become a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?
Pediatricians enter Pediatric Gastroenterology for a variety of reasons - some enjoy academic pursuits related to the field, while others enjoy focusing on clinical care. These physicians are excited about oromotor, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, and pancreatic physiology. Individuals are often procedure-oriented and are interested in utilizing advanced diagnostic methods. If you find these attributes appealing, then Pediatric Gastroenterology may be the field for you!

For more information about Pediatric Gastroenterology, visit these websites:

Freida
ACGME
ERAS Fellowships
North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN)
Children's Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation
American Academy of Pediatrics, Section on Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

Subspecialty Journals:
Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (JPGN)
Gastroenterology
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN)
Hepatology