In the government sector, a person can earn about Rs. 50,000 per month at beginner’s level; Rs. 60,000 at middle-level and Rs. 1 lakh at senior level. In the private sector, the corresponding packages are Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 40,000; Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh. In private practice, a doctor’s earning depends on his reputation.

A typical day for a middle/senior level pediatrician could be as follows:

• 9am: Reach hospital/ private clinic
• 9.30am: Start seeing children in outpatients department or clinic
• 12.30pm: Lunch
• 1pm: See patients admitted to hospital or those coming to the clinic
• 4pm: Spend an hour going through latest research in medical journals
• 5pm: Do some tele-consultation
• 6pm: Take some emergency calls/go on visits
• 8pm: Leave for the day

• Fairly good pay from the start; easy to establish practice
• Satisfying job if you like children
• Greater than usual risks if the patients are very young
• Parents may panic often

Take science with biology in Class 12. After finishing school, take the written entrance test (state- or institute-specific) to enrol for MBBS at a medical college that is well-known for paediatrics. These are usually centres of excellence in other fields as well. Certain medical colleges overseas are considered good if someone were to practise abroad. Becoming a paediatric surgeon means three years of extra training after becoming a general surgeon. This amounts to six years’ study after MBBS.

• Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
• Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi
• Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi
• Christian Medical College, Vellore
• Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Chennai
• Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry