Page 3 - Medical Career Connections January 2015

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE • SUNDAY, JANUARY 25, 2015
MEDICAL CAREER CONNECTIONS 3K
GENERAL PEDIATRICIANS
General pediatricians provide care for infants, children, teenagers and young adults. They specialize in diagnosing and treating problems specific to younger people. Most pediatri- cians treat common illnesses, minor injuries and infectious diseases, and administer vaccinations. Some pediatricians specialize in pediatric surgery or serious medical conditions that commonly affect younger patients, such as autoimmune disorders and chronic ailments.
EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
As physicians, general pediatricians complete at least four years of undergraduate school, four years of medical school and three to eight years in internship and residency programs. Medical schools are highly competitive. Most applicants must submit transcripts, scores from the Medi- cal College Admission Test and letters of recommendation. Schools also consider an applicant’s personality, leadership qualities and participation in extracurricular activities. Most schools require applicants to interview with members of the admissions committee. A few medical schools offer combined undergraduate and medical school programs that last six or seven years.
AVERAGE SALARY: $162,140
CAREER
PROFILE
Shannon Barringer
Genetic counselor
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock
Q: What made you decide to become a genetic counselor?
A: While in college, I volunteered with families who had children with Down syndrome, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and sickle cell disease. I witnessed the families’ struggles as they learned to manage these diagnoses and find emotional support from health care providers. Then I took my first college course in genetics and fell in love with the science that causes some of these conditions. This career allows me to fulfill my scientific and medical interests, but more importantly, to help educate and support families.
Q: How long have you been in your career?
A: I have been a genetic counselor for 18 years, all at UAMS. It was the first job I took out of graduate school, and UAMS has afforded me the opportunity to help expand genetic services to the entire state of Arkansas.
Q: What is the hardest part of your job?
A: Giving difficult news to families is the hardest part of being a genetic counselor. We give prenatal diagnoses of serious medical
conditions, inform families of abnormal-cancer genetic-test results and help diagnose children with lifelong, rare conditions. Seeing families suffer through the grief, confusion and even anger that comes with hearing such news can be heartbreaking. I take this job home at night sometimes; I cry for my patients. From this, however, comes the most rewarding part of my career — being a strong source of comfort and assistance to these families.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who wants to enter your career field?
A: You need to be interested in science, psychology and education. This is a career meant for people with energy to keep up with the ever-changing field of human genetics, but also for people grounded enough to realize medical science has a human face, and patients need compassion just as much as knowledge. Spend time in genetics clinics, volunteer with people in crises, and study, study, study.
Q: Who in your career field inspires you?
A: My families and patients inspire me the most. I learn much from them about adapting, and strength. I also have been fortunate to work with some of the best physicians in Arkansas.
Q: What is a typical work schedule for a genetic counselor?
A: Most genetic counselors work in a university medical center setting. We spend a lot of time seeing patients in clinics and taking care of their needs, but do have separate time for teaching and research. Many genetic counseling positions offer some flexibility in their work schedules.