Some people say they could never go into pediatrics because they couldn’t stand the parents. But that’s one of the best parts of my job for me. If you’re taking care of an elderly patient, you walk into the room and it’s just the two of you. With pediatrics, oftentimes, there’s not only the mom and dad, sisters and brothers, but sometimes there’s the grandparents—it’s like an audience. And I enjoy that the patient has other people there caring about the child. Nothing is worse than feeling like you’re doing your job and it’s all in vain because you’re aware that the person is going to leave the hospital and whatever brought them there will happen again—the drinking, smoking, drug abuse. Or the person is elderly and living alone and they don’t have anyone to help them and make sure they don’t fall down the stairs. But in pediatrics, there’s usually a very caring parent. Especially in Manhattan, you have the overbearing mothers—I love them. I understand them; I have one myself.

As told to Katie Charles

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