The first time you have to deliver bad news to a parent. The tenth screaming baby you've seen today. The thousandth time you've stayed just a bit later than your shift, helping one more sick child. Every one of these kids has a story, and so does each doctor who treats them.

Unusual diagnoses. Heartbreaking losses. Triumphant healing. From med student to intern to practicing specialist, The Real Life of a Pediatrician traces the careers of these family practitioners. When children are the patients, so much can be at stake, and emotions often run high. How do you tell a mother that her child has a terminal illness? What do you do when your patient is too young to tell you what's wrong with him? This anthology features first-person narratives from the students and doctors who have devoted their careers to this path, and offers an unblinking look at daily life in the field.

Other books in the Kaplan Voices: Doctors series will focus on internal medicine, psychiatry, anesthesiology, oncology, geriatrics, and surgery, the most prominent specialties today.