<p>Do you know that only 3.6% of the currently practicing Physician Associates/Assistants (PAs as they’re commonly called) are black? In this episode, our hosts Nia Phillips PA-C talks about a wide range of medical topics covering pediatrics and the role of pediatricians and black PA's caring for children.&nbsp;</p> <p>Exploring the journey of how Nia got into the specialty of pediatrics, this episode gradually dives deep and answers questions about the PA profession, the differences between being a pediatrician and a PA, what does the work of these professionals look like day in and day out. The conversation further continues and touches upon the topics of educating a parents or caretakers on what are the things that can and should be done to safeguard the health of their children and why this is more of a collaborative effort between the clinicians and parents/caretakers. Nia also answers some of the pressing medical questions that parents often have when trying to navigate their pediatricians office, emergency department and urgent care office when faced with a sick or injured child.</p> <p>Later in the episode, the hosts also discuss the types of disorders that children of color often face the most, what are the factors that one should consider before choosing a pediatrician office, and some of the red flags that are to be avoided while doing so.</p> <p>If you are a parent or the caretaker of a child or expecting to become one soon, you don’t want to miss listening to this episode!</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Timestamps:</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>02:58 </strong>Black history fact.</li> <li><strong>06:19 </strong>Nia's Journey and introduction.</li> <li><strong>07:35 </strong>How Nia got into pediatrics</li> <li><strong>12:01 </strong>What would encourage more black students to take up pediatrics/get a PA degree?</li> <li><strong>16:01 </strong>What are the differences/similarities between working as a pediatrician or a PA in rural versus urban settings?</li> <li><strong>21:01 </strong>What is a physician assistant(PA)?</li> <li><strong>27:40 </strong>What advice do you find yourself giving to parents often?</li> <li><strong>31:45 </strong>What necessitates going to the office vs urgent care vs ER?</li> <li><strong>38:05 </strong>Pediatric concerns that are impacting children of color or interventions that play out differently in communities of color?</li> <li><strong>46:44 </strong>Should parents or caretakers interview pediatricians? How soon is too soon?</li> <li><strong>50:28 </strong>Red flags while interviewing pediatricians.</li> <li><strong>53:36 </strong>Aspects of being a pediatrician/PA that most people don’t know about?</li> <li><strong>56:30 </strong>Lightning round getting to know the host Nia</li> </ul> <p><br></p>