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Paediatrician

Healthcare

Diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries in children. May refer patients to specialists for further diagnosis or treatment, as needed.

ScienceAllied Health

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Prescribe or administer treatment, therapy, medication, vaccination, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury in infants and children.
  2. 2Examine children regularly to assess their growth and development.
  3. 3Treat children who have minor illnesses, acute and chronic health problems, and growth and development concerns.
  4. 4Examine patients or order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests to obtain information on medical condition and determine diagnosis.
  5. 5Advise patients, parents or guardians, and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, and disease prevention.
  6. 6Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients and parents or guardians.
  7. 7Collect, record, and maintain patient information, such as medical history, reports, or examination results.
  8. 8Monitor patients' conditions and progress and reevaluate treatments as necessary.
  9. 9Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, students, assistants, specialists, therapists, and other medical staff.
  10. 10Plan and execute medical care programs to aid in the mental and physical growth and development of children and adolescents.
  11. 11Refer patient to medical specialist or other practitioner when necessary.
  12. 12Teach residents or medical students about pediatric topics.
  13. 13Provide consulting services to other physicians.
  14. 14Operate on patients to remove, repair, or improve functioning of diseased or injured body parts and systems.
  15. 15Plan, implement, or administer health programs or standards in hospitals, businesses, or communities for prevention or treatment of injury or illness.
  16. 16Conduct research to study anatomy and develop or test medications, treatments, or procedures to prevent or control disease or injury.
  17. 17Prepare government or organizational reports of birth, death, and disease statistics, workforce evaluations, or medical status of individuals.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • MD
  • Doctor
  • Physician
  • Pediatrist
  • Baby Doctor
  • DO Physician
  • Pediatrician
  • Neonatologist
  • ER Pediatrician
  • Neonatal Doctor

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationPost-doctoral training

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BiologyDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
ChemistryDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Sports ScienceDraws directly on Therapy and Counseling — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Medicine and Dentistry100%

    BiologyChemistry

  • Therapy and Counseling90%

    BiologySports Science

  • Biology88%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • Psychology87%
  • Customer and Personal Service85%
  • English Language75%

    English

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentRarely
  • Time spent sittingA little

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

23%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

On Malaysia's official shortage list

TalentCorp and ILMIA's Critical Occupations List — evidence of a real hiring shortage in Malaysia right now.

Specialist Medical Practitioners · Shortage indicators met: INSUFFICIENT DATA

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Pediatricians, General

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue