The Atlantic

The Pediatrician’s Most Awkward Task

Can doctors teach people how to parent?
Source: bookzv / Shutterstock

When Carrie Quinn was training to be a pediatrician, she dutifully memorized the list of symptoms for meningitis. She learned the right antibiotics for pneumonia. But when she got into the clinic, she found herself unprepared for what really concerned parents.

“What I was actually facedMore often, it was parents anxious over what to do about their kids’ behavior issues or language delays.

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