Learning to TODDLE: inspiring the paediatricians of tomorrow

Abstract

With numbers of children and young people waiting for treatment rising to record-high levels in the UK, the need for paediatricians is emphasised. In order to accommodate these demands, it is essential that more medical students are encouraged to pursue paediatric careers. By providing vital career support to aspiring paediatricians at an undergraduate level, recruitment into paediatrics can be amplified. An important way in which medical students gain early exposure to paediatrics is through local paediatric organisations like university societies, who can nurture interest towards the specialty and provide links to exploring and building upon paediatric career development. By empowering student initiatives to create opportunities for students to pursue paediatrics, we can build and support the next generation of paediatricians from the ground up. This was demonstrated by the Edinburgh University Paediatrics Society’s free virtual career building series TODDLE: ‘The building blOcks to Developing your paeDiatric portfoLio and carEer’. Feedback from the TODDLE series evidently showed an appetite for paediatric career support at an undergraduate level internationally, with attendees commenting on the usefulness, novelty and accessibility of the series. TODDLE emphasised the importance of providing paediatric career advice to medical students and showed the feasibility and practicality of student-led initiatives in providing this support as well as other paediatric exposures. Through collaborative work and the sharing of resources, any organisation at a student level can offer opportunities for engagement in paediatrics on a national and international basis.