Is Two Weeks Enough? Recruiting Medical Students to Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics

Abstract

The American Board of Pediatrics reports a total of 717 board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians (DBP), age 70 and younger, in the United States in 2024 with around 19 million patients with DBP conditions necessitating their services. The prevalence of neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral disorders is increasing while the number of graduating DBPs has plateaued. Some pediatric residents are unaware of the DBP subspecialty until they rotate through it. With a 1-week exposure during their 1st year, pediatric residents reported an increased interest in pursuing a DBP fellowship; suggesting the need for early exposure for recruitment.4 Early exposure to DBP for medical students and its impact on career choices has not been studied.