To peds or not to peds?... that is the question.

I love kids. Naturally, the thought of specializing in pediatric EMS/trauma has crossed my mind many, many times.

I wonder if I could deal with it, though. Could I really wake up every morning for work, knowing that the day will bring abused and neglected children, dead babies, and innocent kids in horrific pain? How could I ever tell anxious, desperate parents that their child is just not going to make it? How could I look into the empty eyes of a child whose short life has already been shattered by a traumatic brain injury?

I don't know. It sure as hell wouldn't be easy. But all of the reasons that make me unsure if I could handle the emotional gore also make me want to dive in and try to make a little difference.