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From http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=605542:

3rd years get sick on peds alot.

Peds or EM during the winter months pretty much maximizes your odds of getting something.

Do students on paediatrics rotations get sick a lot?

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  • Can't both be true? – Oddthinking Oct 10 '13 at 21:17
  • @Oddthinking I can remove the counter point, if you think it's better to just ask if paediatricians get sick a lot, and let any countering view show up in an answer, rather than force a choice between these two. –  Oct 10 '13 at 21:37
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    See also [Are pediatricians immune to common communicable diseases?](http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/q/5460/2703) – ChrisW Oct 10 '13 at 21:42
  • @ChrisW I saw that question, but my question is just about the more basic question: do they get sick a lot. If they *don't* get sick a lot, I guess I don't really care about the mechanism (boosted immune system, better hygiene, etc.), other than a good answer will probably mention what the mechanism is. –  Oct 10 '13 at 22:01
  • For this question to be meaningful, some definition of "a lot" must be established. The first claim doesn't say what "a lot" means, making it a, IMO, worthless claim. And the second claim, is either hyperbole, and thus not a meaningful claim, or the definition of "sick" is meant to be taken very broadly, such that it probably includes minor chronic ailments, again to the point that the claim is meaningless. – Flimzy Oct 11 '13 at 00:15
  • @Flimzy A good answer will state the assumptions it makes in interpreting the claim that has been made. I can't read minds. I don't know exactly what those people meant. But, if you want *some* guidance, at the very least "a lot" *could* be taken to mean "more than the general population". –  Oct 11 '13 at 00:19
  • @Sancho: A good question cites a meaningful claim. If minds must be read to turn a statement into a meaningful claim... it's not a meaningful claim. – Flimzy Oct 11 '13 at 00:19
  • @Flimzy I don't think the range of ambiguity in the terms here is so large that a good answer can't be written. –  Oct 11 '13 at 00:22
  • @Sancho: I've expressed my concerns with your question, and offered what I believe to be simple, practical steps to improve your question. Your response is argumentative. I don't have any vested interest in this question. If you choose to ignore my suggestions, to the detriment of your question, why should I be bothered? – Flimzy Oct 11 '13 at 00:37
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    3rd years are not paediatricians. – Kenshin Oct 11 '13 at 01:01
  • @Chris That is correct. But they have paediatric rotations. The title is just shorthand. –  Oct 11 '13 at 01:03
  • @Sancho, one person claiming to have been sick while working at pediatrics is not a claim that pediatricians in general get sick alot. Do you want us to determine whether the specific person in the quote got sick? – Kenshin Oct 11 '13 at 01:10
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    @Sancho, much improved. I'm still not sure if a forum post is a notable claim, but +1 anyway. – Kenshin Oct 11 '13 at 01:16

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