As a pediatrician for 50+ years, I cannot agree more - call it 'gut feeling', instinct or whatever. It is extremely important in a busy sick patient pediatric practice, and there are some physicians who do not have it (and cannot learn it). The ability to walk into an examining room and immediately 'sense' that there is something serious going on is what differentiates a pediatrician from an excellent pediatrician. I have worked with many pediatric residents, and some have 'it', and are good, and some do not have 'it',are average and will never learn it.......

Competing interests: None declared