Meet pediatrician Scottie Day: ‘Caring for the sickest of the sick’

Dr. Scottie Day, associate chief medical officer at Kentucky Children’s Hospital, is the featured physician in this week’s Making the Rounds. A graduate of the UK College of Medicine, Dr. Day worked in Indiana, Ohio and Hawaii before returning to Lexington in 2011. He now works at KCH in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

When did you know you wanted to be a physician?

As a child growing up in Eastern Kentucky, I always wanted to be a physician. And I held true to that. I think that I always felt like I wanted to be in some type of servant position.

Why did you choose pediatrics as your specialty?

I originally couldn’t decide on a specialty and wanted to take care of children and adults, which led me to do my residency in internal medicine and pediatrics. However, as I went through residency, I realized I wanted to take care of the sickest of sick of children.

Working in the PICU gave me a chance to take care of small babies all the way up to older teenagers and even some young adults with childhood diseases. It took my internal medicine-pediatrics resident training and allowed me to use this knowledge to take care of the most critically ill. There is nothing more rewarding.

What makes you want to come to work every day?

As a PICU physician, each morning I do what I love most: take care of the sickest children and their families with an amazing team and fulfill my calling and talents that I have been blessed with. The stresses are high, but the rewards are priceless.

How would your friends describe you? 

Easygoing, friendly, talkative. Conscientious about others’ feelings, wanting to do every single thing, never saying no.

Do you have any guilty musical pleasures?

I listen to all music. I play music myself; I’ve played since I was 5 years old. Piano, guitar, mandolin, ukulele, drums. I listen to every single type of music.

What is your favorite aspect about living in Lexington? 

It’s got the small-town community feel, but it still has some big city pleasures. I’m originally from Kentucky, and when I moved back to Lexington, I liked being in a college town. I feel like there’s a huge sense of community here.

Watch our video interview with Dr. Scottie Day, where he talks about his patient care philosophy.