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Specialty Doctor (Specialist)

Mr. Creer — Sun, 23 Aug 2020 20:44:06 +0000

Specialty Doctor (Specialist)

A specialty doctor (aka a specialist) is one with training and level of expertise in a specific field of medicine. Unlike Primary Care Doctors, who are more generalist, specialists are better equipped to treat patients with more complex ailments. Often times, your generalist doctor will refer you to a specialist to ensure you get the necessary treatment and/or evaluation for your condition(s).

Some common specialty doctors are:

Allergists/Immunologists
Anesthesiologists
Cardiologists
Dermatologists
Infectious Disease Doctors
Ophthalmologists
Obstetrician/gynecologists (OB/GYNs)
Gastroenterologists
Urologists
Pulmonologists
Otolaryngologists
Neurologists
Psychiatrists
Oncologists
Radiologists
General Surgeons
Orthopedic Surgeons
Cardiac Surgeons ¹ ²

What does a Specialty Doctor Do?

A specialists responsibilities will obviously vary a lot based on their specialization. Below are brief explanations of some common specializations and the types of ailments/tasks they are responsible for treating/carrying out.

Allergists/Immunologists

They treat immune system disorders such as asthma, eczema, food allergies, insect sting allergies, and some autoimmune diseases. ³

Anesthesiologists

These doctors give you drugs to numb your pain or to put you under during surgery, childbirth, or other procedures. They also monitor your vital signs while you’re under anesthesia. ⁴

Cardiologists

They’re experts on the heart and blood vessels. You might see them for heart failure, a heart attack, high blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, or any other heart/blood related issues. ⁵

Dermatologists

Dermatologists focus on diseases and conditions of the skin, nails, and hair. They treat conditions such as eczema, skin cancer, acne, and psoriasis. Additionally, they sometimes perform in-office procedures, including mole or spot removal. ⁶

Infectious Disease Doctors

These doctors focus on contagious disease. Some examples include:

cellulitis
influenza
bacterial infections
infections after surgery or hospital care
tuberculosis
pneumonia
parasite infections
HIV

Ophthalmologists

These doctors specialize in eye and vision related care. They carry out evaluations/check-ups, treat conditions/ailments and are responsible for eye/vision-related surgical procedures. You usually will see one to get an eye-glass prescription.

Obstetrician/gynecologists (OB/GYNs)

Provide preventive care and disease management for female health conditions. Common examples include:

female reproductive health
cancer prevention and diagnosis in the female reproductive organs
breast care
pregnancy
labor and delivery
infertility
menopause

Many women will see an OB/GYN regularly throughout pregnancy and for labor and delivery. They may also visit them for regulaar checkups and tests.⁷

Gastroenterologists

Gastroenterologists focus on the digestive system. This includes the esophagus, pancreas, stomach, liver, small intestine, colon, and gallbladder. Additionally, these doctors perform procedures such as endoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy.⁸

Urologists

These doctors treat conditions of the urinary tract in both males and females. They also focus on male reproductive health. However, some urologists focus on a specific area within urology, such as female urology or male infertility.⁹

Pulmonologists

Pulmonologists focus on the organs involved with breathing. These include the lungs and heart.

Pulmonologists may work in hospitals to provide ventilation or life support. They also see people in the office to treat breathing disorders, lung conditions, and allergies. ¹⁰

Otolaryngologists

Otolaryngologists aka “ear, nose, and throat” (ENT) doctors treat problems with the sinuses, throat, tonsils, ears, mouth, head, and neck. However, some ENT doctors go through additional training to focus on one specific area, such as pediatrics or rhinology, which refers to the nose and sinuses. ¹¹

Neurologists

Treat conditions related to the nerves, spine, and brain. Some examples of conditions they treat are:

Epilepsy
Alzheimer’s disease
Parkinson’s disease
Multiple sclerosis
Neuropathy
Stroke
Migraine¹²

Psychiatrists

A psychiatrist is a doctor who focuses on mental health conditions. They may use counseling, medication, or hospitalization as part of their treatment. However, some psychiatrists specialize in a specific area, such as adolescent mental health or addiction medicine. ¹³

Oncologists

Oncologists treat cancer and its symptoms. During treatment for cancer, a person may have several types of healthcare professional in their care team.

According to the American Cancer Society, some cancer care professionals have specific training in:

certain types of cancer
specific cancer treatments
certain areas of the body
cancer-related health problems
care coordination ¹⁴

Radiologists

Specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions using medical imaging tests. They may read and interpret scans such as X-rays, MRIs, mammograms, ultrasound, and CT scans.

They may be one of three types:

Diagnostic radiologists – use imaging procedures to look for health problems. They can also interpret images on tests and provide information to a person’s doctor about the results
Interventional radiologists – use imaging, including X-rays and MRI scans, paired with medical procedures. They may help treat conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer
Radiation oncologists – prescribe cancer treatment using radiation therapy ¹⁵

General Surgeons

Perform surgical procedures on many organs and bodily systems. They may have have experience working with the following body parts/systems:

abdomen
breast
endocrine system
gastrointestinal system
skin

A general surgeon also cares for a person both before and after the surgery. ¹⁶

Orthopedic Surgeons

Specializes in diseases and conditions of the bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints. Some examples of ailments they treat are:

arthritis
sports injuries
bone tumors
back pain
broken bones
osteoporosis
repetitive strain injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or tennis elbow¹⁷

Cardiac Surgeons

A type of specialist surgeon that performs heart surgeries and often works with a cardiologist to determine what a patient needs. Cardiac surgeons perform procedures including heart bypass surgery and placing stents in the heart.¹⁸

What types of skills are necessary to be a successful Specialist Doctor?

Personable/Communication Skills – to work well with patients and other doctors
Attention to details – to provide precise and good services to your patients
Good reasoning, analytical thinking, and decision-making ability – to diagnose patient ailments appropriately
Medical School Graduate
Extensive expertise for the given speciality
Ability to work well under stress
Have a Medical license to practice in the local region you work
Must have completed an approved residency in the specialty

What are some challenges of being a Specialty Doctor?

Need to get a Medical School Degree and then complete your residency which takes a long time (4 years of college + 4 years of medical school + 3-7 years of residency + sometimes even more work for your speciality)
Medical School can be expensive
Hours can be long and unpredictable (depending on the type of doctor you are)
Can be stressful trying to help a patient if problems are not solved simply
A lot of pressure to perform well and help your patient(s)

What are some benefits of being a Speciality Doctor?

Strong pay/compensation
Personally satisfying to help your patients
Lots of learning
Stable Job/Job Security
Often get to work with other doctors and nurses
Usually can work/live wherever you want

Typical Salary?

While the average salary varies a lot based on location, experience, and type of patients you see/your specialization, according to ZipRecruiter, the average salary is between $173k and $236k.

Should I become a Specialty Doctor?

If you are interested in medicine, being a doctor, and/or a specific type of practice, you should consider a career as a Specialty Doctor. Specialists usually have to solve more complex, and specific problems for their patients, and their work can have life-changing and sometimes live-saving impacts. If you want to be a doctor and/or study medicine but know you are mostly interested in a specific type of medicine, it usually makes sense to focus on one specialization. Additionally, some specializations are paid more and/or have different work-life balances.

Relevant Forum Discussions

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Related Careers

Primary Care Physician (PCP)

Medical Scribe

Clinical Researcher

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Primary Care Physician (PCP)

Mr. Creer — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 05:06:59 +0000

Primary Care Physician (PCP)

The primary care physician (PCP) is the doctor that a patient goes to for a health check-up. They focus on general wellness and prevention of illnesses.

A primary care physician is usually one of the following specializations:

(General) Internal Medicine – Doctor for adults
Family Medicine – Doctor for all ages
Pediatrician – Doctor for children/adolescents

Usually, the PCP builds relationship with their patients, and helps address their needs. Additionally, they also make appropriate recommendations to help them make the best decisions for their health. For example, sometimes, PCPs serve as “median doctors” for patients by referring them to specialists as needed.

The primary care physician is usually the first person to be contacted by a patient. This is mainly due to factors, like proximity, ease of communication, accessibility, cost-related issues, and familiarity. ¹

What Do Primary Care Doctors Do?

Primary care physicians perform various functions in ensuring the wellness of their patients. Below are some common tasks, duties, and responsibilities:

Act as a first screening/visit for patients
Early detection of illnesses, prevention, and general wellness
Be a middle-man between patients and medical specialists in the case of more complex medical conditions (often will refer patients to the correct specialists)
Responsible for managing and directing general physician medical care ²
Regular physical exams
Prescribing medications
Treating minor illnesses and injuries (that do not require specialists to treat)
Managing chronic conditions
Screenings for common health problems ³

What types of Primary Care Doctor Jobs are out there?

Primary Care Doctors also known as Primary Care Physicians/Practitioners (PCP), typically fall under one of the following classifications:

(General) Internal Medicine – Doctor for adults
Family Medicine – Doctor for all ages
Pediatrician – Doctor for children/adolescents

What skills are necessary to be a good Primary Care Physician?

Personable/Communication Skills – to work well with patients and other doctors
Attention to details – to provide precise and good services to your patients
Good reasoning, analytical thinking, and decision-making ability – to diagnose patient ailments appropriately
Medical School Graduate
Have a Medical license to practice in the local region you work
Must have completed an approved residency in the specialty⁴

What are some challenges of being a PCP?

Need to get a Medical School Degree and then complete your residency which takes a long time (4 years of college + 4 years of medical school + 3-7 years of residency)
Medical School can be expensive
Hours can be long and unpredictable (depending on the type of doctor you are)
Can be stressful trying to help a patient if problems are not solved simply

What are some benefits of being a PCP?

Strong pay/compensation
Personally satisfying to help your patients
Lots of learning
Stable Job/Job Security
Often get to work with other doctors and nurses
Usually can work/live wherever you want

Typical Salary?

While the average salary varies a lot based on location, experience, and type of patients you see, according to ZipRecruiter, the average salary is between $173k and $236k.

Should I become a Primary Care Physician?

If you are interested in medicine, healthcare, and/or helping patients with their health/medical problems you should consider becoming a Primary Care Doctor. Whether you are a family medicine doctor, an internist, or a pediatrician, the “generalist” type of work can be exciting for someone that doesn’t want to specialize in a narrow field. Additionally, PCPs often build relationships with their patients due to frequent check-ups over the years which creates a personal and social aspect to the job.

Relevant Forum Discussions

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Related Careers

Medical Scribe

Clinical Researcher

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Medical Scribe

Mr. Creer — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 03:41:04 +0000

Medical Scribe

A Medical Scribe is essentially an assistant to a physician or another healthcare provider. The scribe’s main role is to record medical documentation for the doctor, but they may also check for test results and assist with assigning diagnoses and billing.

Some examples of electronic documentation (notes) a medical scribe records are:

Patient history
Physician examination findings
Test results
Any other information relevant to the patient’s care.

Scribes are often college students or recent college graduates looking for additional exposure to the healthcare field before applying to medical school or other graduate training programs; however, scribing can also be a full-time career. ¹

What Do Medical Scribes Do?

Medical scribes assist doctors during examinations and take detailed notes on the physician-patient encounters in real-time on the computer. The purpose of a medical scribe is to speed up examinations by taking detailed notes while allowing the physician to focus solely on patient care.

Common responsibilities include:

Notifying the physician when incoming test results are ready
Helping with electronic medicine prescription
Entering medical records into a portal, such as the Electronic Health Record (EHR)
Helping the physician take care of the patient²

What types of skills are necessary to be a successful Medical Scribe?

Computer skills – computer competency, ability to type at above-average speed, ability to multi-task while using the computer (type, listen, and take notes while the physician speaks with and examines the patient).
Organized – important to stay organized while managing your various responsibilities.
Attention to detail – necessary to minimize the risk of error when transcribing and taking notes for your physician.
Excellent bedside manner – to ensure high-quality patient care, it is important to have good listening skills, the ability to display empathy, and professionalism.
Basic Medical knowledge – medical scribes must have basic knowledge and understanding of medical terminology.
Personable – important since you need to communicate and work effectively with physicians, lab technicians, and nurses.
Physical stamina: medical scribes need to stand for long periods while shadowing physicians. It is important to stay focused on the physician’s instructions and be prepared for anything that could arise.³

What are some challenges of being a Medical Scribe?

Clerical/Administrative work can get repetitive
Usually follow around one (or more) physician(s), so your experience can be dependent on the physician you are assisting.
Not paid very much (usually under $18/hr)

What are some benefits of being a Medical Scribe?

Gain exposure and more experience in a medical field
Get accustomed to medical terminology used by doctors/those that work in a medically-related environment
Build relationships with physicians and those in the medical field
Providing meaningful service to doctors that are working hard to help and sometimes save people’s lives.
Looks good for medical school applications

Typical Salary?

According to salary.com, on average, Medical Scribes make between $14/hr and $18/hr. However, this rate varies greatly depending on education, certification(s), experience/number of years spent in the profession, etc.

Should I become a Medical Scribe?

If you are interested in going to medical school and/or gaining more exposure to a medically-related field, you should consider becoming a Medical Scribe. Being a scribe is a great way to shadow experts in the field, learn in a non-classroom environment and see how different concepts and terminology is used in a real-world setting.

People will usually become a medical scribe while still a college student and/or after graduating college to gain some relevant work experience before submitting medical school applications. However, you can also become a medical scribe even if you do not wish to go to med-school.

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Clinical Researcher

Mr. Creer — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 04:38:22 +0000

Clinical Researcher

A clinical researcher usually works under the direction of the principal investigator (PI), who is in charge of designing, conducting, and managing a clinical trial from a high level. It is the clinical researcher’s job to support, facilitate, and organize daily clinical trial activities.¹

The specific title or classification for different “clinical researchers” varies depending on where they work and/or their seniority-level, but this page focuses more on entry-level and less experienced clinical researchers. Entry-Level Clinical Researchers are sometimes called Clinical Research/Trial:

Coordinators
Associates, or
Assistants

What exactly is Clinical Research/Clinical Trials?

Clinical research is essentially rigorous, scientific testing that must take place before allowing a treatment, drug, and/or medical procedure to be provided to consumers.

Furthermore, before a treatment or drug can be prescribed and sold, it has to be proven both safe and effective. To accomplish this, pharmaceutical companies, universities, and health organizations put drugs through clinical research (aka clinical trials/studies).

This research involves a lot of documentation, analysis, observation, and organization. A team of professionals administer the clinical studies (including clinical researchers). ²

What Do Clinical Researchers Do?

Clinical research projects evaluate the safety and effectiveness of drugs or medical treatments. This requires attention to detail, careful planning, proper execution, and clear ethical standards when screening, monitoring, and directing study participants. Clinical researcher’s responsibilities can vary depending on where they work and how experienced the individual is but some common duties are:

Carefully organize clinical studies to produce the most accurate results possible.
Maintain legal records of what goes on during studies, including case reports and drug dispensation records.
Closely track and manage clinical data.
Present these reports to senior researchers, and/or external regulatory agencies.
Ensure that participants understand and voluntarily consent to a study.
Carefully vet prospective study participants to make sure their participation is safe.
Often advise sponsors of the study (like a pharmaceutical company paying to develop a drug) on procedural issues.
May also schedule the facilities and analyze the risks of clinical studies.

Many clinical researchers work in research centers, pharmaceutical labs, universities, and large hospitals.³

What qualifications/experience is required to become a Clinical Researcher?

To secure a job as a Clinical Researcher, professionals usually have at least a four-year bachelor’s degree in a scientific-related field. However, some employers require an additional two-year master’s degree, particularly for more senior-level Clinical Research positions.

Typical courses to take in preparation for this career include:

Students may have to take and pass a licensing exam to become a clinical research coordinator. Additionally, students may consider internships working in a lab to get familiar with the typical working environment. ⁴

What types of Clinical Research Jobs are out there?

Below are some common types of Clinical Research:

Treatment research
Prevention research
Diagnostic research
Screening research
Quality of life research
Genetic studies
Epidemiological studies (seeking patterns and causes of diseases and disorders)

Within these branches, there are a variety of positions. Those in the clinical research field can work in universities, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, or government positions. They can work with data in an office environment, administer trial drugs and therapies alongside patients or instruct physicians, residents, and technicians about proper clinical procedures.⁵

What types of skills are necessary to be a successful Clinical Researcher?

Strong communication skills – written, verbal, and interpersonal skills
The ability to build effective relationships with trial center staff and colleagues
Good with numbers and managing data
Attention to detail
Presentation skills
The ability to multitask and make quick decisions
Project management skills
Flexible and adaptable approach to work
Organizational and administrative skills – the job involves a lot of documenting and recording information through computerized processes
An understanding of the importance of good clinical practice (GCP), and ethical standards⁶

What are some challenges of being a Clinical Researcher?

Hours can be tough if working on a strict deadline.
Tasks can be repetitive at times.
For entry-level and less experienced researchers, salary is typically low.
Can be stressful multi-tasking since being precise and careful are very important when running clinical trials.

What are some benefits of being a Clinical Researcher?

Seeing a project through from start to finish can be rewarding.
The work you do is often very important and can play a role in helping people’s lives.
Learn a lot working with experts in the field and getting accustomed to relevant processes and terminology.
A great experience to have if planning on going to medical school or beginning a career in medicine/healthcare.

Typical Salary?

Salary varies depending where you do research and what your seniority-level is. Typically, for an entry-level Clinical Researcher, without extensive relevant experience, the salary is between $30k-50k.⁷

Should I become a Clinical Researcher?

If you are looking to gain exposure to clinical work and/or gain job experience that looks good for medical school applications, you should consider looking into clinical research roles. Whether you want to go to med school or not, clinical research allows you to be a part of very important projects and a rapidly growing industry.

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