8 Different Types of Medical Speciality Fields - Essay Example

Medical Field Specialties The purpose of this paper is to discuss 8 different types of medical specialty fields with a focus on the area of physiatry. Eight specific fields in medicine will be identified, defined and discussed. The field of Physiatry will be the central to this paper. Physiatry is the study and practice of physical medicine. What this means is that patients suffering from diseases or injuries (specifically painful ones), can be treated by a physiatrist through physical therapy and medication, “ Essentially, physiatrists specialize in a wide variety of conservative treatments for the musculoskeletal system (the muscles and bones) and do not perform surgery”(Staehler, 1999). An example of what a physiatrist may do, such as Dr. John Magnotta of Allegheny General Hospital, is treat patients with muscular-skeletal injuries. One of Dr. Magnotta’s patients suffered last year, with a large benign bone tumor on her right humerus (long bone of the arm). Due to an initial visit with Dr. Magnotta for pain, Dr. Magnotta ordered an MRI to be performed. The MRI showed the mass indicating to Dr. Magnotta that the patient should be referred to an Oncologist. Once the mass was removed, the patient returned to Dr. Magnotta’s care for rehabilitation therapy and pain management. The patient began a steady regimen of opiate pain killers to treat the painful symptoms of bone recovery, as well as to make physical therapy less painfull for her to endure. After a lengthy recovery period, Dr. Magnotta slowly weaned the patient off of the opiate pain killers as to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Physiatrists focus mainly on functional restoration of their patients as well as treat acute or chronic pain with either opiate based medications (oxycodon, percocet, vicodin, or other morphine derivatives) or non narcotic medications such as neurontin or Ultracet. When a patient is under the care of a physiatrist and is prescribed opiate based medications (also considered narcotics or controlled substances), the physiatrist will closely and regularly monitor the patient to prevent substance abuse or addiction. Common conditions which a physiatrist may treat include amputations, back injuries, fibromyalgia, lupus, stroke, sports related injuries and head trauma. The educational requirements of a physiatrist are 4 years of undergraduate college, 4 years of graduate medical school and 4 additional years of residency. Many physiatrists will complete a few additional years of medical schooling in specific areas of physical medicine such as pain management or sports medicine. The average salary in the United States for a board certified physiatrist is $189,922 annually. In the area of pain management, one may also select or be referred to an anesthesiologist. Anesthesiologists are physicians specifically trained in the administering of anesthesia before and during surgery as well as managing a patient’s pain medication regimen, specifically opiate based pain medication. Anesthesiologists have one of the highest paying jobs in the world. The field of oncology is a growing one as cancer has become so prominent. Oncologists are doctors that specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Oncologists are also fluent in pain management training as most cancer patients require rigorous pain management. Many oncologists are board certified surgeons as the removal of tumors is routine in their field. Pediatric oncologists deal specifically with cancer diagnosis and treatment in children. Pediatrics is the general field of treating and managing the health of the young, from infancy to the age of 21. Pediatricians are similar to general practitioners or family doctors except they specialize in children’s health. Many fields of medicine have specialists who deal not only with their respective specialty but in the field of that specialty in children. For example, there are cardiologists and then there are pediatric cardiologists. There are pulminologists and then there are pediatric pulminologists, and so on. Pediatricians are trained specifically in diagnosing common illnesses as well as specific illnesses that affect children such as certain genetic disorders that present in childhood. Cardiology is the field of medicine that deals with the heart and cardiac function. Cardiologists treat patients with heart disease and cardiac disorders. They commonly order tests such as EKGs and stress tests to clearly identify how a patient’s heart is functioning. The field of rheumatology is specific to patients suffering from lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Both of these diseases are thought to be interlinked. Rheumatology can be called a sub specialty to internal medicine and pediatric medicine. Rheumatologists deal very specifically with diseases that directly effect soft tissue, muscle tissue, connective tissue and joints. In most cases, when a patient is referred to a rheumatologist, the preliminary tests that the doctor will conduct are called a SED rates and an ANA. These blood tests reveal whether or not there is inflammation taking place somewhere in the patient’s body. Most rheumatic diseases such as SLE (systemic Lupus Erythematosus) are in part, diagnosed with positive testing for inflammation. One critically important faction of medicine is obstetrics and gynecology. Doctors who specialize in this field are called Ob-Gyn’s and they are licensed to deliver babies, treat pregnant women before, during and after pregnancy. These specialists also deal in the area of women’s health surrounding the reproductive organs, They are so crucial to the medical field because they are trained to diagnose precancerous cells and other abnormalities that are specific to the female anatomy. They also are skillfully trained to usher in the next generation! During pregnancy, there are a number of things that can go wrong affecting the mother or the fetus. When an Ob-Gyn doctor finds that one of their patients suffer from one of these complications, they will often refer their patient to another type of specialist known as a parenatologist. Examples of conditions that would warrant a parenatologist are multiple embryos (twins, triplets and so on), gestational diabetes, unhealthy fetuses (such as a fetus with spine bifida) and toxemia. All of these conditions when diagnosed, make a pregnancy which is called “high risk pregnancy”. Parenatology is a sub field of obstetrics and gynecology and deals primarily with “high risk pregnancies”. Works Cited: Interview with Dr. John Magnotta of Allegheny General Hospital on June 8, 2008. Staelher M.D, Richard,. What is Physiatry, retrieved from website on June 8, 2008 at : http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/physical-therapy/what-physiatry Read More