Medical specialty facts for kids

Doctors help people stay healthy and get better when they are sick. There are so many things to learn in medicine today. It's impossible for one doctor to know everything!

That's why after medical school, young doctors choose a medical specialty. This means they pick a specific area of medicine to focus on. They then spend many more years training to become experts in that chosen field."

Doctors Who See Everyone

Some doctors learn a little bit about all parts of medicine. They know how to treat many different kinds of patients. These doctors are called 'primary care' doctors. They are also known as "primary care physicians" (PCPs). Sometimes people call them 'generalists' or 'general practitioners.'

In the United States, these doctors are often called family doctors. If a patient has a strange or very complex problem, primary care doctors send them to a specialist.

Other doctors are also primary care doctors, but they focus on certain groups:

• Pediatricians are primary care doctors just for children.
• Internists are primary care doctors for adults.
• Some gynecologists act as primary care doctors, but only for women.

Doctors Who Focus on One Thing

Other doctors are called 'specialists'. This means they have learned a lot about specific types of medical care. For example:

• A dermatologist is a doctor who knows a lot about the skin. They treat diseases of the skin.
• A psychiatrist is a doctor who understands thoughts, moods, and mental illnesses. This includes conditions like depression and schizophrenia.
• An orthopedic surgeon is a doctor who knows about bones and joints. They fix them when they are broken or diseased.

Medical Doctors vs. Surgeons

In medicine, there are two main types of doctors: "Medical" doctors and "Surgical" doctors.

• "Medical" doctors do not perform surgery. To become a medical specialist, most doctors first train in Internal medicine.
  • Examples of medical specialists include cardiologists (heart doctors). Also, pulmonologists (lung doctors) and obstetricians (doctors who help with birth).
• "Surgical" doctors (surgeons) perform surgery. To become a surgical specialist, most surgeons first train in "General Surgery."
  • Examples of surgical specialists include orthopedic surgeons (bone and joint doctors). Also, neurosurgeons (brain and nerve surgeons) and trauma surgeons (who treat serious injuries).

Some medical specialties don't fit into either group. These include radiology (reading scans), pathology (studying diseases), and anesthesia (giving pain medicine).

How Doctors Learn Their Specialty

In the U.S., all doctors must pass three national medical board exams. The first two exams happen while they are in medical school. The third exam happens during their intern year. This is when they work as a student in a hospital.

After passing these national exams, doctors must pass more tests. These new tests are specifically about their chosen specialty. These exams include both written and oral parts.

A doctor becomes "board-certified" in their specialty after:

• They finish their residency training.
• They have worked as a doctor for at least one year.
• They have passed all of their specialty exams.

There are only a few training spots for each specialty every year. This means some specialties can be very competitive to get into. Some medical students do not get to train in the specialty they wanted. Other specialties do not have enough doctors. This can happen for a few reasons. Not enough doctors might apply for training spots. More training spots might be needed. Or, many people might not finish their training program.

Becoming a Surgeon

Training to be a surgeon takes a long time. It requires at least five years of residency after medical school. Some surgery sub-specialties need seven or more years. On top of that, fellowships can add another one to three years.

Fellowships can be very competitive. So, many trainees spend another two years doing research. Because of all this, some surgeons might not finish their training until more than a decade after medical school.

Surgical training is very difficult and takes a lot of time. An average surgical resident works about 75 hours every week. Some surgery subspecialties, like neurosurgery, require even longer hours. Residents in these fields often work 80 hours a week. Officially, they are allowed to work up to 88 hours per week. However, many surgical programs still ask residents to work more than 88 hours a week.

It has been hard to limit the hours surgical residents work because:

• Many patients need surgery.
• Not enough people want to become surgeons.
• Doctors need to perform long surgeries. They also need to care for patients before and after surgery.
• Surgeons must always be available. This includes in the Operating Room (where surgeries happen), the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and the Emergency Room (ER).

Becoming a Medical Specialist

Medical training is different from surgical training. It usually requires three years of residency training after medical school. After residency, doctors can do a one- to two-year fellowship. This fellowship is for their subspecialty. In general, medical residents work fewer hours than surgical residents.

Common Medical Specialties

See also

In Spanish: Especialidades médicas para niños