Cardiovascular Diseases. These specialists diagnose and treat patients who have
heart
or circulatory system problems. Cardiology is a
subspecialty of internal medicine and its
practice has both noninvasive and invasive
components. In the former, the history, phys-
ical examination, and appropriate tests serve as
the standard approach to patient care.
Invasive cardiologists perform angiographies to
evaluate the status of the coronary or
other arteries or insert "stents" to maintain
their function as an open blood pathway.
Noninvasive cardiologists are usually
hospital-based and night call is quite common.
Contact Organization: American College of
Cardiology.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
This is a subspecialty of psychiatry. It involves
the
diagnosis and treatment of children and
adolescents having emotional, behavioral, and
mental problems. These specialists operate
private practices and work in both in- and
out-patient care. They get referrals from
pediatricians and social service agencies.
Contact Organization: American Academy of Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Colon and Rectal Surgery. This is a subspecialty of general surgery. It involves
the
diagnosis and surgical treatment of disorders
of the colon, rectum, anal canal, and peri-
anal region. Colonoscopy and more limited
endoscopy procedures are the standard diag-
nostic techniques employed in this
specialty.
Contact Organization: American Society of Colon
and Rectal Surgeons.
Critical Care Medicine. This hospital-based specialty is concerned with the care of
crit-
ically ill medical and surgical patients. It
requires a broad medical background with spe-
cial knowledge of fluid, cardiovascular, and
respiratory management in order to stabi-
lize such patients. Specialists in this area
commonly tend to be pulmonary medicine
specialists.
Contact Organization: Society of Critical Care
Medicine.
Dermatology. This
specialty deals with the diagnosis and treatment of acute and
chronic
diseases of the skin of individuals of all
ages. Both medical and surgical modalities are
used in this specialty.
Contact Organization: American Academy of
Dermatology.
Diagnostic Radiology. This diagnostic specialty utilizes X-rays, ultrasounds,
magnetic
fields, and other energy source. Consequently,
aside from interpreting basic radiographs,
diagnostic radiologists must learn to interpret
scans and images. There is also a need to
learn a variety of diagnostic interventional
procedures.
Contact Organization: American College of
Radiology.
Emergency Medicine. This is a hospital-based specialty. These physicians treat a
broad
spectrum of illnesses and injuries for
individuals in all age groups. They seek to stabi-
lize patients with critical illnesses and
injuries, and work on a fixed schedule.
Contact Organization: American College of
Emergency Physicians.
Family Practice. These
specialists are qualified to provide general medical care to
all
members of the family. The exact nature of an
individual's practice depends on his or
her own special qualifications and interests as
well as location and affiliated hospitals.
The services provided are mostly in an office
setting and involve seeing patients of
varying ages and a broad spectrum of illnesses.
Their patients may include both children
and seniors. Family practice physicians are
even involved in providing counseling for
psychological issues that are part of life such
as childbirth, stress, and grief.
Contact Organization: American Academy of
Family Physicians.
Gastroenterology. This
is a subspecialty of internal medicine. Practitioners
diagnose
and treat diseases of the digestive tract,
liver, and gallbladder. Technical improvements
in directly inspecting the GI tract have
expanded the procedures that can now be per-
formed.
Contact Organization: American College of
Gastroenterology.
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