Doctors: Specialties and Training

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Medical Author:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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• Doctors: Specialties and Training - Introduction
• Medical School Training
• Residency Training
• Fellowship Training
• Continuing Medical Education
• Specialty Board Certification
• For More Information
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Authors and Editors

Becoming a fully trained physician is a long and arduous task because the education needed to become a doctor is substantial. The education requirements have been standardized in the U.S. and it usually begins with the completion of four years of college followed by four years of medical school. This is followed by an internship and residency in a particular specialty, and sometimes fellowship training in a subspecialty that may last as long as 10 years. Once the initial training is completed, a doctor continues lifelong learning to maintain the skills necessary to optimally practice medicine in the current environment.

Although the training to become a physician is long and demanding, the reward of being able to help people and have an intellectually stimulating career is something that most physicians feel is more than worth the effort.