Doctors: Specialties and Training (cont.)
Medical Author:
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACRDr. 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. Medical Editor:
Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP
Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEPDr. 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. IN THIS ARTICLEResidency TrainingNear the end of medical school, each medical student selects a specialty for residency training. There are currently 24 medical specialties recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Medical specialties include the following:
After graduation from medical school, these individuals have earned the right to be called doctor, but they are a long way from completing the skills necessary to safely practice medicine. Depending on the state they want to practice in, they need at least one to three more years of training. Fully trained physicians must now supervise them for a period of three to five years. The majority of the training occurs in teaching hospitals and hospital-affiliated clinics. Specialty training is a long and difficult process. These young physicians work long hours and traditionally have often worked 36 hours without sleep or rest. During the last 10 years, these working hours have been trimmed and regulated to allow for a better training environment that is safer for the patients and physicians in training. At the completion of residency training, physicians are considered to be specialists and are board eligible. Most graduates elect to take these difficult, additional written and oral board exams, often with pass rates as low as 50%, that certify their knowledge base and skills. Physicians who pass these exams are allowed to state that they are a board-certified practitioner in their chosen specialty. Next Page: |
Women's Health
Find out what women really need.
From WebMD
Healthy Resources
Featured Centers
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape
Physician Suicide »
On average, the United States loses the equivalent of at least one entire medical school class each year to suicide (reliable estimates are as many as 400 physicians).
Featured Topics
Most Popular Topics
Medical Dictionary
Pill Identifier on RxList
- quick, easy,
pill identification
Find a Local Pharmacy
- including 24 hour, pharmacies
