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Doctors: Specialties and Training (cont.)

Fellowship Training

After completing a 3-5 year residency, about 30% of the fully trained physicians elect to pursue additional training to become subspecialists.

Subspecialty training may last an additional 1-4 years. Usually the focus of subspecialty training is fairly narrow and allows the physician to obtain knowledge and skills needed to perform additional procedures or focus on treating patients with a particular type of problem. Most subspecialties have additional board exams at the end of their training qualifying the physician to be a board certified subspecialist.

The most common specialties and subspecialties, as well as the years of training required, are listed here. In some cases, more than one specialty training may qualify a physician for fellowship training.

  • Dermatology - 4 years 
  • Dermatopathology - 1-2 years
  • Emergency Medicine - 3-4 years
  • Family Practice - 3 years
  • Neurology - 4 years
  • Ophthalmology - 4 years
  • Plastic Surgery - 5-6 years
  • Hand Surgery - 2 years
  • Internal Medicine - 3 years
  • Allergy & Immunology - 2 years


  • Cardiology - 3 years


  • Critical Care - 2-3 years


  • Endocrinology - 2 years


  • Gastroenterology - 3 years


  • Geriatrics -2 years


  • Hematology and Oncology - 2-3 years


  • Infectious Diseases - 2 years


  • Nephrology - 2 years


  • Pulmonology - 2-3 years


  • Rheumatology - 2 years
  • Obstetrics/Gynecology - 4 years
  • General Surgery - 5-6 years
  • Critical Care - 2 years


  • Pediatric Surgery - 2 years


  • Thoracic Surgery - 2-3 years


  • Transplant Surgery - 2-3 years


  • Trauma - 2 years


  • Vascular Surgery - 2 years


  • Colon and Rectal Surgery - 2 years
  • Urology - 5 years
  • Pediatric Urology - 1-2 years
  • Psychiatry - 4 years
  • Child Psychiatry - 3 years


  • Forensic Psychiatry - 2-3 years
  • Neurosurgery - 6 years
  • Pediatric Neurosurgery - 1-2 years
  • Physical Medicine - 3 years
  • Pediatric Physical Medicine - 2 years
  • Radiology - 4 years
  • Orthopedic Surgery - 5 years
  • Hand - 2 years


  • Spine - 2 years


  • Hip - 2 years


  • Foot and Ankle - 2 years
  • Anesthesiology - 4 years
  • Critical Care - 2 years


  • Pediatric Anesthesiology - 2 years
  • Pathology - 5 years
  • Forensics Pathology - 2 years
  • Pediatrics - 3 years
  • Allergy and Immunology - 2 years


  • Behavioral and Developmental - 2 years


  • Cardiology - 2 years


  • Critical Care - 2 years


  • Endocrinology - 2 years


  • Gastroenterology - 2 years


  • Genetics - 2 years


  • Hematology and Oncology - 2 years


  • Infectious Diseases - 2 years


  • Neonatology - 2 years


  • Nephrology - 2 years


  • Pulmonology - 2 years


  • Rheumatology - 2 years



Next: Continuing Medical Education »

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