The medical world is as vast and multifaceted as the human body’s intricacies. Each of these areas of medicine has a specialisation that meets each patients’ particular healthcare needs. When a patient has a medical problem, they seek assistance from a specific practitioner. However, with the various doctor specialties in a hospital, it can be challenging to determine where to begin. Luckily, this article will provide you with a comprehensive list of medical specialties and subspecialties, as recognised by most medical associations.
The medical world is as vast and multifaceted as the human body’s intricacies. Each of these areas of medicine has a specialisation that meets each patients’ particular healthcare needs. When a patient has a medical problem, they seek assistance from a specific practitioner. However, with the various doctor specialties in a hospital, it can be challenging to determine where to begin. Luckily, this article will provide you with a comprehensive list of medical specialties and subspecialties, as recognised by most medical associations.
Comprehensive List of Medical Specialties
Any medical specialist has the same purpose in mind: to assist patients in achieving and maintaining a healthy state. However, the human body comprises several different parts, each with its own set of characteristics and issues. By allowing medical professionals to choose from various doctor specialties, they can develop unique talents and abilities fit for every patient’s particular needs. For this purpose, each specialisation helps them be distinguishable as valuable members of the medical community.
In the below list, you can find out all about each specialisation and its importance in the healthcare field.
Family Medicine
Being a primary care specialty, family medicine focuses on emphasising on providing patient needs as a whole. It concentrates on creating a comprehensive diagnosis of specific health problems. What’s more, family medicine doctors undergo extensive training to offer quality patient care services and manage a wide range of illnesses.
Even more, family medicine includes subspecialties including the following:
- Geriatric medicine
- Adolescent medicine
- Hospice and palliative medicine
- Sleep medicine
- Pain medicine
- Sports medicine
Internal Medicine
An internist is a physician with an internal medicine specialisation. They help treat diseases of the heart, blood, respiratory, joints, and vascular systems. They provide long-term and intensive care in clinics and offices. As a part of the primary care team, internal medicine doctors can address medical concerns related to disease prevention, substance abuse, wellness, and mental health.
Urology
The male and female urinary tract, including the kidneys, bladder, ureters, and urethra, are cared for in urology. Correspondingly, it also addresses concerns associated with the male reproductive organs. Urologists are experts in surgery, pediatrics, internal medicine, and gynecology, among other specialties.
Paediatrics
Paediatricians offer primary care, diagnosis, and treatment for patients with ages from infancy through adolescents. They specialise in preventive patient care and the diagnosis of chronic childhood illnesses, including allergies and asthma.
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Obstetrician and Gynecologists, also known as OB/GYNs, specialise in female sexual health and disorders. Pregnant women’s treatment, oncology, gynecologic care, surgery, and primary health care for women are among the services provided by this area of medicine.
Surgery
Surgeons devote their time preparing a surgical operation. They conduct surgical procedures in the operating room and then follow-up postoperatively to evaluate symptoms and ensure the procedure’s success.
Specialising surgeons focus on a specific area of the body, type of patient, or kind of surgery, or seek a subspecialty among those areas. They are well-educated in human anatomy, pathology, intensive care, and wound healing, among other topics. Other than appendectomies and splenectomies, they offer many life-saving procedures.
Emergency Medicine
During life-threatening situations, some physicians specialise in emergency medical services for both adults and children. These experts are well-trained to make quick responses and take decisive measures to save lives and avoid further injuries. They support patients in the pre-hospital environment by leading emergency care technicians and aiding patients in the emergency room until they arrive.
Emergency doctors can also have several subspecialties, including anesthesiology, internal medicine, pain medicine, and other primary care subspecialties.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Physical therapy and rehabilitation is a medical specialty that deals with people who have problems with their brain, nerves, spinal cord, limbs, muscles, ligaments, knees, and tendons. Unlike other medical specialties, psychiatrists focus on the improvement of patient quality of life rather than finding medical remedies. They treat people of all ages and devise treatment options for various ailments.
Preventive Medicine
As a primary care provider, preventive medicine physicians aim to reduce unexpected illnesses by improving patient welfare and habits. In particular, their knowledge extends well beyond the clinical aspect of medicine. It combines the multidisciplinary part of behavioural, economic, social, and internal medicine.
Which Medical Specialty Do You Need?
Which Medical Specialty Do You Need?To conclude, the comprehensive list of medical specialties and subspecialties demonstrates the breadth of options available to improve your health and well-being. Therefore, selecting a specialisation that satisfies your concerns, meets your needs and achieves your optimal health outcomes are among the critical factors that you need to take into consideration.
