Top dual medical specialisations you could opt for

Top dual medical specialisations you could opt for

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Updated on Sep 3, 2019 11:13 IST

A medical specialty allows a doctor to practice a specified group of diseases, patients, philosophy or skills. Some of the well-known specialties include pediatrics, oncology, pathology or family medicine.

Those studying medicine degree end up choosing a particular specialty of their interest to reach out to a specific set of patients, cure diseases related to a certain part of the body. A medical specialty allows the doctor to concentrate on a specified group of diseases, patients, philosophy or skills. Some of the specialties include pediatrics, oncology, pathology or family medicine. After completing the medicine course, doctors or surgeons generally advance their medical education in a particular specialty of medicine by finishing a multiple-year residency to earn a medical specialisation. Several branches are emerging from the main branch of medicine, and the study of medicine has progressed considerably with technological advancement and innovative ideas.

There are several different medical specialties that doctors specialise in ranging from internal medicine and pediatrics to cardiology, plastic surgery, gynaecology and ophthalmology. Several doctors also complete accreditation in two or more specialties. After finishing their medical college/university, doctors planning to take dual specialisation such as dermatology and internal medicine, psychiatry, and internal medicine, or family medicine and emergency medicine. Many qualified doctors specialise in one area and later decide to do their residency in a different specialty. Moreover, some medical college/universities offer dual degree programs with an MD or PhD and DO or MD that gives a doctorate in medicine as well as basic science. Many people opt for such specialisation to get into research.

There are several types of dual specialisations that qualified doctors can take up and practice in. Some of the dual specialisations in medicines are:

Pediatric Cardiology: Pediatric cardiologists are doctors who assess, diagnose and cure children with cardiac ailments. They usually work with patients before birth (prenatal), through their childhood and into their adulthood. Pediatric cardiology is concerned with ailments of the heart in the growing and developing individuals. With expertise in heart disease, pediatric cardiologists must require a strong foundation in general pediatrics to deliver all-inclusive patient care.

Neuropsychiatry: Psychiatrists evaluate patients to ascertain if their symptoms are caused due to physical illness, or a combination of mental and physical ailments, or strictly psychiatric. A neurologist manages and treats neurological problems or conditions connected to the nervous system. The dual specialisation deals with mental ailments which stem from maladies of the nervous system such as attention deficits, seizures, palsies, cognitive deficits, migraine headaches, uncontrolled anger, eating disorders, addictions, anxiety, depression and others, combining the practices of psychiatry and neurology. Neuropsychiatrists also concentrate on the aberrations of the body areas which have higher brain function and can be regarded specialists on difficult-to-treat psychiatric or psychological issues.

Emergency Medicine and Anesthesiology: A combination of these two fields provide training in critical care management and procedural skills. Together they offer doctors the ability to practice in any medical setting spanning the emergency department to the ICU to the operating room.

Cosmetic Dermatology: Cosmetic dermatologists are medical specialists who along with cosmetology have pursued additional training in dermatology to assess, diagnose and cure skin conditions and ailments cosmetically. Their skill sets comprise procedures as collagen injections, Botox, dermabrasion, chemical peels, and liposuction and laser surgery.

Gastro-endocrinology: This is dual specialisation combines gastroenterology, which focuses on the digestive systems and its ailments and disorders, and endocrinology, which deals with the endocrine system, its ailments and its secretion known as hormones. Gastroendocrinologist assesses, diagnoses, and treats illnesses of the endocrine system that may affect the digestive system such as small intestine, large intestine, stomach, liver, rectum, esophagus and pancreas.

Orthopaedics and Rheumatology: Though rheumatologists and orthopedists both concentrate on a patient’s muscles, bones and joints. Rheumatologists concentrate more on joint ailments which can be treated medically whereas orthopedists specialise in managing fractures and surgical treatments. To facilitate in improving patients’ access to care and to make sure patients get the best treatment possible, several orthopaedic practices have extended to also include rheumatology services.

Family Medicine and Internal Medicine: Family medicine is a medical specialisation committed to comprehensive healthcare for individuals of all ages, and specialists in such field are generally known as family physicians or family doctors. Internal medicine is the medical specialisation encompassing the assessment, diagnosis, cure, and prevention of adult diseases and specialists in this field are known as internists. By combining these two specialisations, doctors can have the advantage of specialising in comprehensively diagnosing and curing ailments related to adults and children as a single profession.

Obstetrics and Gynaecology: Obstetrics and gynaecology is the medical specialisation which encompasses the 2 sub-specialities of obstetrics covering childbirth, pregnancy, and the postpartum period and gynaecology encompassing the health of the women’s reproductive system such as vagina, ovaries, breasts, and uterus. Practising as an obstetrician-gynecologist specialist make doctors be expert at the care of women’s reproductive organs' health as well as at the management of pregnancy.

Nephrology and Urology: Nephrology specialises in the care of the kidneys and diagnoses, treats and manages many conditions or ailments of the kidneys. Urology focuses on medical and surgical diseases of the women’s and men’s urinary-tract system as well as the male reproductive organs. By combining these two specialisations doctors can become adept at diagnosing and treating the entire excretory system including kidneys, and they can work toward delivering better care to patients and their kidneys.

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