Medical Fields
After being admitted to a medical school, you will only have a couple of years to make one of the most important decisions of your life – your specialization. Out of dozens of medical fields of study, you can only choose one that will dictate the direction your future education – and career – will follow.
Think carefully about this choice, as there will be no going back after this. We know that this decision is difficult – but necessary. If you still don’t know which specialization to choose, let us help you with a couple of useful descriptions of the most prominent medical fields you could study.
Immunology and allergology
As allergies are becoming more and more of a widespread issue, immunologists and allergologists are in increasingly high demand. As a specialist in this field, you would work with both adults and children suffering from allergies and immune system diseases. The most common issues you will be facing are respiratory tract diseases, such as asthma, as well as allergies to food, drugs, and respiratory allergies caused by dust mites and pollen.
Apart from clinical practice, allergologists and immunologists can also pursue a career in research and academic education. Depending on your preferences, you can directly interact with patients to help them stay healthy, help the health industry further our understanding of immunology, or educate future generations of doctors. And while this field isn’t the best-paid one, its average yearly income revolves around $300,000.
Dermatology
Dermatologists are another group of doctors in high demand, as skin diseases become a rising issue. The field has a couple of sub-specialties, such as dermatopathology or pediatric dermatology, giving you further chances of choosing your path in a more directed manner.
As a dermatologist, you will be working with patients with skin diseases, but also with hair, nails, and mucous membrane diseases. Performing skin surgery is a common task of a dermatologist, but you will also work with patients suffering from skin cancer, tumors, and other skin diseases. Dermatologists are among some of the best-paid doctors, often averaging over $400,000 profit a year.
Orthopedics
Injuries involving the musculoskeletal system are often dangerous and difficult to ignore, as they most usually impair our ability to move and function normally. Because of this, orthopedic surgeons often have their hands full – but their work is one of the most well-paid fields of medicine, averaging at over $500,000 a year.
Orthopedic surgeons often work in cooperation with neurosurgeons, dealing with spine diseases and fractures, but they also use various surgical and non-surgical techniques to treat muscle and bone trauma, sports injuries, as well as tumors and infections. Most orthopedic surgeons go further training to select a sub-specialty, targeting a specific body part to treat, including spine surgeons, shoulder and elbow specialists, orthopedic oncologists, and many more.