5 Specialties to Consider as a Medical Doctor

Medicine is a vast field and it encompasses a wide range of different specialties.

During the early years of study, you learn the basics of medicine. As you progress towards the end of your five-year medical degree, you may start to think about what specialty you’d like to enter.

When you choose to pursue a career in medicine, choosing just one area of the field can be a challenge. You might be interested in a few different areas and narrowing down your choices can take a lot of time and consideration.

The specialty that you choose to enter will determine your future career path. It will influence where you work, when you work, and what your main roles and responsibilities are as a practicing doctor.

For example, if you’re fascinated by the power of the mind and the way mental health disorders manifest in the physical body, psychiatry might be the perfect specialty for you. If the idea of teaching medicine appeals to you, choosing to study a PGCert medical education course will enable you to enter the educational side of health and medicine.

Here are five of the most interesting and rewarding areas of medicine to consider as you go through your medical degree and enter specialist training. 

Cardiology

Cardiologists deal with all things to do with the heart and circulatory system. They work to diagnose and treat potentially life-threatening conditions, such as hypertension (high blood pressure), angina, heart arrhythmias, heart failure, and myocardial infarction (heart attack).

You can further specialise in cardiology into either adult or paediatric cardiology.

Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology will enable you to work closely with women. Based on the specific area of obs and gynae that you choose, you may be caring for women with reproductive disorders or cancer, or you might be looking after pregnant women.

Oncology

Oncology refers to the area of medicine that is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of all types of cancers. Oncology is an ever-evolving field, with new research being completed, and new treatments and therapies being developed every year.

There are several types of oncology, including medical, surgical, and radiation oncology.

Paediatrics

If you enjoy working with children, specialising in paediatric medicine might be perfect for you. Paediatricians work in hospitals or community settings and treat children up to the age of 16 years old.

Usually, paediatricians provide generalised care to child and young teenagers. If there is a more serious underlying issue, they might refer the child onto another paediatric specialist.

Popular paediatric specialties include paediatric cardiology, nephrology, endocrinology, and infectious diseases, but there are many more.

Psychiatry

Psychiatrists are experts in mental health disorders. As a psychiatric doctor, you can work in general hospitals, specialist mental health hospitals, or clinics treating patients with a variety of psychological and behavioural problems.

You can specialise into subcategories of the field, such as drug addiction, eating disorders, or forensic psychiatry.