| While the title Doctor holds a particular image | | | | directly oversees the medication that relieves pain |
| within our language, there are actually over sixty | | | | and keeps a patient alive during surgery, the |
| different specialties in the field of medicine that | | | | surgeon must also be aware of the process and |
| can hold that designation. | | | | its affect on his patient. |
| The most familiar image of a doctor is the family | | | | Some doctors specialize in the creation of life and |
| general practitioner. He is the health care provider | | | | will dedicate themselves to learning the arts of |
| that will know the most about you as he is the | | | | obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics. These |
| first line of defense against the ailments and | | | | doctors make special study of how children are |
| diseases that may assault your well being. The | | | | formed, how to help them come safely and |
| general practitioner in many ways must be more | | | | healthily into the world and keep them well as |
| highly trained and educated than many of his | | | | they grow from infancy to maturity. They are |
| counterparts, as he must be able to recognize a | | | | specially trained to understand the diseases and |
| much wider range of problems. It is the general | | | | ailments that can affect not only the mothers but |
| practitioner's job to treat the routine problems | | | | obtain a full knowledge of diseases that directly |
| that his patients suffer from and to be able to | | | | attack the young. |
| direct them to the best specialists for more | | | | Doctors of psychology and psychiatry specialize in |
| intensive care of critical ailments. | | | | the subtle but occasionally debilitating problems |
| On a par with the general practitioner, the | | | | that occur in the mind of their patients. While the |
| emergency medical doctor must be familiar with | | | | psychologist is trained more in how though |
| all the fields of medicine as well as trauma | | | | processes can affect health, the psychiatrist must |
| pathology. When seconds count in the treatment | | | | study body processes in relation to how chemical |
| of accident injuries, the trauma doctor must be | | | | treatments work as their special field uses drugs |
| able to identify unrelated conditions that may | | | | and other physical treatments to affect a cure. |
| require modifications in the emergency treatment | | | | Once a doctor's general training is done, many |
| a patient may require. It is because the student | | | | continue on with training for specific parts of the |
| doctor needs to learn first-hand how many | | | | body. An ophthalmologist for example, will learn all |
| medical disciplines are interrelated that much of | | | | there is to know about the eyes and its specific |
| their residency time is spent aiding trauma | | | | characteristics and illnesses. A pathologist or |
| doctors in emergency rooms. | | | | radiologist will learn the techniques and machines |
| The surgeon is required to have an intimate and | | | | used to investigate and identify the underlying |
| comprehensive knowledge of the internal | | | | sources of illness and sometimes even discover a |
| operation of the human body. This exacting field | | | | medical problem before it has had the chance to |
| of medical practice is designed to physically fix a | | | | cause major damage to an individual. |
| problem and repair damaged areas. Surgery | | | | Whatever specialty a doctor works in, knowledge |
| requires even more study time than general | | | | of the whole body is essential as the physical self |
| medicine as it also requires knowledge of the | | | | is an integrated unit. No doctor stands alone in his |
| interconnectivity of every body process that | | | | field but relies on knowledge of all the varieties of |
| could be affected by physical intrusion into the | | | | medicine in order to give the best possible |
| flesh. While the anesthesiologist is the doctor that | | | | treatment to those in need. |