What is an Endocrinologist?
Endocrinologists are medical doctors (MDs) or doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs) who specialize in treating endocrine-related conditions. Endocrinologists frequently receive training in pediatrics, internal medicine, or obstetrics and gynecology, in addition to biochemistry and research methods.
Internal medicine's specialization in endocrinology specializes in the identification and treatment of illnesses affecting the endocrine system, hormones, and metabolism. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes, problems with the pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, and other glands, as well as metabolic disorders—often inherited ailments where the correct operation of chemical processes is required for metabolism—are among these illnesses.
Typically, endocrinologists must complete a three-year internal medicine residency program before beginning a two-to-three-year fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism. The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) both offer certification for them.
Before beginning an endocrinology fellowship, pediatric endocrinologists must finish their pediatric residency.
Prior to completing a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology, reproductive endocrinologists typically complete a four-year residency in obstetrics and gynecology.
Certain endocrinologists receive specialized accreditation to use radiopharmaceutical substances in the diagnosis and treatment of various endocrine diseases.
Endocrinologists work in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Endocrinologists must take part in regular continuing medical education (CME) programs in order to maintain their licenses to practice medicine, just like all other medical professionals.
Cases
Subspecialties
- Diabetes
- Lipid disorders
- Nutrition
- Osteoporosis-calcium disorders
- Pediatric diabetes
- Pituitary-gonad-adrenal (PGA)
- Thyroid disorders
- Transgender and intersex specialty care
Centers & Institutes
Healthcare Delivery by Endocrinologist in the US
Endocrinology is a lucrative and hard medical field. Patients exhibit a significant amount of variability in their illnesses, symptoms, and drug reactions. A substantial corpus of specialized knowledge must therefore be assimilated by an endocrinologist.
Endocrinologists and other medical professionals typically work full-time schedules, with many of them clocking in at least 40 hours per week. They might work in a private office, hospital, or clinic. They may work by themselves, but more often than not, they collaborate with other healthcare professionals in multidisciplinary teams.
Endocrinologists use laboratory methods, tissue collection, genetic analysis, and high-resolution medical imaging, according to the American Medical Association. Additionally, they simulate hormonal pathways to determine the diagnosis of certain illnesses. In addition to performing and interpreting bone mineral density tests, they may also do thyroid ultrasonography and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsies in order to evaluate patients with thyroid problems.
There are rigorous training and education standards to satisfy in order to be recognized as an endocrinologist. A minimum 10-year study period is typically required to become a licensed endocrinologist.
First and foremost, a candidate must be a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and have successfully completed three years of clinical residency, including passing the required exams for a medical license. Then, more research in a specific field of endocrinology is required.
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The material presented above is only meant to be informative and is not intended to take the place of advice from your doctor or another health care practitioner. We advise you to talk to your provider about any questions or issues you may have.
