The Medical Field
Medicine is a broad field that covers healthcare and healing. It includes conventional modern medicine and various alternative treatments such as acupuncture, herbal medicine and art therapy. Physicians, nurses, psychologists and other specialists are all part of the medical field.
There are many different types of health care providers. Examples are doctor’s offices, hospitals, labs and physical therapy centers. Health insurance companies and prescription drug plans are also providers.
A doctor is a person who has been trained and licensed to practice medicine. The training and licensing process usually involves several years of university level education and passing medical board exams. The goal of the medical profession is to promote and maintain health by diagnosis and treatment of disease, injury, and other problems using pharmaceuticals and surgery.
Most countries have laws that regulate the practice of medicine. These laws typically require physicians to be trained in “evidence based” medicine and to pass national boards that test their knowledge. These laws are intended to protect patients from charlatans that practice unproven and dangerous therapies.
The field of medicine has many sub-fields, including endocrinology (the study of hormones), epidemiology (the study of diseases in populations) and microbiology (the study of bacteria, fungi and viruses). There is also pharmacology, the study of drugs and how they work, and neuroscience, which is the study of the brain and nervous system.
There is also a large literature on the history of medicine and healing practices around the world. This literature often provides insight into past cures and how medicine has changed over the centuries.
In addition to the fields of science and eugenics, there is an enormous amount of work that goes on in the administrative side of healthcare. There are thousands of diseases, injuries and conditions that need to be documented, along with the numerous tests, services, tools and supplies used by clinicians. All of this information needs to be coded so that it can be tracked and modified over time. It is this coding that makes up most of the “secret sauce” in modern healthcare. There are also numerous other administrative functions that have evolved, such as group purchasing organizations, pharmacy benefit managers and the rise of corporate health systems. Each of these functions serves a purpose, but none are necessary for every interaction between patient and provider.
Medicine is a broad field that covers healthcare and healing. It includes conventional modern medicine and various alternative treatments such as acupuncture, herbal medicine and art therapy. Physicians, nurses, psychologists and other specialists are all part of the medical field. There are many different types of health care providers. Examples are doctor’s offices, hospitals, labs and physical therapy centers. Health insurance companies and prescription drug plans are also providers. A doctor is a person who has been trained and licensed to practice medicine. The training and licensing process usually involves several years of university level education and passing medical board exams. The goal of the medical profession is to promote and maintain health by diagnosis and treatment of disease, injury, and other problems using pharmaceuticals and surgery. Most countries have laws that regulate the practice of medicine. These laws typically require physicians to be trained in “evidence based” medicine and to pass national boards that test their knowledge. These laws are intended to protect patients from charlatans that practice unproven and dangerous therapies. The field of medicine has many sub-fields, including endocrinology (the study of hormones), epidemiology (the study of diseases in populations) and microbiology (the study of bacteria, fungi and viruses). There is also pharmacology, the study of drugs and how they work, and neuroscience, which is the study of the brain and nervous system. There is also a large literature on the history of medicine and healing practices around the world. This literature often provides insight into past cures and how medicine has changed over the centuries. In addition to the fields of science and eugenics, there is an enormous amount of work that goes on in the administrative side of healthcare. There are thousands of diseases, injuries and conditions that need to be documented, along with the numerous tests, services, tools and supplies used by clinicians. All of this information needs to be coded so that it can be tracked and modified over time. It is this coding that makes up most of the “secret sauce” in modern healthcare. There are also numerous other administrative functions that have evolved, such as group purchasing organizations, pharmacy benefit managers and the rise of corporate health systems. Each of these functions serves a purpose, but none are necessary for every interaction between patient and provider.