What Is the Field of Medicine?
The field of medicine encompasses a wide variety of subjects and disciplines. A physician can choose to specialize in any one of these fields, and the subfields themselves can further be divided into even more specific areas of study. Qualifications, aptitude and preference are just some of the factors that will affect a person’s choice of medical specialty.
Anatomy is the study of the components of the human body – including muscles, bones and skin. It is a foundational field for many of the other branches of medicine, such as pathology, which studies diseases and the morphologic, physiologic changes that they cause. Pathology is also the basis for much of modern scientific medical knowledge and many laboratory tests (such as cytology, immunohistochemistry, polymerase chain reaction, chromosome mapping, fluorescent in situ hybridization, cell flow cytometry and microscopy) are considered to be part of pathology.
Clinical pharmacology is the study of pharmaceutical medications and how they work to treat illnesses and diseases. It is an important field for the development of new drugs and the understanding of the side effects that may be associated with current medications.
Environmental medicine is the branch that deals with the relationship between human health and the environment – the interaction between humans and their surroundings, as well as non-human animals and the planet itself. It is closely related to conservation medicine, ecological medicine and wilderness medicine. Disaster medicine, diving medicine and aerospace medicine are also all part of this field.
Gender-based medicine is concerned with the biological and physiological differences between the sexes, which affect the incidence of different diseases. Nutrition is the study of food and how it affects our bodies; it is an important component of preventive medicine. Pathology and pharmacology are both involved in drug testing, which is often part of the diagnostic process. Radiology is the use of X-rays and other scanning devices in the diagnosis of illness; it is also used as part of treatment.
The list of medical fields is nearly endless. Some of the more common ones include:
A person can choose to get a job in a medical field by getting a degree from an accredited school that offers degrees in either nursing or medical assisting. Medical assisting programs usually give students training in clinical procedures and record keeping, as well as in how to help run the day-to-day operations of a doctor’s office or clinic. Nursing programs typically take four years to complete and are a good option for people interested in becoming nurses. A person can also become a medical coder, which is the translation of physician documentation into medical codes that can be understood by computers to determine payments from insurance companies. Medical coding is not an easy job, and it requires a strong understanding of anatomy, physiology and medical terminology to be successful. Medical coding is an important aspect of the healthcare industry, and it is estimated that there are over 2 million medical coders in the United States alone.
The field of medicine encompasses a wide variety of subjects and disciplines. A physician can choose to specialize in any one of these fields, and the subfields themselves can further be divided into even more specific areas of study. Qualifications, aptitude and preference are just some of the factors that will affect a person’s choice of medical specialty. Anatomy is the study of the components of the human body – including muscles, bones and skin. It is a foundational field for many of the other branches of medicine, such as pathology, which studies diseases and the morphologic, physiologic changes that they cause. Pathology is also the basis for much of modern scientific medical knowledge and many laboratory tests (such as cytology, immunohistochemistry, polymerase chain reaction, chromosome mapping, fluorescent in situ hybridization, cell flow cytometry and microscopy) are considered to be part of pathology. Clinical pharmacology is the study of pharmaceutical medications and how they work to treat illnesses and diseases. It is an important field for the development of new drugs and the understanding of the side effects that may be associated with current medications. Environmental medicine is the branch that deals with the relationship between human health and the environment – the interaction between humans and their surroundings, as well as non-human animals and the planet itself. It is closely related to conservation medicine, ecological medicine and wilderness medicine. Disaster medicine, diving medicine and aerospace medicine are also all part of this field. Gender-based medicine is concerned with the biological and physiological differences between the sexes, which affect the incidence of different diseases. Nutrition is the study of food and how it affects our bodies; it is an important component of preventive medicine. Pathology and pharmacology are both involved in drug testing, which is often part of the diagnostic process. Radiology is the use of X-rays and other scanning devices in the diagnosis of illness; it is also used as part of treatment. The list of medical fields is nearly endless. Some of the more common ones include: A person can choose to get a job in a medical field by getting a degree from an accredited school that offers degrees in either nursing or medical assisting. Medical assisting programs usually give students training in clinical procedures and record keeping, as well as in how to help run the day-to-day operations of a doctor’s office or clinic. Nursing programs typically take four years to complete and are a good option for people interested in becoming nurses. A person can also become a medical coder, which is the translation of physician documentation into medical codes that can be understood by computers to determine payments from insurance companies. Medical coding is not an easy job, and it requires a strong understanding of anatomy, physiology and medical terminology to be successful. Medical coding is an important aspect of the healthcare industry, and it is estimated that there are over 2 million medical coders in the United States alone.