What does a gastroenterologist's training include?
A gastroenterologist's training includes a four-year college degree, followed by four years of medical school. After that, he or she will need a three-year residency in internal medicine. After that, if desired, they can continue their education to become a gastroenterologist.
For that, prospective gastroenterologists complete a gastroenterology fellowship lasting two or three years. During this time, a physician who has picked this specialty learns to diagnose and treat disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. When they train, physicians learn about conditions that might be seen either in an office setting or in a hospital setting. Gastroenterologists are also trained in such specialized procedures as colonoscopies.
What that means, is that a gastroenterologist has undergone at least 13 years of formal training before being awarded the formal title of gastroenterologist. It should be noted that gastroenterology is fiercely competitive in the medical profession, so slots are rare and anyone who gets a gastroenterology degree is very qualified indeed.
What conditions should a gastroenterologist expected to diagnose and treat?
Any gastroenterologist certified by the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery has to be proficient at diagnosing and treating both common and rarer conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, including conditions ranging from the relatively benign such as acid reflux disease, hepatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, polyps, colon cancer, rectal cancer, and diseases of the pancreas, liver and surrounding digestive organs as well. It should be noted that if the gastroenterologist discovers conditions that he or she suspects may be cancer, a patient is usually passed on to another specialist called an oncologist, who specifically diagnoses and treats certain types of cancers.
Is a career as a gastroenterologist right for me?
A career choice in gastroenterology is different for everyone. You have to be a physician before you can actually specialize in gastroenterology. Usually, you're going to be several years into your training before the subject of specialty comes up, and at that point, you can make a choice of gastroenterology as a career if you wish. However, gastroenterology can be a fascinating career since it deals with some of the most basic human functions, including eating and digestion, elimination, and disorders pertaining to the involved organs.
Most of the time, gastroenterology can be quite the rewarding career, because a lot of the disorders gastroenterologists diagnose and treat are eminently manageable and even curable. This makes it is a much easier career to manage in some cases than someone who specializes in certain types of oncology.
Before you even choose a career in gastroenterology, you have to choose a career in the medical field specifically as a physician. In this case, not only do you have to have the clinical and medical expertise to do your job, but you also have to have good people skills. Patients who come to you are invariably not feeling well and in some cases are extremely sick and scared. This means that you need to have a very reassuring bedside manner so that you can help them manage their feelings about their diseases as well as the actual treatment of the disease itself. And of course, you're going to have some very unpleasant situations to deal with, sometimes emotional; this means that you're going to have to have a strong emotional constitution so it will be easier to handle high stress and sometimes difficult situations with patients.
Another thing you have to have invariably as a gastroenterologist is a strong stomach yourself (no pun intended). As a gastroenterologist, you're going to be dealing with parts of the body that have some very unsavory excretions, sights and smells. However, that's true of much of what happens in the medical field, so if you are a doctor you probably already have this somewhat overlooked skill.
What can a gastroenterologist expect to make in salary?
Salaries for gastroenterologists range from $200,000 to $300,000 per year, depending on location. This sounds like a very good salary (and it is), but you should also remember that gastroenterologists as all physicians do pay malpractice insurance and other types of insurance in order to practice, which offsets the high salary somewhat. Nonetheless, it's a very rewarding and lucrative career.
In conclusion, Gastroenterology can be a very rewarding career for you if you have a penchant and a talent for being a doctor. It's one of the most competitive and lucrative careers in medicine. It does take up to 13 years of study to complete gastroenterology training, but provides an endless interesting career path for you, if it's something you are interested in.
