A medical specialty is a branch of medical practice that is focused on a defined group of patients, diseases, skills, or philosophy. Examples include those branches of medicine that deal exclusively with children (pediatrics), cancer (oncology), laboratory medicine (e.g. pathology), or primary care (family medicine). After completing medical school or another form of basic training, physicians or surgeons and other clinicians usually further their medical education in a specific specialty of medicine by completing a multiple-year residency to become a specialist.
History To a certain extent, medical practitioners have long been specialized. According to Galen, specialization was common among Roman physicians. The particular system of modern medical specialties evolved gradually during the 19th century. Informal social recognition of medical specialization evolved before the formal legal system. The particular subdivision of the practice of medicine into various specialties varies from country to country, and is somewhat arbitrary.
Classification Medical specialties can be classified along several axes. These are: Surgical or internal medicine Age range of patients Diagnostic or therapeutic Organ-based or technique-based
Throughout history, the most important has been the division into surgical and internal medicine specialties. The surgical specialties are those in which an important part of diagnosis and treatment is achieved through major surgical techniques. The internal medicine specialties are the specialties in which the main diagnosis and treatment is never major surgery. In some countries, anesthesiology is classified as a surgical discipline, since it is vital in the surgical process, though anesthesiologists never perform major surgery themselves.
Many specialties are organ-based. Many symptoms and diseases come from a particular organ. Others are based mainly around a set of techniques, such as radiology, which was originally based around X-rays.
The age range of patients seen by any given specialist can be quite variable. Pediatricians handle most complaints and diseases in children that do not require surgery, and there are several subspecialties (formally or informally) in pediatrics that mimic the organ-based specialties in adults. Pediatric surgery may or may not be a separate specialty that handles some kinds of surgical complaints in children.
A further subdivision is the diagnostic versus therapeutic specialties. While the diagnostic process is of great importance in all specialties, some specialists perform mainly or only diagnostic examinations, such as pathology, clinical neurophysiology, and radiology. This line is becoming somewhat blurred with interventional radiology, an evolving field that uses image expertise to perform minimally invasive procedures.
Specialties that are common worldwide Specialty May be subspecialty of Age rangeof patientsDiagnostic (D) ortherapeutic (T)specialtySurgical (S) orinternal medicine (I)specialtyOrgan-based (O)or technique-based (T) Allergy and immunology Internal medicinePediatrics All Both I O Adolescent medicine PediatricsFamily medicinePediatric Both I T Anesthesiology None All T Both Both Aerospace medicine Family Medicine All Both Neither Both Bariatrics Several All Both Both Both Cardiology Internal medicine Adults T I O Cardiothoracic surgery General surgery Adults T S O Child and adolescent psychiatry Psychiatry Pediatric T I T Clinical neurophysiology Neurology All D I Both Colorectal surgery General surgery All Both S O Dermatology None All T I O Developmental pediatrics Pediatrics Pediatric T I Neither Emergency medicine Family medicine All Both Both Both Endocrinology Internal medicine Adults Both I Multidisciplinary Family medicine None All Both Both Multidisciplinary Forensic pathology Pathology All D Neither T Forensic psychiatry Psychiatry All D I T Gastroenterology Internal medicine Adults T I O General surgery None Adults T S T Surgical oncology General surgery Oncology Adults T S T Geriatrics Family medicineInternal medicine Geriatric T I Multidisciplinary Geriatric psychiatry GeriatricsPsychiatry Geriatric T I Neither Gynecologic oncology Obstetrics and gynecology All T S O Hematology Internal medicine Adults Both I Neither Hematologic pathology HematologyPathology All D Neither T Infectious disease Internal medicinePediatrics All Both I Neither Internal medicine None Adults Both I Neither Interventional radiology Radiology All Both - Multidisciplinary Intensive care medicine AnesthesiologyEmergency medicineInternal medicine All T Both Both Maternal-fetal medicine Obstetrics and gynecology Adults T S Both Medical biochemistry Internal medicine All D I Neither Medical genetics None All D I Neither Medical oncology Internal medicine Adults Both I Neither Neonatology Pediatrics Neonatal T I Neither Nephrology Internal medicine All T I O Neurology Internal medicine All Both I O Neuropathology Pathology All D Neither T Neuropsychiatry Psychiatry All Both I T Neurosurgery None All T S O Nuclear medicine (nucleology) None All Both I T Obstetrics and gynecology Family medicine All T S O Occupational medicine Family medicineInternal medicine Adults T I Multidisciplinary Ophthalmology None All T S O Orthopedic surgery None All T S O Oral and maxillofacial surgery None All T S O Otorhinolaryngology None All T S O Palliative care Family medicineEmergency medicineInternal medicinePediatrics All Both Neither Neither Pathology None All D Neither T Pediatrics None Pediatric Both I Neither Pediatric allergy and immunology PediatricsAllergy and immunology Pediatric T I O Pediatric cardiology PediatricsCardiology Pediatric T I O Pediatric emergency medicine PediatricsEmergency medicine Pediatric Both Both Both Pediatric endocrinology PediatricsEndocrinology Pediatric Both I Multidisciplinary Pediatric gastroenterology PediatricsGastroenterology Pediatric T I O Pediatric hematology and oncology PediatricsHematologyOncology Pediatric T I O Pediatric infectious disease PediatricsInfectious disease Pediatric T I O Pediatric nephrology PediatricsNephrology Pediatric T I O Pediatric respiratory medicine PediatricsRespiratory medicine Pediatric T I O Pediatric rheumatology PediatricsRheumatology Pediatric T I O Pediatric surgery General surgery Pediatric T S O Physical medicine and rehabilitation None All T I Multidisciplinary Plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery General surgery All T S O Psychiatry Family medicine All Both I T Public health Family medicine All Neither Neither T Radiation oncology None All T Neither T Radiology None All Both I T Reproductive endocrinology and infertility Obstetrics and gynecology Adults T S T Pulmunology or Respiratory medicine Internal medicine Adults T I O Rheumatology Internal medicine Adults T I Neither Sports medicine Family medicine All Both Neither Multidisciplinary Thoracic surgery General surgery Adults T S TToxicologyEmergency MedicineAllBothNeitherOTransfusion Medicine Hematology All Both Neither Both Neuroradiology Radiology All Both I Both Urology None All T S O Vascular surgery General surgery All T S O
List of specialties recognized in the European Union and European Economic Area The European Union publishes a list of specialties recognized in the European Union, and by extension, the European Economic Area. There is substantial overlap between some of the specialties and it is likely that for example "Clinical radiology" and "Radiology" refer to a large degree to the same pattern of practice across Europe.
Accident and emergency medicine Allergist Anaesthetics Cardiology Child psychiatry Clinical biology Clinical chemistry Clinical microbiology Clinical neurophysiology Craniofacial surgery Dermatology Endocrinology Family and General Medicine Gastroenterologic surgery Gastroenterology General Practice General surgery Geriatrics Hematology Immunology Infectious diseases Internal medicine Laboratory medicine Nephrology Neuropsychiatry Neurology Neurosurgery Nuclear medicine Obstetrics and gynaecology Occupational medicine Oncology Ophthalmology Oral and maxillofacial surgery Orthopaedics Otorhinolaryngology Paediatric surgery Paediatrics Pathology Pharmacology Physical medicine and rehabilitation Plastic surgery Podiatric surgery Preventive medicine Psychiatry Public health Radiation Oncology Radiology Respiratory medicine Rheumatology Stomatology Thoracic surgery Tropical medicine Urology Vascular surgery Venereology
List of North American medical specialties and others In this table, as in many healthcare arenas, medical specialties are organized into the following groups: Surgical specialties focus on manually operative and instrumental techniques to treat disease. Medical specialties that focus on the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of disease. Diagnostic specialties focus more purely on diagnosis of disorders. Specialty Code Group Sub-specialties Focus Allergy and immunology Allergic reactions, asthma, and the immune system. Anesthesiology AN, PAN SurgeryPediatric anesthesia Pain management Intensive care Critical care Obstetrics and gynaecology Cardiothoracic anesthesiology Trauma care Pre- and Post-Operative Assessment and Care Generalist (covers all the sub-specialties) Anesthesia Bariatrics Deals with the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity. Cardiology Medicine Interventional cardiology Echocardiography Electrocardiography Sports cardiology Cardiogeriatrics Preventive cardiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation Pediatric cardiology Disease of the cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular surgery Surgery The operation of heart and major blood vessels of the chest. Clinical laboratory sciences DiagnosticTransfusion medicine is concerned with the transfusion of blood and blood component, including the maintenance of a "blood bank". Cellular pathology is concerned with diagnosis using samples from patients taken as tissues and cells using histology and cytology. Clinical chemistry is concerned with diagnosis by making biochemical analysis of blood, body fluids, and tissues. Hematology is concerned with diagnosis by looking at changes in the cellular composition of the blood and bone marrow as well as the coagulation system in the blood. Clinical microbiology is concerned with the in vitro diagnosis of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Clinical immunology is concerned with disorders of the immune system and related body defenses. It also deals with diagnosis of allergy. Application of diagnostic techniques in medical laboratories such as assays, microscope analysis. Dermatology D, DS Medicine Dermatology, Mohs surgery Skin and its appendages (hair, nails, sweat glands etc.). Dietetics RDFood and nutrition Emergency medicine EM MedicineDisaster medicine Emergency medical services Hospice and palliative medicine International Emergency Medicine and Global Health Medical toxicology Pediatric emergency medicine Research Simulation Sports medicine Toxicology Ultrasound Undersea and hyperbaric medicine Wilderness medicine The initial management of emergent medical conditions, often in hospital emergency departments or the field. Endocrinology Medicine The endocrine system (i.e., endocrine glands and hormones) and its diseases, including diabetes and thyroid diseases. Family medicine FM MedicineAddiction medicine Adolescent medicine Anesthesia Emergency medicine Care of the elderly (geriatric medicine) Clinical environmental health Global health HIV care Hospital medicine Indigenous health Low-risk obstetrics Medical education Medical oncology Medical simulation Pain medicine Palliative care Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Research Sleep medicine Sports and exercise medicine