Allopathic Medicine Profession Overview

What Does a Physician (M.D.) Do?

Allopathic medicine is based on the concept that the biology of diseases can be understood by reducing the body to its parts, organs, tissues, and systems. Medications and treatments are developed and prescribed based on biomedical research and systematic clinical trials.  The allopathic physician's responsibilities cover a wide range of functions in the maintenance of health and the treatment of disease, including both acute and chronic care and preventive approaches involving substantial patient education. These include diagnosing disease, supervising the care of patients, prescribing medications and other treatments, and participating in the delivery of health care. Although most physicians provide direct patient care, some concentrate on basic or applied research, become teachers and/or administrators, or combine various elements of these activities.

 

While there are several different types of physicians, they can usually be divided into three broad categories:

• Primary care physicians are the doctors patient usually visit most frequently. They treat a wide range of illnesses and regularly provide preventive care, and they also enjoy long-term relationships with their patients. Pediatricians, family practitioners and general internists are primary care physicians.
• Surgeons perform operations to treat diseases and repair injuries.
• Specialists have expertise related to specific diseases as well as body parts, organs, and systems. Cardiologists, Oncologists, Neurologists, and ophthalmologists are examples of specialists. View the AAMC’s Careers in Medicine website for more information and links concerning various specialties in medicine.

From (AAMC - Deciding on a Career in Medicine)

 

Academic Requirements

After completion of four years of medical school physicians are required to complete a residency program in order to focus their medical training. Areas of specialties include anesthesiology, family and general medicine, general internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, surgery and vary in length. There are over 140 allopathic medical schools in the United States that grant the Medical Doctor (M.D.) degree. Education generally includes a bachelor's degree, four years of medical school, and from 3-8 years of medical residency training.

From (https://explorehealthcareers.org/career/medicine/allopathic-physician-m-d/)