Best Specialties for addressing needs of underserved populations...?

[Mariko]

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opinions? 🙂

 

[dutchman]

peds,family practice, internal medicine, emergency medicine

 

[DoctorFunk]

Dermatology.

 

[njbmd]

Any specialty can address the needs of underserved populations. The underserved do not have any medical needs that differ from the general population. They have limited access to good medical care. At times, they may need any medical specialist that non-underserved folks might need.

You can go into any specialty and choose to work with the underserved. It more of a location situation rather than a population situation.

I have friends who choose to spend a day a month working in the free clinics. They are dermatologists, plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists (pain specialist), orthopedic surgeons, general surgeons and other.

 

[DoctorFunk]

Any specialty can address the needs of underserved populations. The underserved do not have any medical needs that differ from the general population. They have limited access to good medical care. At times, they may need any medical specialist that non-underserved folks might need.

Any specialty might be able to help, but I would imagine you would be more useful serving the underserved in primary care. In a population where access to drugs and interventional procedures is minimal at best, a strong dose of preventive care and management of chronic conditions like diabetes is of paramount importance.

 

[simpler2]

Family Medicine is the most versatile for addressing the variety of needs in the underserved populations but if you really want to make an impact I think a decent training in preventive medicine and focus on advocacy is the key. Regardless of your specialty pulling babies out of the river downstream is much less effective than stopping whoever is putting them in upstream.

 

[Monica Lewinsky]

Any specialty might be able to help, but I would imagine you would be more useful serving the underserved in primary care. In a population where access to drugs and interventional procedures is minimal at best, a strong dose of preventive care and management of chronic conditions like diabetes is of paramount importance.

The question shouldn't be what specialty, but where to establish that will be viable while serving such populations. Infectious disease specialists are necessary for proper management of HIV-positive populations and in most American cities, this patient population consists mostly of the indigent. Likewise primary care physicians in affluent suburbs see few underserved patients.

The point should be that all physicians (yes even plastics) do have something to bring to the table. How one operates their practice is what dictates the amount of underserved patients that get care.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Any specialty can address the needs of underserved populations. The underserved do not have any medical needs that differ from the general population. They have limited access to good medical care. At times, they may need any medical specialist that non-underserved folks might need.

You can go into any specialty and choose to work with the underserved. It more of a location situation rather than a population situation.

I have friends who choose to spend a day a month working in the free clinics. They are dermatologists, plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists (pain specialist), orthopedic surgeons, general surgeons and other.

Agreed. Few more points:

1. It is true that everyone can help out. In fact you might find a much more rewarding/satisfying career amongst the underserved if you do something where you can actually get paid enough to afford to give away your services for free. If you want to be the Family Doc to the Poor you might find it pretty hard to keep the lights on in the building.

2. I would not use this as any sort of test by which to decide your specialty. Do whatever you like the best and then find a way to incorporate charitable work.

 

[bcat85]

You guys are way more altruistic than I am, I have to admire that. I think the above is correct though. I think that any specialty can serve the "underserved."

 

[mjl1717]

opinions? 🙂

Must say and add Ob/GYN since they should be able to handle OTHER then low risk deliveries..I could see a big part of ObGyns job being preventive medicine... Preventive medicine is a BIG deal here..
Although, even if one is rich, it doesnt mean they want to or know how to prevent dis- ease...👍

 

[167649]

As said just about all fields are needed for the "underserved." But if I had to take a swing, I would say infectious disease. By the nature of the field a great deal of your patients are going to be underserved.