Medical Specialties Difference in Life

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what medical specialties y'all think make most difference in patients lives or have most grateful patient. Greatest job satisfaction. They all make difference in lives of patients.

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Colorectal surgeons.

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They all make differences in their own ways. I don't think there is any specialty that doesn't really make any sort of impact on the lives of the people that they're working with. I think a better question is which do you find more engaging and rewarding?
 
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Immediate difference? Something like ortho or bread and butter general surgery probably. Long term difference? Probably FM. Every specialty has varying degrees of this and in different ways.
 
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Medical oncologists consistently have some of the highest patient satisfaction scores of any specialty. Their patients think very highly of them and really view their oncologists as their lifelines. As far as which specialties make the greatest difference in terms of patient quality of life, I would argue that rheumatologists are high on the list. Rheumatic diseases often strike young, otherwise-healthy people and cause a great deal of pain and premature disability. Fortunately, rheumatic diseases are getting more and more treatable, so a good rheumatologist can really change the trajectory of someone's life.
 
Your own satisfaction is a function of your interests and your personality. I know born surgeons, and surgeons that despise every hour of their working day. There are internists who reach orgasm at the most seemingly minute piece of clinical data, and internists who are bored out their skulls.

In terms of "making a difference", that's also a subjective thing. A public health doctor can theoretically save millions of lives. A family doctor that's engaged with his or her patients can make a massive difference, particularly if they work with the poor.

Gratitude from patients is the only one of your questions with a somewhat predictable answer, though the answers might change between jurisdictions. Heart surgeons, for example, will almost always be put on a pedestal by their patients. Oncologists walk on water, depending on their practice patters. Family doctors are always valued, especially in rural areas. Psychiatry, however, is not a field to go into if you're looking for patient gratitude. Maybe they do okay in private practice, but psychiatrists dealing with bipolar or psychotic illnesses will never get chocolates at Christmas.
 
what specific medical specialties have the most longitivity of care? That may tie in with job satisfaction.
 
what specific medical specialties have the most longitivity of care? That may tie in with job satisfaction.

Family medicine, Medical Oncology, and Psychiatry are the obvious ones, but many people see the same Internist or OB/Gyn for years, and Pediatricians in some jurisdictions are primary care doctors for kids.
 
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