Specialties serving mostly the elderly?

[nychila]

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I would like to work a predominately elderly patient population - in which specialties is this the norm? Aside from the obvious geriatrics, I would think cardiology, nephrology, neurology, rheumatology, and orthopedic hip replacements.

 

[taco bell]

ophthalmology, esp if you're only doing cataracts

 

[Cinclus]

There are a lot of elderly people, so I have to imagine that anything that isn't peds will have its fair share of elderly. But I would definitely agree with nephro and cardio. Critical care/pulmonology also seems to have a lot of elderly patients, based on the ICUs I've seen.

 

[Law2Doc]

I would like to work a predominately elderly patient population - in which specialties is this the norm? Aside from the obvious geriatrics, I would think cardiology, nephrology, neurology, rheumatology, and orthopedic hip replacements.

Urology is disproportionately older as well.

 

[sylvanthus]

There are even geriatric EDs in the works.

 

[hurdlepup]

....oops, duplicate!

 

[hurdlepup]

ophthalmology, esp if you're only doing cataracts

Retina specialists are heavily focused on the older crowd, especially with the ability to treat wet AMD. Also glaucoma specialists have an older patient population. Both probably more so than a comprehensive ophthalmologist, who would be the main cataract guy/gal, but should be seeing a lot more than cataracts!


I would also add that your primary care internist also will be seeing a greater proportion of older patients as that's who gets sick more often.

 

[KinasePro]

Log into AAMC Careers in medicine and surf around, they have patient age breakdown for each specialty.

 

[Anastomoses]

While we're all here...is there a specialty which particularly serves the...handsome nubile younger male crowd? Besides ortho...I'm really not into that. Anything else?

 

[deleted547339]

Everything but OB/gyn, peds and peds surg.

 

[disorder]

ob/gyn- depending on sub-specialty, mainly younger "healthy" women unless you count pregnancy as a sickness (urogyn- mainly elderly...)
peds- obvious

 

[Geebeejay]

Most patients are elderly across the board. Obviously geriatrics, and I'm also guessing urology, IM/oncology, Ortho, Pulmonology and maybe Neuro have more significant proportions of elderly patients....I think Cardiology may be a bit younger than you think, but there will also be plenty of elderly.

 

[GUH]

While we're all here...is there a specialty which particularly serves the...handsome nubile younger male crowd? Besides ortho...I'm really not into that. Anything else?

sports medicine?
pediatric psych?

 

[SilverCat]

I would like to work a predominately elderly patient population - in which specialties is this the norm? Aside from the obvious geriatrics, I would think cardiology, nephrology, neurology, rheumatology, and orthopedic hip replacements.

Don't forget gastroenterology. 🙂

sports medicine?
pediatric psych?

And PMR

 

[badasshairday]

Basically every patient is old in the hospital.

 

[yehhhboiii]

gi, thoracic surgery and oncology come to mind

 

[PTPoeny]

Rheum has a lot of people in their 20s- 40s with lupus and RA. My family med rotation had a higher % elderly people than my rheum rotation.

 

[badasshairday]

Rheum has a lot of people in their 20s- 40s with lupus and RA. My family med rotation had a higher % elderly people than my rheum rotation.

This is true.

Cardiology is a geriatrics specialty these days. Sure you will get the middle aged guy with STEMI that you intervene on, but then they eventually get heart failure down the road. CHF is huge, and it is all a bunch of all people with CAD and systolic CHF.

GI, is pretty variable, though the majority of your practice will be 50 and up given malignancy screening starts at 50. But it is variable because you also get a lot of young women with functional abdominal symptoms like IBS. Though i'm sure that isn't what most people going into GI find exciting. GI bleeds on 30-50 year old alcoholics gives the variety.

Urology, old dudes with BPH.

Optho, cataracts on the medicare crowd. Retina taking care of DM retinopathy on oldies as well as macular degeneration.

Neph, lots of old people with long standing hx of DM/HTN on HD.

Pulm/Critical Care: bunch of old people in the unit who should have filled out advanced directives.

Radiology: reading all the studies ordered on all the old sick people all day.

I can go on.

I say some of this tongue and cheek, but it isn't too far from the truth. The group who utilizes the most healthcare are the medicare population.

 

[Anastomoses]

pediatric psych? whoa...I didn't mean that young. No peds.

 

[spartanmd2015]

wow, definitely read the thread title as 'servicing', instead of 'serving'. I was fearfully anticipating to read something along the lines of a classified's ad from a gigolo with possible necrophiliac tendencies. clearly someone needs a break from UWorld and to turn down the Goljan...

 

[WDeagle]

I would like to work a predominately elderly patient population - in which specialties is this the norm? Aside from the obvious geriatrics, I would think cardiology, nephrology, neurology, rheumatology, and orthopedic hip replacements.

Which specialty will you see predominantly elderly patients? All of them except pediatrics.

 

[docisin]

Basically every patient is old in the hospital.

or feels like they are old ... LMAO Which I sure do as a pt and soon to be a PA 😛

 

[Kahreek]

unless you are focusing on peds, you will have your share of old people in almost any speciality that deals with people.

But from the rotations i had IM and FM have plenty of oppurtonities for you to focus on old people only.
Well FM is kind of awkard you will get any age there, even the unborn ones. I think IM is 75% old people, 20%adults, 5% young adults.

 

[The Buff OP]

gastroenterology

 

[FunnyCurrent]

I would like to work a predominately elderly patient population - in which specialties is this the norm? Aside from the obvious geriatrics, I would think cardiology, nephrology, neurology, rheumatology, and orthopedic hip replacements.

Geriatrics
Palliative Care (working in a nursing home)