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Allergy and Immunology Physician |
Career OverviewOver 50 million Americans suffer from chronic allergic and immunologic diseases. According to data collected in 1994 by the Centers of Disease Control, over 14 million people suffer from asthma, and approximately 9% of the American population suffers from allergic, rhinitis, and hay fever. Approximately 35 million Americans suffer from chronic sinusitis.
Allergy and immunology physicians specialize in diagnosis and treatment of common allergies and the more than 70 forms of primary immune deficiency conditions. Primary immune deficiency conditions affect more people than leukaemia and lymphoma combined, so the work of allergy and immunology physicians to provide direct patient care, community outreach, and research into allergies and immunology is extremely important to the promotion of the health of the general population.
Allergists and immunologists are physicians certified in either internal medicine or pediatrics. They have completed at least an additional two years of training in allergy and immunology as part of an accredited training program. They must also pass the standard examination given by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology (ABAI).
One of the most interesting details about allergy and immunology at present is the rapidly changing face of the workforce that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from acute or chronic allergic and immunologic disorders.
The field is rapidly becoming more diverse in terms of the demographics of the people it attracts. There is a growing number of female physicians practicing in the field. Not to mention a growing representation of minority and international community members.
The body that governs the field, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, also reports that there are not enough specialists at present to fill the positions of allergists and immunologists who are of retiring age. Not only are there ample opportunities for employment within the field, but there is evidence that the need for specialists is rising.
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Career RequirementsAllergy and immunology physicians must fulfil the education and experience requirements established by federal and state government to practice medicine.
For entry into any education program to become a specialist allergy and immunology, a doctor of education degree is required from an approved school of medicine. It is often mandatory that candidates complete at least five years of graduate medical education in allergy and immunology before practicing independently.
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Job OutlookMany health care insurance plan providers are under considerable pressure from customers and physicians to increase patient access to specialists. A report published in June 2000 by SUNY-Albany's Center for Health Workforce Studies also forecasts a severe shortage of allergy and immunology physicians by the year 2010 unless there is a dramatic increase in the number of graduating physicians who decide to specialize in the field.
This said, the job outlook for allergy and immunology physicians is extremely promising. The field is a diverse one, offering qualified medical doctors the opportunity to deal directly with patients, act as policy makers and consultants to promote education and awareness of allergic and immunologic diseases, and to be at the forefront of cutting edge research in the treatment of allergies, asthmas, and immunologic disorders that affect literally millions of people in the United States alone.
The field looks set to remain particularly lucrative, dynamic, and open to qualified and enthusiastic graduates of medical schools.
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Career TrackSpecializing in allergies and immunology is proving to be both a rewarding and challenging career move for medical doctors. Many allergists and immunologists choose careers as clinicians, either in private practice or in teaching hospital clinics.
Many others are, however, involved in primary research into allergic and immunologic disorders in medical schools, in government laboratories, or in industries, such as pharmacology, that have a decided interest in reducing the overwhelming of people with chronic allergies or immunological diseases.
Those allergy and immunology specialist physicians, who decide to work in academia, frequently combine patient care with teaching and research. The special educational pathways for this type of career are well outlined and defined in this particular field. More information is available from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) at www.abim.org.
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CompensationThe average reported salary for a typical allergy and immunology phsycian in the United States is approximately $172,000 per year. Depending upon their qualifications and experience, most allergy and immunology physicians in the United States earn between $100,000 and $200,000.
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