Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physician |
Career OverviewA physical medicine and rehabilitation physician works with conditions and problems with the muscular and skeletal systems. A physical medicine and rehabilitation physician not only responds to emergency needs but also helps diagnose and treat chronic conditions and injuries. Some of the conditions that a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician works with are:
- Back pains
- Fibromyalgia
- Cardiac disorders
- Spinal cord injury
- Muscle pains and spasms
- Sciatica
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
In addition a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician responds and treats patients that have been in motor vehicle accidents, sports accidents and those with acute or chronic pain. Often the physical medicine and rehabilitation physician is also responsible for treating brain injuries caused by trauma or accident, swelling and joint displacement, or even assisting with degenerative diseases such as arthritis and neurological disorders.
A physical medicine and rehabilitation physician is often part of a treatment team in situations where there has been an accident, or may be solely responsible for treating patients with chronic muscle or skeletal disorders.
One of the main components of a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician is to help the patient work on rehabilitation through physiotherapy, pain management and drug therapies. The overall goal for most physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians is to help the patient achieve the highest possible function of the affected area of the body. This is often a very long-term process and the physical medicine and rehabilitation physician will work with the same patient over a long period of time.
|
Career RequirementsThe American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is recognized as one of the groups within the American Board of Medical Specializations.
To become a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician the student must first complete an undergraduate and graduate degree in medicine. He or she then completes a four-year post-graduate residency focusing on issues regarding the musculoskeletal systems.
Upon completion of the residency he or she must successfully complete both written and oral examinations to be granted the title of physical medicine and rehabilitation physician.
|
Advertisement
|
Job OutlookPhysical medicine and rehabilitation physicians are more frequently being called upon to act as treatment team members in a variety of cases. Some sports teams are also hiring physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians to work with sports medicine physicians on pain management and successful rehabilitation of athletes.
The United States Department of Labor reports that the demand for physicians will increase at a higher than average rate for the next several years. It is estimated that this trend will continue until 2014.
|
Career TrackA physical medicine and rehabilitation physician may choose to specialize in one specific area of physical medicine and rehabilitation such as spinal injury, pain management or trauma conditions. In addition specialized or general physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians may open their own practices or work specifically for a research facility.
|
CompensationSalary range for a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician ranges from $187,000 to over $300,000 per year. Those physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians in larger centers or those that are affiliated with bigger surgical or specialized hospitals or treatment centers will earn the highest salaries while those working as salaried specialists will earn the lower end of the salary scale.
|