Infectious Diseases Physician - Career Profile |
Career OverviewThe responsibilities of an infectious diseases physician include the treatment and prevention of communicable disease in all aspects of the population. This means that an infectious diseases physician may work in close communication with infectious diseases physicians from around the world helping to resolve issues in other countries and locations so that they do not become a health concern in areas not currently affected.
The infectious diseases physician usually works as part of a team that is created to handle outbreaks of communicable diseases and prevent future outbreaks or contamination of the population.
Some of the conditions that an infectious diseases physician may work with are hepatitis, HIV conditions, influenza, and diseases that are specific to international locations. An infectious diseases physician can help those individuals planning on traveling to foreign countries to determine what vaccinations they may require before they leave.
An infectious diseases physician is usually a doctor in internal medicine that has specialized in infectious diseases. This means that while they will predominantly work with the patient on curing and treating the disease and preventing the spread of the disease they can also assist with the overall health of the patient.
An infectious diseases physician is well educated in testing for and identifying all kinds of infectious diseases including those carried by direct contact, foods, water or air. An infectious diseases physician has to have a keen attention to detail and a creative and logical mind to help eliminate contaminants and be able to trace back infectious disease outbreaks. They are also very active in public education around the spread of various diseases, including but not limited to HIV/AIDS.
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Career RequirementsTo become an infectious diseases physician a doctor must complete the full 8-year combination of undergrad and graduate training. After this there is a residency and additional training requirement of two to three years. At this time the infectious diseases physician focuses on learning about infections disease mechanisms, antibiotics, and drug treatment therapies as well as preventive education.
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Job OutlookThe demand for knowledgeable, skilled and experienced infectious diseases physicians will continue to increase as populations become more mobile and the risk of larger outbreaks of diseases becomes more prevalent. Many health organizations and other agencies now employ infectious diseases physicians to work both as treating physicians but also as educators and specialists in the area of infectious disease treatment and identification.
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Career TrackAn infectious diseases physician has the potential to work internationally or nationally, although most infectious diseases physicians are located in major metropolitan areas. Some infectious diseases physicians may choose to work as consultants to research and pharmaceutical companies or may also move into direct research themselves.
Some infectious diseases physician may move into government positions working with public safety and health departments on federal, state and local levels.
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CompensationThe average yearly income for an infectious diseases physician is $170,000 to $200,000 per year. As stated above most infectious diseases physicians also work in other medical treatment areas while some do solely work in the area of infectious disease control and treatment. Usually those infectious diseases physicians working in more than one specialization with have higher average incomes.
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