Orthopedics – Explore What this Medical Field is All About

From broken bones to a pulled muscle, working in orthopedics is an interesting specialization. This type of medical doctor works with other doctors to help treat certain bone injuries and more. If you’ve ever had to wear a cast or brace, you most likely had to see this type of physician for treatment. Discover what’s in store for you when working in this field.

What they do
Basically if you want to make a career in the orthopedics arena, be prepared to work on a variety of issues as they relate to the human skeleton. This can be anything from bone diseases, broken bones, the spine, hands, feet and more. In addition, you’ll need to know about the muscles, joints and tendons as well. Once you’ve been through school, you may decide to specialize in a certain area. Maybe you like to work with kids, so you could concentrate on pediatrics. Or if you’re a sports fan, maybe you’d like to deal with sports medicine with a focus on sports-related injuries such as sprained ankles, broken legs, torn ligaments and more.

Education
As with any field of medicine, going to school in orthopedics requires you to endure many years of college. Typically, you should be ready to go through approximately 14 to 15 years of school once you graduate from high school. This is assuming you go straight through. If you start and stop, your schooling will be even longer. You’ll need to not only do well in your undergraduate courses, but also in medical school. Furthermore, years of training and residency are required, plus it is mandatory to pass a state exam in order to get your license to practice in that particular state.

Types of treatments
When working in orthopedics, there are many ways to treat an injury or problem. All of them do not require the patient to get a cast. Some treatments are as simple as prescribing medications that help reduce pain and inflammation. These medications can also be used to increase healing time for a certain injury. In addition, some patients will benefit from wearing braces or splints to help their injury heal correctly. Other ways to treat patients can involve sending them out to other health professionals. This can mean suggesting the patient get physical therapy to help heal and strengthen muscles as well as improve range of motion and balance.

Work environment
There are various locations where a person that specializes in orthopedics can work. You could choose to run your own office. You’ll need to hire staff, deal with insurance, patients’ records and billing. You can hire an office manager to help with these duties. On the other hand, you may choose to work in an office or medical facility that houses a variety of doctors. Whatever you decide, the biggest thing to consider is how well you deal with people. Your patients are not only looking to you for your expertise, but they also want a doctor that has a pleasant demeanor. If this sounds like you, then this field of study may be a perfect fit.