Careers in Rheumatology
Rheumatology as a medical field is growing rapidly. In the United States, the “Baby Boomer” generation has reached middle age. Many of the conditions and diseases that fall into the realm of rheumatology begin to make themselves known in middle age and continue into old age. Many job forecasters predict that careers in rheumatology will continue to grow exponentially in the years to come.
What is Rheumatology?
Rheumatology is the study of diseases and conditions involving the musculoskeletal system - more specifically the joints in the body. Rheumatology encompasses over 100 different types of arthritis in addition to other chronic joint diseases. A rheumatologist is a specialist in this area of study treating patients in both an inpatient and outpatient basis. Other related diseases and conditions that a rheumatologist might treat include:
- Lupus
- Fibromyalgia
- Relapsing polychondritis
- Frozen shoulder
- Reticulohistiocytosis
What is Required to become a Rheumatologist?
Rheumatologists are medical doctors and therefore must obtain an M.D. Rheumatology is considered a subspecialty of internal medicine. After the physician completes his requirements for becoming an internist, they must complete fellowship training in rheumatology. Rheumatologist, like other physicians, must be board certified in order to begin practicing in this specialized area of medicine. In addition to education requirements, there are certain personality characteristics that are a good fit for this profession. These characteristics include:
- Patience
- Self-motivation
- Excellent hand-eye coordination
- Good manual dexterity
- Understanding the unique issues of the middle aged and senior population.
Career Outlook and Salary
The outlook for a career in rheumatology is on the upswing. Employment in this field is expected to grow much faster than expected at approximately a rate of 14 percent through the year of 2016. One of the main contributors to this expected growth is the increase in the aging sector of the population.
Salaries for rheumatologists in the United States average $184 thousand per year. The entry-level salary is $125 thousand per year and the salary for a senior rheumatologist can be $220 thousand or more per year.