Rehabilitation medicine is not well understood as a specialty by the public or the medical community and is often thought of as being primarily based on geriatric medicine. In fact, the specialty and training cover a wide spectrum of rehabilitation in areas including brain and spinal cord injury, prosthetics, orthotics and adaptive equipment, as well as neurological, musculoskeletal and sports injuries. Rehabilitation medicine is a multidisciplinary specialty and the knowledge required encompasses many medical specialties. It requires a sound foundation in basic medical sciences, a thorough understanding of anatomy, physiology and all commonly disabling medical conditions, as well as a comprehensive understanding of the management of chronic illness, disability, illness prevention and pharmacotherapy used in the treatment of chronic pain, spasticity, incontinence and chronic infection. Rehabilitation Physicians must be empathetic listeners, excellent communicators and team players who respect the views and rights of their patients, colleagues and others. Motivation skills and patience are vital qualities of those undertaking this specialty.
Previous Topic: The doctor-patient relationship «
Next Topic: Lifestyle and Practice Options »
* We recommend visiting the Rehabilitation Medicine College website for more information and updates to this specialty program.
Last modified: December 12, 2008 3:28 PM
Sponsored Links
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty
by Brian Freeman
Freeman, B. (2007). The ultimate guide to choosing a medical specialty. New York, McGraw-Hill Medical.
A very useful and reader-friendly medical spec Read more