Med-Peds
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2008-05-29T20:46:34Z
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{{Refimprove|date=July 2007}}
'''Med-Peds''' or "Combined Internal Medicine & Pediatrics" is a medical specialty which trains its doctors to be board certified in both [[Internal Medicine]] and [[Pediatrics]]. After [[medical school]], doctors typically train for four years dividing time equally between the two specialties making Med-Peds [[physician]]s able to take care of patients of all ages.
==Training==
Internal Medicine physicians, or internists, train three additional years after medical school leading to Board Certification in Internal Medicine. Pediatricians train three additional years after medical school to board-certify in Pediatrics. Med-Peds physicians train for four years and can be "double-boarded" for both these specialties. Since there is frequent crossover of disease and treatment between children and adults, Med-Peds training enjoys the consolidation of these two specialties into four years. The performance of Med-Peds physicians on the two national board exams is equal to their one-specialty (specific internist or pediatrician) counterparts.
Med-Peds physicians are strongly equipped for primary care. 78% of Med-Peds physicians pursue primary care as a career while the rest choose to subspecialize. While any subspecialty is available to a Med-Peds physician, popular ones include [[Endocrinology]], [[Allergy]]/[[Immunology]], Rheumatology, and [[Infectious Disease]].
===Philosophy===
Many people question the differences between the specialties of Med-Peds and Family Practice. The difference tend to mostly rely on the locations where physicians receive their training; however, some general differences exist. Family practitioners typically receive formal [[obstetrical]], [[gynecology]], and [[surgical]] training, while Med-Peds doctors do not. Family Practice residents train for three years, while Med-Peds residents train for four. This extra year is thought to make Med-Peds physicians more proficient at treating and diagnosing more complex diseases. A trend also seen is that a higher percentage of Med-Peds physicians treat inpatients (patients in the hospital) as opposed to an outpatient clinic setting.
==External links==
*[http://www.intmed.med.wayne.edu/medpeds/ Wayne State University Med-Peds Program]
*[http://www.medpeds.org National Med-Peds Residents' Association]
*[http://www.aap.org/sections/med-peds American Academy of Pediatrics]
*[http://www.med.wright.edu/medpeds/resource/page1.htm Program at Wright State University]
[[Category:Wright State University]]