Allergist and Immunologist

Gabriana Beckford

Description• The specializing in the diagnosis and

treatment of asthma, allergies, eczema, and diseases of the immune system

• Patients may see allergists or immunologists for… – Autoimmune disorders – Environmental allergies – Insect allergies – Food allergies – Medication allergies– Latex allergies

Additional Responsibilities

• Immunologists may study and work on preventing transplant rejection for those who have had organs transplanted

• Work individually or in groups of other immunologists, allergists, and nursing staff

• Work in an office setting and travel frequently to other hospitals and offices to care for patients

Duties and Responsibilities

• Examine patients• Diagnose diseases and conditions relating

to allergens and the immune system• Order or perform various procedures and

tests• Prescribe and administer medications and

treatments• Teach patients about preventative

medicine

Earnings and Advancement

• Among the highest paid occupations (approximately $248,527 annual earnings in 2011)

• Earnings are dependent on…– Geographic location, whether the allergist/immunologist has a private

practice or has a paid salary, the number of years practiced, personality, skill, and reputation as a professional

• Possible to earn…– Paid vacations, holidays, and sick days– Retirement benefits– Life and health insurance– Paid educational leave

• If self-employed, a health insurance plan and retirement plan must be arranged by the self-employer

Education• High School

Recommended Classes:– Algebra– Biology– Chemistry– College Preparatory– English– Geometry– Health Science Technology– Humanities– Mathematics– Physics– Physiology– Science– Sociology– Statistics– Trigonometry

• Required Education:– Doctoral Degree– Doctor of Medicine Degree– Doctor of Osteopathy

Degree– Allergy and Immunology

Residency– Minimum of three year

college (most have Bachelor’s degree)

Additional Requirements and Training

• Licensed to practice medicine• Need to be graduated from a credited medical school• Pass licensing exam• Complete graduate medical exam• Take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)• Letters of recommendation to be accepted into a

medical school• Four years of medical school, followed by a completed

internship and up to three years in a residency• May spend an extra one or two years in an allergy

and immunology fellowship– It is required by most states now for

allergists and immunologists 150 continuing education credits for license renewal every three years

Employment Opportunities

• Volunteering in hospitals/doctor’s offices• Part-time work in hospitals/doctor’s offices

– May help to decide whether a medical career is rewarding

• Possible positions include…– Hospitals– Clinics – State and federal agencies and universities

• Consult directly with…– Potential employers– Professional journals– Medical school placement offices

Future Outlook

• Through the year 2018, the occupation is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations– Employment is expected to increase 20 %

or more• Continued growing in healthcare industry

• Demand for physicians keeps increasing as consumers look for higher levels of care with the newest technology, tests, and therapies

Colleges

• Allergy and Immunology is not a major, however, some colleges with related majors, such as pre-medicine studies and medicine studies include…– University of Cincinnati: Cincinnati, Ohio

– Florida State University: Tallahassee, Florida

– University of Southern California: Los Angeles, California

Additional Information

• May work long, irregular hours• May work normal office hours with an

emergency answering service for the evenings and the weekends

• Often on call and answer questions over the phone

• May make emergency trips to hospitals in order to treat patients

Skills and Personal Characteristics

• Communication Skills:– Effective speaker– Concise writer– Attentive listener– Good reader– Expressive with thoughts and ideas

• Interpersonal/Social Skills:– Ability to remain calm– Ability to work independently– Cooperative with others– Provider of support to others

– Ability to work as a team member– Sensitive towards others– Patient– Good judgment– Objective– Persistent

• Organization and Management Skills:– Ability to handle challenging situations– Ability to make decisions– Ability to manage people/groups– Ability to pay attention to details and handle details– Ability to perform frequent-changing duties– Ability to manage time– Demonstrates leadership

• Research and Planning Skills:– Ability to develop evaluation strategies– Uses logical reasoning– Ability to identify problems– Ability to identify resources– Ability to gather information– Ability to solve problems– Ability to analyze information

• Technical Skills:– Ability to perform scientific, mathematical, and

technical work

• Work Environmental Skills:– Ability to work in a medical setting

Physical Abilities• Ability to see and hear well, whether it be naturally

or with correction• Good color vision• Ability to communicate and understand effectively• Ability to fully use hands and fingers• Ability to reach for objects, handle objects, and

feel objects• Ability to cope with stressful and emotional

situations calmly• Ability to kneel, stoop, crouch• Ability/stamina to work long hours

Works Cited• All pictures from clip art• "Redirect Notice." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.

<http://www.google.com/imgres?q=allergy+shots&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=516&tbm=isch&tbnid=Z8K5zIEOXiwALM:&imgrefurl=http://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/library/at-a-glance/allergy-shots.aspx&docid=xER20hn5yGZiCM&imgurl=http://www.aaaai.org/Aaaai/media/MediaLibrary/Images/Conditions/Library/Allergy-shots-cropped.jpg&w=400&h=267&ei=g0hqT_TTBpKutweFhNyYCQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=468&sig=108028066098496964669&page=1&tbnh=133&tbnw=177&start=0&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:0&tx=84&ty=93>.

• "Redirect Notice." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=allergy+shots&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=516&tbm=isch&tbnid=V-8iSL1VvPZ1BM:&imgrefurl=http://ic.steadyhealth.com/allergy_shots_side_effects.html&docid=Q5lznVzE65aGVM&imgurl=http://userfiles.steadyhealth.com/sites/steadyhealth.com/modules/infocenter/data/images/allergy_shots_side_effects.jpg&w=300&h=225&ei=g0hqT_TTBpKutweFhNyYCQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=326&sig=108028066098496964669&page=2&tbnh=154&tbnw=204&start=14&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:14&tx=92&ty=114>.

• "Redirect Notice." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=allergy+shots&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=516&tbm=isch&tbnid=4HGkdvEHlJQglM:&imgrefurl=http://www.buzzle.com/articles/allergy-shots-side-effects.html&docid=hFNQKi3Lj9h3aM&imgurl=http://www.buzzle.com/img/articleImages/314992-3379-16.jpg&w=350&h=263&ei=g0hqT_TTBpKutweFhNyYCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=558&vpy=182&dur=1527&hovh=195&hovw=259&tx=103&ty=121&sig=108028066098496964669&page=1&tbnh=133&tbnw=164&start=0&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0>.

• "Redirect Notice." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=immunology&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=516&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=CaX-qcRZEKUi8M:&imgrefurl=http://www.225.pitt.edu/node/369&docid=B5r7fM2onfqttM&imgurl=http://www.225.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/225-images/296_inside-display-image(immunology.medicine.pitt_.edu).jpg%253F1327089826&w=376&h=452&ei=v0BqT8KtA8-JtweUi82ICQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=376&sig=108028066098496964669&page=5&tbnh=147&tbnw=136&start=67&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:67&tx=110&ty=62>.

• "Redirect Notice." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=immunology&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=516&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=tafkYKkVSvizKM:&imgrefurl=http://www.med.unc.edu/bbsp/phd_microbio.html&docid=1ZdACeorLiRQkM&imgurl=http://www.med.unc.edu/bbsp/images/Micro.JPG&w=393&h=393&ei=v0BqT8KtA8-JtweUi82ICQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=271&sig=108028066098496964669&page=2&tbnh=157&tbnw=162&start=14&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:14&tx=73&ty=129>.

• "Redirect Notice." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=immunology&hl=en&sa=X&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=516&tbm=isch&tbnid=3CK7UZoBICXcVM:&imgrefurl=http://www.studydiscussions.com/phd-immunology-programs-in-usa/&docid=eWbiR1CX4pUoIM&imgurl=http://www.studydiscussions.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/immunology-4.jpg&w=300&h=323&ei=w0BqT_f-HIyTtweRsYivBA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=382&sig=108028066098496964669&page=1&tbnh=135&tbnw=125&start=0&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0&tx=44&ty=118>.

• "Redirect Notice." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=immunology&hl=en&sa=X&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=516&tbm=isch&tbnid=uRHdTTRp4L6xiM:&imgrefurl=http://omrf.org/research-faculty/programs/arthritis-clinical-immunology/&docid=CWCKe38ELcfQ2M&imgurl=http://omrf.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/arthritis-frontpage-630x320.jpg&w=630&h=320&ei=w0BqT_f-HIyTtweRsYivBA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=591&sig=108028066098496964669&page=4&tbnh=99&tbnw=195&start=50&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:50&tx=46&ty=64>.

• "Untitled." Untitled. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. <http://library.coin3.com/ReportDetails.cfm?EX=1&Occ=T&URLPATH=%2Fexploration%2Fexploration%5Fcontent%2Ecfm>.

• "Untitled." Untitled. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. <http://library.coin3.com/ReportDetails.cfm?EX=1&College=T&URLPATH=/exploration/exploration_content.cfm?college=1>.