Medical General & Subspecialty Profiles
There are different specialties and subspecialties in medicine because the human body is complex and there are many different systems and organs that require specialized care.
For example, a cardiologist specializes in the treatment of heart diseases, while a neurologist specializes in the treatment of diseases of the brain and nervous system. Subspecialties allow doctors to further specialize in a particular area within their specialty, such as pediatric cardiology or neurosurgery.
This allows doctors to have a deep understanding of a particular area of the body and to be able to provide the best possible care to their patients.
According to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), there are currently 24 medical specialties recognized in the United States.
For example, within the specialty of internal medicine, there are subspecialties such as cardiology (diseases of the heart) and pulmonology (diseases of the lungs). Within the specialty of surgery, there are subspecialties such as neurosurgery (surgery of the brain and nervous system) and orthopedic surgery (surgery of the musculoskeletal system).
In total, there are over 150 recognized subspecialties in the United States.
American Board of Allergy and Immunology
American Board of Anesthesiology
- Anesthesiology
- Critical Care Medicine
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine
- Pain Medicine
- Pediatric Anesthesiology
- Sleep Medicine
American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery
- Dermatology
- Dermatopathology
- Pediatric Dermatology
American Board of Emergency Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
- Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine
- Emergency Medical Services
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine
- Internal Medicine-Critical Care Medicine
- Medical Toxicology
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Sports Medicine
- Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine
American Board of Family Medicine
- Family Medicine
- Adolescent Medicine
- Geriatric Medicine
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine
- Sleep Medicine
- Sports Medicine
American Board of Internal Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Adolescent Medicine
- Adult Congenital Heart Disease
- Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant
- Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
- Critical Care Medicine
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
- Gastroenterology
- Geriatric Medicine
- Hematology
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine
- Infectious Disease
- Interventional Cardiology
- Medical Oncology
- Nephrology
- Pulmonary Disease
- Rheumatology
- Sleep Medicine
- Sports Medicine
- Transplant Hepatology
American Board of Medical Genetics
- Clinical Biochemical Genetics*
- Medical Biochemical
- Clinical Cytogenetics*
- Clinical Genetics (MD)*
- Clinical Molecular Genetics*
- Molecular Genetic Pathology
American Board of Neurological Surgery
American Board of Nuclear Medicine
American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Critical Care Medicine
- Female Pelvic Medicine and
- Reconstructive Surgery
- Gynecologic Oncology
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine
- Maternal and Fetal Medicine
- Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility
American Board of Ophthalmology
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
- Surgery of the Hand
American Board of Otolaryngology
- Otolaryngology
- Neurotology
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Plastic Surgery Within the Head and Neck
- Sleep Medicine
- Pathology-Anatomic/Pathology-Clinical*
- Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine
- Clinical Informatics
- Cytopathology
- Dermatopathology
- Neuropathology
- Pathology – Chemical
- Pathology – Forensic
- Pathology – Hematology
- Pathology – Medical Microbiology
- Pathology – Molecular Genetic
- Pathology – Pediatric
- Pathology – Anatomic*
- Pathology – Clinical*
- Pediatrics
- Adolescent Medicine
- Child Abuse Pediatrics
- Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine
- Medical Toxicology
- Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
- Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Pediatric Rheumatology
- Pediatric Transplant Hepatology
- Sleep Medicine
- Sports Medicine
American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Brain Injury Medicine
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine
- Neuromuscular Medicine
- Pain Medicine
- Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine
- Spinal Cord Injury Medicine
- Sports Medicine
American Board of Plastic Surgery
- Plastic Surgery
- Plastic Surgery Within the Head and Neck
- Surgery of the Hand
American Board of Preventive Medicine
- Aerospace Medicine*
- Occupational Medicine*
- Public Health and General Preventive Medicine*
- Clinical Informatics
- Medical Toxicology
- Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
- Psychiatry*
- Neurology*
- Neurology with Special Qualification
in Child Neurology* - Addiction Psychiatry
- Brain Injury Medicine
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Clinical Neurophysiology
- Epilepsy
- Forensic Psychiatry
- Geriatric Psychiatry
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine
- Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
- Neuromuscular Medicine
- Pain Medicine
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Sleep Medicine
- Vascular Neurology
- Neurology with Special Qualification
- Diagnostic Radiology*
- Interventional Radiology and Diagnostic Radiology*
- Radiation Oncology*
- Medical Physics*
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine
- Neuroradiology
- Nuclear Radiology
- Pediatric Radiology
- Vascular and Interventional Radiology
- Surgery*
- Vascular Surgery*
- Complex General Surgical Oncology
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine
- Pediatric Surgery
- Surgery of the Hand
- Surgical Critical Care
American Board of Thoracic Surgery
- Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery
- Congenital Cardiac Surgery
- Urology
- Female Pelvic Medicine and
- Reconstructive Surgery
- Pediatric Urology