So You Want to Be an INFECTIOUS DISEASE DOCTOR [Ep. 38]

So you want to be an infectious disease doctor. You want to be on the cutting edge of medical research and lead the nation during the next global pandemic. Let’s debunk the public perception myths and give it to you straight. This is the reality of infectious disease.

Infectious disease is the specialty of medicine focused on the diagnosis and treatment of viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections. Although all doctors have vast knowledge of a variety of infectious diseases, ID doctors take it a step further. They diagnose and treat the full spectrum of infectious diseases and consider details of the patient’s history that other doctors might overlook.

To become an infectious disease doctor, you must first complete four years of medical school, followed by 3 years of internal medicine residency, and 2 years of infectious disease fellowship. Three-year fellowships also exist which often include an additional year of research.

Huge shout out to Dr. Kathleen Wairimu for helping me with the creation of this video.