
A Recognized Medical Specialist Dealing With Allergic and Immunologic Disorders An allergist is a physician specially trained, skilled, and experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of Asthma Hay fever Rashes Hives Eye allergies Reactions to food, insect stings and medicine Sinus infections Immune system problems that might cause frequent infections Specialized Training The effective treatment of allergic disorders is based on advanced training. After obtaining a college degree, the training of an allergist involves at least 9 years of additional intense study - 4 years of medical school, followed by 3 years of training in internal medicine or pediatrics, plus 2 more years of specialized training in allergy and immunology. Board Certified To be board certified as an allergist, a physician must be certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine or the American Board of Pediatrics, and then certified again by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology. Continuing Medical Education Continuing medical education is essential to maintaining competence in this specialty, where advances in knowledge are proceeding at a rapid pace. The allergist must spend many hours reading medical journals and attending clinical conferences. Many allergists are members of the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology and/or the American College of Allergy and Immunology, which helps them keep abreast of latest developments in the field. All this added specialized training results in improved allergy & asthma care. Numerous studies demonstrate that patients treated by an allergist have better control of their allergies and asthma. For example, patients treated by an allergist for their asthma have 97% fewer hospital admissions, 77% fewer emergency room visits, and 77% less missed work days compared to those only treated by a primary care physician. |