Whether you’re healthy or struggling with specific health issues, contacting medical career specialists can help you stay in peak physical and mental health no matter what symptoms may crop up over time. Specialists who dedicate their entire careers in the medical field to gaining knowledge on specific conditions or systems of the body may have more solutions to offer than those who practice general medicine. Additionally, they may have more ideas for what practitioners may be best to choose as partners in your medical care team as you construct a treatment plan to improve your health condition.
Depending on your healthcare coverage, visiting medical career specialists may be costly. If you have to cover specialists without insurance, you could rack up hefty medical bills that may put you into more debt than what you find comfortable to pay off. Still, as they say, health is wealth. When you feel your best, you can go after goals that you may have put off because you didn’t feel physically or mentally well enough to pursue them. You may also find that improving your health improves seemingly unrelated aspects of your life such as your relationships, home life, work life, and more.
For many people, healthcare is an investment that pays off in multiple ways beyond the financial benefit of saving money by having to visit your providers less frequently if you stay on top of your health concerns. Visiting a specialist for preventative care such as colonoscopies, mammograms, and routine bloodwork can also help you identify budding health concerns before they balloon into a full-fledged health condition or crisis. Although you might not know what healthcare specialists would be best to contact for your problems or worries, you should know that many different healthcare specialists are there to ensure that all of your healthcare needs are met appropriately.
Primary Care
Before you start scheduling appointments with medical career specialists in specialty medicine, you’ll want to make an appointment to establish a primary care doctor. A primary care physician, also known as “PCP” for short, is a medical provider who sees patients for a range of general concerns. A PCP isn’t a replacement for specialist care or emergency care. Rather, they are there to make sure that you’re getting routine medical exams and refer you to someone with a higher level of expertise if you have a condition that stretches beyond what they can treat.
There are many reasons why having a primary care doctor on your medical treatment team can’t be understated. Since a primary care physician can work with you on a long-term basis to treat your medical needs and make referrals, they’ll be a great ally to get your health on track if you haven’t visited a doctor regularly in a long time. They also may be able to provide recommendations for specialists if you develop a condition that falls outside of their scope of expertise.
If you need documentation of a condition or illness for work or school, your primary healthcare practitioner can provide that documentation. The documents will note that you must have an excused absence for a defined period. If you’re trying to apply for FMLA, short-term disability, or another benefit through your workplace related to your healthcare concerns, your PCP can be an advocate to help you get what you need through your employer or university. Although a PCP may be limited in what they can treat, they’re a good place to start if you need healthcare or simply want to go to an annual healthcare exam with a provider you trust.
A primary care physician may be a family medicine practitioner or another general medical doctor if you don’t have any special health requirements. If you have a condition such as a neurological disorder or gynecological condition, you may want to make your primary care physician a specialist. Depending on the terms of your insurance, this may be as easy as finding a specialist who is in-network with your insurance company and requesting the provider to become your primary care physician.
Although some insurance policies may prohibit this, it’s worth calling your insurance company to see if this would be an option if you have a rare or life-impacting disorder that would be best treated by a professional who understands the condition inside and out. Otherwise, you may end up having to consult with another specialist more often or receive care that doesn’t feel like it’s tailored to your medical needs and goals for treatment. Even if your insurance doesn’t allow you to choose a specialist as a PCP, you may be able to advocate for seeing a specialist more often if you have a condition that requires you to see a healthcare provider who specializes in your condition more frequently than the average person.
Joint Specialists
Before you write off visiting the local orthopedic clinic, you should consider whether you have any problematic joint pain or joint issues that may warrant seeing medical career specialists first. Joint pain can get in the way of many activities. From chasing around your kids or grandkids to performing basic tasks around the house, if you’re in a lot of joint pain, you may struggle to find the motivation to even do things you used to love. Although joint problems can lead to surgery, knee or hip replacement, and other outcomes that may be intimidating, there are some ways you can prevent the worst-case scenario from happening for your joints. By scheduling an appointment with a joint specialist as soon as you notice that your joints are taking a hit from your lifestyle or aging, you can make an effort to heal your body and get back to doing what you love without pain or discomfort.
Pediatricians
If you have children, the best medical career specialists you can see are pediatric specialists. Outside of a family care doctor or PCP, you should ensure that your child is getting all of the specialized care that he or she needs from a team of medical providers. For example, if your child has a heart condition, you may be able to find a pediatric cardiologist who will understand your child’s medical needs better than an adult cardiologist. In some cases, your child’s health insurance policy may only cover providers who provide pediatric care. Additionally, you may find that pediatricians are better at “getting on a child’s level” and explaining procedures or medical treatment options to your child in a way that makes him or her feel more comfortable with the idea of receiving medical care. Although some pediatricians can only see patients up to the age of 18, others may be able to extend care beyond your child’s 18th birthday as you’re looking for an adult specialist in the same field who can provide coverage to your child beyond their childhood.
Eye Doctor
Even if you don’t have any vision correction devices like glasses or contact lens, you may benefit from a specialist like an optometrist or eye care professional. These types of medical career specialists devote their careers to examining the eyes and identifying potential eye health concerns. If you have a family history of glaucoma, cataracts, or degenerative eye diseases, you’ll want to schedule an appointment with an eye doctor at least once a year. When you notice changes in your vision like blurry vision, double vision, lowered visibility, or problems with near-sightedness or far-sightedness, it pays to see an eye doctor as soon as you can.
Once you see an eye care professional, you’ll want to follow all of your optometrist’s recommendations. Delaying getting glasses or inconsistently using vision correction tools can result in your vision worsening. It can also cause your eyes to attempt to correct the problem on their own by straining the eye muscles and causing you pain or discomfort.
Eye Examination
If you’ve never had an eye exam before, you might not know what kind of medical career specialists to contact to schedule an exam. Thankfully, you won’t be the first or last person who needs an eye exam. The health of your eyes matters greatly if you want to be able to see your loved ones and participate in activities that involve sight for a long time.
To schedule an eye exam, call your local optometrist office. From there, you can select an appointment time that suits your schedule. Before you go to the optometrist’s office for an eye exam, you should ask if they plan to dilate your eyes for the exam. If they do, you may not be able to drive after the appointment. You may also have sensitivity to light that requires heavy sunglasses to block out the light. If you need someone to drive you to your appointment or take you home from your appointment at the eye doctor’s office, it’s best to arrange those plans before the day of your appointment. While you may be able to call a taxi or take public transit, it can add extra stress to your eye exam if you don’t know how you’ll get there or how you’ll get home.
Medical Transportation
To get to your specialist and PCP appointments, you should get in touch with a local medical transportation company. For those who have conditions that prohibit them from driving or make it difficult to navigate public transportation, medical transportation services can be a true lifesaver. If you have an appointment and you don’t have transportation, you should call your insurance to see if they offer any options for reimbursing transportation. They may also have a medical transport service through your insurance or local hospital. If you’re having a medical emergency, you should call 911 if you live in the United States or your appropriate local emergency number in your country to get an ambulance to come take you to emergency services. If your medical need isn’t urgent, you probably won’t need an ambulance. What’s more, you may waste precious emergency resources if you try to get an ambulance to take you to a non-emergency medical provider.
Medical Spa
For some TLC that’s good for your health, you should do some self-care at a med spa. Depending on what services are offered at a medical spa service, you may be able to get specialty skincare or other healthcare needs addressed that are best left to medical career specialists. If you don’t have a medical spa in your area, you can travel to a destination med spa for a destination pampering experience that’s good for your mental and physical well-being.
Eye Examination
As we mentioned earlier, it’s important to schedule regular eye exams with opticians. You should at least get an eye exam once a year. If your provider recommends more frequent eye exams, you can schedule them more frequently.
Hormone Clinic
If your hormones are imbalanced, it may be time to call hormone therapy clinics to request services. They can test your hormone levels and offer solutions for balancing them. They may also be able to help with specific hormonal problems like infertility or thyroid issues.
Dentist
As you may know, your dental health affects the rest of your health. This is why it’s important to take advantage of dental care services like cleanings, fillings, and exams. Although dental care offices may not be your favorite medical career specialists to visit, they’re a necessary place to go even if you don’t have any current dental problems. You can also receive cosmetic dental care from dental professionals.
On top of regularly seeing a primary healthcare provider or general practitioner, visiting medical career specialists can ensure that specific systems in your body are functioning as well as they can. Some specialists like gynecologists or urologists may be good for anyone who falls under their scope of care to visit at least once a year or as recommended by a general healthcare provider. Other specialists like a Lyme disease specialist may only need you to see them if you have a condition that speaks to their expertise. Additionally, some specialists who work in inpatient facilities may not be appropriate for you to see when you’re only seeking outpatient care. If your condition worsens, though, you may find that inpatient specialty care is the best choice for you.