Gynaecologists and obstetrics are physicians who have specialised to deal with the medical health of women or rather the females. A gynaecologist specializes in the treatment of many disorders and diseases that may have affected the female reproductive system (Health communities 1). An obstetrician on the other hand deals with the health of females in terms of pregnancy management, labour and post-partum issues. In most of the cases, it is the same person who will handle both specialities hence accorded the name obstetrician and gynaecology. For one to be a specialist in this field, they have to undergo additional training after being trained as general physicians. This training involves four years of post-graduate training in gynaecology and obstetrics accompanied by research and experiments. During the four years, one works closely with an experienced gynaecologist/ obstetrician to achieve hands on skills. On completion of the course, one has to register with the board of certification of obstetrics and gynaecology which entails first taking both oral and written examinations of the board to get the certificate (Paid Employment 1). After the attainment of all the aforementioned requirements one has the freedom of practising although, during the initial stages, the board will be very vigilant to keep track of the medical services offered to ensure that they are ethical and of the required standards.
Patients seen in this speciality may be suffering from a diverse range of diseases, conditions or injuries all affecting the females. The list is almost endless ranging from cancer of the cervix, amenorrhoea (absence of periods), dysmenorrhoea (painful periods), problems with the urinary tract, fibroids, infertility and vaginal infections such as Chlamydia, gonorrhoea etc to Partum issues such as miscarriages and stillbirths among others. Apart from these, there are other services offered by this speciality for example family planning services, abdominal ultrasounds, prenatal check-ups, laboratory tests among others (Vogt 1). All the mentioned conditions and diseases require different kinds of treatments once diagnosed depending on many factors such as the stage of development, affected areas, the patient herself among other reasons. Despite all these, the common treatments given in this speciality include medicine prescriptions, surgical procedures, physiotherapy and common nutritional supplements. Surgical procedures will be conducted to treat cancer infections, fibroids or even during a caesarean. Medications through drugs and injections are mostly used to treat infections on the reproductive system and other diseases (Johnson 3). Physiotherapy comes in when the patient is injured and required this service to recover. Finally, are the nutritional supplements which are mostly given to expectant and lactating mothers as well as their babies after birth. These supplements usually play important roles in adding to the depleted nutrients to ensure sufficient growth.
Just like in other fields of medicine, gynaecologists, and obstetrics work hand in hand with other health care professionals to provide services to their clients in full. Some of these health care professionals include paediatricians, psychiatrists, nutritionists and nurses just to mention but a few (Llewellyn-Jones 89). A paediatrician may be required in the case where the baby is born requires special medical attention; nutritionists come in to advise the expectant and lactating mothers, while nurses are required in almost every stage of the treatment. The psychiatrist becomes of need in cases where the patient is undergoing stressful moments may be due to stillbirth, miscarriages, abortion, or even as a result of terminal illness such as cervical cancer.
Works cited
Health communities. What is an Obstetrician/ Gynaecologist (OB/GYN)? 2010. Web.
Johnson, B. International Journal of Gynaecology & Obstetrics.2011, Web.
Llewellyn-Jones, Derek. Fundamentals of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 7th ed. Mosby, 1999.
Paid Employment. Obstetrics and Gynaecology Physician – Career Profile. 2011. Web.
Vogt, Val. Obstetrics and Gynaecology.2008. Web.