Both MDs and DOs use all accepted methods of treatment, including drugs and surgery. Physicians may be generalists or specialize in a particular area of medicine such as family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, neurology, radiology, and ophthalmology. As medicine has expanded, the need for associated professionals has emerged. The physician assistant works under the direction and supervision of a physician and relieves the physician of many of the routine responsibilities of patient care. This allows the physician to spend more time on other patient care needs.
Podiatrists specialize in problems of the human foot.
This specialty is described in this section. These are only a few of the associated professionals. You will read about others in the remainder of this book.