PEDIATRIC ADOLESCENT MEDICINE

What does an Adolescent Medicine Physician do?
What are the career opportunities?
What Board, if any, certifies an Adolescent Medicine Physician?
What is the lifestyle of an Adolescent Medicine subspecialist?
What is the compensation of an Adolescent Medicine Physician?
How do I become an Adolescent Medicine Specialist?
Where do I find out about available programs?
When do I apply?
Why should I choose to become an Adolescent Medicine subspecialist?

What does an Adolescent Medicine Physician do?
Adolescent Medicine specialists are physicians trained to manage the primary and subspecialty health care needs of adolescents in an interdisciplinary environment. Specialty care services offered may differ depending on the setting but usually include male and female reproductive health care (gynecologic care, sexually transmitted infection diagnosis and management, basic urologic management, disorders of puberty, family planning services, pregnancy options counseling, early pregnancy care), complex medical issues with medical and behavioral components (such as eating disorders), mental health and behavioral management disorders, substance abuse management, sports health, and transitional health issues. Adolescent health professionals are an important clinical resource for families with disabled adolescents for whom the normal transitions of puberty may be challenging.

Within the subspecialty, providers often sub-specialize in an area of clinical and/or research interest. Adolescent Medicine specialists may ultimately serve as clinicians, graduate medical teachers, researchers, advocates, and public health officials, but many serve in combined roles within their institutions and communities based on individual career objectives.

What are the career opportunities?
There is currently a shortage of Adolescent Medicine physicians in the United States. Physicians trained to care for adolescents and to teach adolescent medicine in graduate medical education programs are needed. While adolescent health care is typically delivered in adolescent medicine and/or generalist (pediatric, family practice, internal medicine) practices, other venues include school health, college health, juvenile justice, and international health centers. Further, adolescent health research crosses many fields and may incorporate basic science, clinical, behavioral, and health services research.

What Board, if any, certifies an Adolescent Medicine Physician?
Adolescent Medicine specialists receive board certification through the American Boards of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine. The American Board of Family Practice offers a Certificate of Added Qualification for Family Practitioners. All of these routes to certification in Adolescent Medicine first require certification by the primary field of training (Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, and/or Family Practice).

What is the lifestyle of an Adolescent Medicine subspecialist?
The lifestyle of an Adolescent Medicine specialist depends on the job description, organization for which the physician works, and the types of services provided by the organization. While the majority of Adolescent Medicine care is provided in the outpatient setting, care of the hospitalized adolescent remains an important task for many adolescent subspecialists. Communication with adolescents and their family regarding issues that arise outside of normal clinical hours is a routine aspect of most positions involving primary care to teens and families. Subspecialty providers may also have call that involves providing clinical support to generalists in the inpatient and outpatient setting. The field does allow for flexibility in one's work schedule, depending on the areas of interest and expertise the specialist possesses. Given the varied work settings (e.g. community-based, academic medicine & research, private practice, and hospitalist-based work), the field also provides meaningful opportunities for professional development in the context of a balanced lifestyle.

What is the compensation of an Adolescent Medicine Physician?
The compensation for an Adolescent Medicine subspecialist depends on the job description, region of the country, and type of institution for which the physician works. The salary for Adolescent Medicine subspecialists is generally on par with non-procedure oriented specialty fields. It is important that Adolescent Medicine physicians negotiate salaries that are on par with the additional skills attained upon completion of fellowship and entry into the job market.

Many adolescent health professionals in training and post-training qualify for loan repayment programs through the National Institutes of Health for conducting important health disparities or novel pediatric research with adolescents. Adolescent Health Professionals who work in high need/low access clinical service areas may also qualify for loan repayment through state and national clinical service programs. Acceptance into one of these programs has the capacity to enhance the personal resources available to the Adolescent Medicine physician while also meeting self-defined career goals.

How do I become an Adolescent Medicine Specialist?
An Adolescent Medicine specialist needs to complete a residency in Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, and/or Family Practice followed by completion of additional training in Adolescent Medicine through an accredited Adolescent Medicine Fellowship Training Program. Pediatric-trained individuals will need to complete 3 years of Adolescent Medicine fellowship in order to meet the requirements of American Board of Pediatrics for subspecialty training in Adolescent Medicine. Internal medicine&345;Pediatrics, and family practice trained individuals have the option to complete a 2 year fellowship, but many complete all three years of training offered by the fellowship depending on their training needs.

Where do I find out about available programs?
Information about Adolescent Medicine Training Programs is available through the Accrediting Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the American Medical Association's FRIEDA online database, and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine.

When do I apply?
Residents-in-training should begin their research as soon as they have identified Adolescent Medicine as a career option. Adolescent medicine fellowships will begin participating in ERAS in 2012. In the interim, candidates should contact programs of interest directly to determine the application process. Usually this requires an application, personal statement, letters of reference, and an interview. For more information about the ERAS process for Adolescent Medicine, click here.

Why should I choose to become an Adolescent Medicine subspecialist?
A career in adolescent medicine is for physicians interested in caring for young people transitioning through childhood to adulthood and/or those interested in conducting research that continues to move the field forward. Currently, there are shortages in the work-force of professionals trained to work in an interdisciplinary fashion with other related health professionals to meet the needs of a growing adolescent population in the United States. Adolescent Medicine is an emerging field in other countries so it may also be attractive to individuals interested in serving as national leaders in adolescent health clinical care, research, and/or health policy in other countries.

For more information about Adolescent Medicine visit these websites:
ACGME
FRIEDA
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Adolescent Medicine
American Board of Family Medicine
American Board of Internal Medicine
American Board of Pediatrics

Subspecialty Journals
Journal of Adolescent Health
Journal of Research in Adolescence
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

Books
Prescott, Heather Munro A Doctor of Their Own: The History of Adolescent Medicine. Harvard University Press, 1998.