Digestion/Excretion Career Gastroenterologist

Gastroenterologist

What is a Gastroenterologist ?

A Gastroenterologist is a physician with dedicated training and unique experience in the management of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver. Gastroenterology is the study of the normal function and diseases of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum, pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts and liver. It involves a detailed understanding of the normal action (physiology) of the gastrointestinal organs including the movement of material through the stomach and intestine (motility), the digestion and absorption of nutrients into the body, removal of waste from the system, and the function of the liver as a digestive organ. It includes common and important conditions such as colon polyps and cancer, hepatitis, gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn), peptic ulcer disease, colitis, gallbladder and biliary tract disease, nutritional problems, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and pancreatitis. In essence, all normal activity and disease of the digestive organs are part of the study of Gastroenterology.

What tools do they use?

Gastroscope	Used to perform esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD/OGD)
Duodenoscope	Used to perform ERCP
Enteroscope	Used to perform push enteroscopy
Colonoscope	Used to perform colonoscopy
Flexible sigmoidoscope	Used to perform flexible sigmoidoscopy
Rigid sigmoidoscope	Used to perform rigid sigmoidoscopy
Ultrasound endoscope	Used to perform endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)
Video capsule	Used to perform video capsule enteroscopy
Endoscopy snare	Used to perform polypectomy and endoscopic foreign body removal
Band ligator	Used to perform variceal band ligation
Sengstaken-Blakemore tube	Used in the management of bleeding esophageal varices
Balloon dilator	Used to perform esophageal balloon dilatation, pyloric dilatation or ileocolonic dilatation
Savary-Gilliard dilator	Used to perform esophageal bougie dilatation
Heater probe	Used to perform endoscopic heater probe thermocoagulation of bleeding blood vessels
APC unit	Used to perform endoscopic Argon plasma coagulation
PEG tube	Used to perform percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy
Menghini needle or Tru-Cut needle	Used to perform percutaneous liver biopsy

What do you need to do to become a gastroenterologists?

Becoming a doctor requires more training than most other jobs. It usually takes at least 11 years to become a doctor: 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, and 3 years working in a hospital. For some specialties, doctors may have to work in a hospital for up to 8 years before they are fully trained. To become a doctor, you should study biology, chemistry, physics, math, and English. It is not easy to get into medical school. You have to do very well in college and on medical school entrance tests. Students spend most of the first 2 years of medical school in labs and classrooms. They take lots of science courses. They also learn to ask patients the right questions and how to examine them. They learn how to tell what sickness a patient has. In the last 2 years, students work with patients and doctors in hospitals and clinics. After medical school, doctors go to work in a hospital for a few years. They are called residents. To be a resident, you must pass a test.

Salary Range:

The median expected annual pay for a typical Physician - Gastroenterology in the United States is $339,335 so 50% of the people who perform the job of Physician - Gastroenterology in the United Sates are expected to make less than $339,335.