A
subspecialty is narrow field within a
specialtyA specialty in medicine is a branch of medical science. After completing medical school, physicians or surgeons usually further their medical education in a specific specialty of medicine by completing a multiple year residency...
such as
forensic pathologyForensic pathology is a branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a cadaver. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner or medical examiner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some...
, which is a subspecialty of
anatomical pathologyAnatomical pathology or Anatomic pathology is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the gross, microscopic, chemical, immunologic and molecular examination of organs, tissues, and whole bodies .Anatomical pathology is itself divided in subspecialties, the...
.
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A
subspecialty is narrow field within a
specialtyA specialty in medicine is a branch of medical science. After completing medical school, physicians or surgeons usually further their medical education in a specific specialty of medicine by completing a multiple year residency...
such as
forensic pathologyForensic pathology is a branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a cadaver. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner or medical examiner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some...
, which is a subspecialty of
anatomical pathologyAnatomical pathology or Anatomic pathology is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the gross, microscopic, chemical, immunologic and molecular examination of organs, tissues, and whole bodies .Anatomical pathology is itself divided in subspecialties, the...
.
In
medicineMedicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
subspecialization is particularly common in
internal medicineInternal medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis, management and nonsurgical treatment of unusual or serious diseases. According to some sources, an emphasis on internal structures is implied. In North America, specialists in internal medicine are commonly called, "internists"...
and has grown as medicine has:
- become more complex and
- it has become clear that a physician
A physician — also known as medical practitioner, doctor of medicine, medical doctor, or simply doctor — practices the ancient profession of medicine, which is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease or injury...
's case volume is negatively associated with their complication rate; that is, complications tend decrease as volume of cases goes up.