Endocrinologist

An endocrinologist is a doctor who specializes in the body’s glandular system. This includes glands and organs like the:

• Thyroid
• Adrenal
• Pituitary gland
• Pancreas
• Testes
• Ovaries

Because these glands and organs play a huge role in the release of hormones in the body, much of what endocrinologists do is related to hormone levels and imbalances.

When endocrinologists make mistakes, it can cause lasting problems in their victims and can amount to medical malpractice.

Licensing and Education Requirements for Endocrinologists

Endocrinologists are doctors with a specialty. This means they have to go through all of the academic programs that doctors have to complete, plus an extra step to specialize in their field of study. Endocrinologists have to:

• Graduate college
• Enroll in and then complete medical school, graduating with an M.D. or D.O. degree
• Complete a residency in internal medicine, often taking three years
• Complete an additional fellowship specializing in endocrinology, often taking two or three years

Once all of the academics and educational courses have been completed, endocrinologists have to pass the medical exam in Pennsylvania to become licensed to practice as doctors in the state. They then have to get board certified as endocrinologists by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

How Endocrinologists Practice Medicine in Philadelphia

Endocrinologists are specialized doctors who often only see patients who have been referred to them by the patient’s primary care physician. They usually work in private practice or in group practices with other doctors, though hospitals will occasionally hire them to see patients there, as well.

Most of an endocrinologist’s practice focuses on diabetes and thyroid disorders. However, they also diagnose and treat other conditions like:

• Bone disease caused by hormone issues
• Hormonal imbalances from menopause or infertility
• Pituitary gland problems
• Hypertension

How Endocrinologists Commit Medical Malpractice

Just like other healthcare professionals, endocrinologists can commit medical malpractice when the standard of care they provide fails to live up to minimally acceptable standards for a specialist.

One of the most common ways for endocrinologists to commit malpractice is by misdiagnosing a serious medical condition, like diabetes or a thyroid problem. For example, when the patient has diabetes, a delayed or missed diagnosis can leave a serious condition untreated while it deteriorates and leads to other medical complications, like:

• Kidney damage and failure
• Amputations
• Emergency insulin needs
• Blindness

Endocrinologists can also commit malpractice if they correctly diagnose a medical condition, but fail to treat it properly by, for example, failing to follow up with a patient’s progress through their treatment plan.

Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Gilman & Bedigian

The personal injury and medical malpractice lawyers at Gilman & Bedigian strive to legally represent people who have been hurt by the medical malpractice of an endocrinologist. These mistakes are costly. Worse, they are impossible for a powerless patient to avoid.

Holding an endocrinologist responsible and liable for their mistakes can recover the compensation that victims need to cover their losses. Those losses can be considerable if the malpractice caused a serious medical condition to worsen into a life-threatening one. Contact the lawyers at Gilman & Bedigian online to get started on your case.