Career Overview
Specialist physicians are doctors with extra training and who treat patients in specific areas of health care, including clinical medicine and laboratory medicine.
Residents in training to become specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine are included in this unit group.
Job Titles
Duties
In general, specialist physicians act as consultants to other physicians and they may also do medical research.
Allergists and immunologists
- Diagnose, treat, and help prevent allergic diseases and disease processes affecting the immune system
Anesthesiologists
- Administer anesthetics before, during or after surgery or other medical procedures
Dermatologists
- Diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases or other conditions of the skin
Hospitalists
- Provide inpatient care in settings such as medical wards, intensive care units, rehabilitation centers, or emergency rooms
- Manage and coordinate patient care throughout treatment
Internists, general
- Diagnose and provide non-surgical treatment of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems
- Provide care for adults who have a range of problems associated with the internal organs
Neurologists
- Diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and disorders of the nervous system involving the brain and spinal cord and other nerve and muscular conditions
Nuclear medicine physicians
- Diagnose and treat diseases using radioactive materials
- May track radionuclide preparation, administration, and disposition
Pediatricians, general
- Diagnose, treat, and help prevent children's diseases and injuries
Physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians
- Diagnose and treat disorders requiring physiotherapy to provide physical, mental, and occupational rehabilitation
Preventive medicine physicians
- Apply knowledge of general preventive medicine and public health issues to promote health care to groups or individuals
- Aid in the prevention or reduction of risk of disease, injury, disability, or death
- May diagnose and treat patients in the context of clinical health promotion and disease prevention
Psychiatrists
- Diagnose, treat, and help prevent disorders of the mind
Radiologists
- Examine and diagnose disorders and diseases using x-rays and radioactive materials. May treat patients
Other specialists in clinical medicine:
- Diagnose and treat diseases, as well as physical and psychiatric illnesses and disorders
- Order laboratory tests, X-rays and other procedures to identify and understand the patient’s health issue
- Prescribe medication and treatment
- Refer patients for surgery or other specialized treatments
- Act as consultants to other physicians
- May conduct medical research
Specialists in laboratory medicine, including pathologists:
- Study how diseases start or are caused, how they change over time, and what happens to people when they get a disease
- Analyze and review laboratory samples and specimens using microscopes and other medical tools
- Act as consultants to other physicians
- May perform autopsies
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
5,235% Employed Full Time
47%Specialist physicians work in various medical or health-care locations. This includes private offices or clinics, hospitals and long-term care facilities. They could also work in labs and academic health sciences centres.
While precautions are taken and safety measures are put in place, people in this career could be exposed to infectious bacteria and viruses that may cause illness. They may work with equipment and instruments that could cause back, wrist and other injuries. They may be near or use X-rays and radioactive substances or non-ionizing radiation, such as radio frequencies and infrared, ultraviolet or visible light, which may be bad for their health.
Career Pathways
Progression to management positions, such as director of laboratory medicine or chief of surgery, is possible with experience.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.
For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
For a career as a specialist physician, a Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) is required.
Those who want to become a doctor usually complete four years of undergraduate training before taking four years of medical school. Medical schools have high academic admission requirements. University medical programs interview applicants to make sure that along with good academic records, they also have the needed social skills and attitude to work as a doctor.
Residents in training to become specialist physicians are included in this group.
Graduates of medical programs go through two years of formal residency training. The residency program is competitive, and graduates may need to travel to other provinces to do their residency. To become a fully licensed physician in B.C., graduates must pass two licensing exams given by the Medical Council of Canada, a national exam provided by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and become licensed through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia. Doctors must maintain professional insurance.
Ongoing medical education and professional development are required throughout specialist physicians’ careers to make sure they keep up with changes and improvements in their field, and to ensure that they provide patients with modern treatments and current advice. All family physicians must complete at least 50 hours per year of continuing professional education throughout their career.
Specialists in clinical medicine must have up to five years of specialty residency training and for some, up to two years of subspecialty training may also be required.
Specialists in laboratory medicine need between four to five years of specialty residency training.
Education programs in B.C.
The following program areas are related to this occupation:
- Physicians and Surgeons

Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Being able to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings.
Understanding how new information could be used to solve current and future problems in making decisions.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
5,235Employment by Region
Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
---|---|---|
Cariboo | 120 | 2.3% |
Kootenay | 75 | 1.4% |
Mainland/Southwest | 3,535 | 67.5% |
North Coast and Nechako | 40 | 0.8% |
Northeast | 25 | 0.5% |
Thompson-Okanagan | 570 | 10.9% |
Vancouver Island/Coast | 875 | 16.7% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
2,900Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
---|---|---|
Cariboo | 60 | 1.5% |
Kootenay | 40 | 1.2% |
Mainland/Southwest | 2,000 | 2.2% |
North Coast and Nechako | 10 | 0.8% |
Northeast | 0 | -0.1% |
Thompson-Okanagan | 270 | 1.8% |
Vancouver Island/Coast | 510 | 2.4% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
---|---|
Health Care and Social Assistance | 2,900 |
Insights from Industry
A growing and aging population will require more health services, including doctors who are specialists in certain areas of medicine.
Overall, in the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of doctors treating patients. Still, in parts of the province, it is hard for some patients to find a specialist physician.
The University of British Columbia (UBC) offers B.C.’s only medical program, which is delivered throughout the province in partnership with other post-secondary institutions, health authorities and community physician practices. There are four regionally distinct sites:
- Island Medical Program (IMP) at the University of Victoria
- Northern Medical Program (NMP) in Prince George at the University of Northern British Columbia
- Southern Medical Program (SMP) in Kelowna at UBC Okanagan
- Vancouver Fraser Medical Program
Even though opportunities for medical education in B.C. have gone up, there are still not enough graduates to meet the needs of an aging population. As a result, B.C. has filled gaps by recruiting physicians from other parts of Canada and around the world.
Resources
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Association of Faculties of Medicine in Canada (AFMC)afmc.ca
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Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)www.cihi.ca
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Canadian Medical Association (CMA)www.cma.ca/
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Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA)www.cmpa-acpm.ca/en/home
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Canadian Post-M.D. Education Registry (CAPER)caper.ca
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Doctors of BCwww.doctorsofbc.ca
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Fraser Health – Careerscareers.fraserhealth.ca
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Health Match BCwww.healthmatchbc.org/
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Interior Health – Jobsjobs.interiorhealth.ca/
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Island Health – Careerswww.islandhealth.ca/careers
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Medical Council of Canada (MCC)www.mcc.ca
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Northern Health – Careerscareers.northernhealth.ca/
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Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) – Jobsjobs.phsa.ca/
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Resident Doctors of BCresidentdoctorsbc.ca
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Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Canadawww.royalcollege.ca/rcsite/home-e
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Vancouver Coastal Health – Careerscareers.vch.ca