How to Become a Successful Immunologist?

If you are planning to become a medical professional, you can have countless specializations to choose from. Depending on your preferences, you can pick any branch. Among all of these, immunology is gaining popularity these days. This field of medical science is all about studying the immune systems and related disorders and suitable diagnosis. When you have everything i.e. education, skills, experience, etc., you can mark your name as a successful immunologist such as Dr. Kanury Rao.

So, before you start, you must gain details about the career path, skills, responsibilities, and more. All these will ease the entire process. To make things easier for you, we have explained everything here in this post. Let us begin.

Who is an immunology professional?

Immunology professionals or immunologists are also known as allergists. These are physicians who are experts in researching, assessing, treating, and managing different health issues. They mainly treat conditions caused by a malfunctioning immune system. The conditions that they usually treat include autoimmune diseases, auto-inflammatory conditions, food allergies, environmental allergies, asthma, and a few types of cancer, such as lung cancer, skin cancer, bladder cancer, and so on.

What are the responsibilities of immunologists?

An immunologist or allergist conducts a thorough assessment to determine the condition and symptoms. Alongside, they also suggest and perform the right treatment plan to treat the patients. Below are some responsibilities of an immunologist:

• Treating patients with health issues such as allergies, asthma, autoimmune disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and others.
• Helping people know the potential causes, trigger points, symptoms, and suitable treatments for their health conditions.
• Prescribing medical devices and medicines to help patients get some relief. According to Kanury Rao, this is an important task one must complete to support the treatment.
• Guiding how a patient must use EpiPens, inhalers, and other useful medical devices who are experiencing allergies and similar issues.
• Ordering biopsies, lab tests, ultrasounds, and pulmonary tests (as required) to confirm the health condition and design a treatment plan accordingly.
• Reviewing the lab test results to detect the antibodies needed for a specific allergen or autoimmune condition.
• Conducting or participating in research to understand the immune system, disorders, and effects on the body.
• Reviewing the medical history of a patient to locate the previous complaints and illnesses to suggest treatments accordingly.
• Communicating with their patients or family members to explain the conditions, line of treatment, and other related aspects.

What is the career path of becoming an immunologist?

To succeed as an immunologist, you are advised to complete the necessary steps involved in the career path. Dr. Kanury Rao has explained the same as the following:

• Earn the necessary degrees

The very first thing that you will need to do is earn your undergraduate degree in the relevant field of science. Some of these degree areas include nursing, biochemistry, biology, pre-medicine, or public health. You can consult with your professors to make a wise choice.

• Attend the medical school

After completing or even during the UG degree, you can apply to medical schools that suit your study interests, career goals, and financial needs. However, you will also need to clear certain exams. Once you pass the exam and get admission to medical school, you will need two more years to study and work in professional healthcare settings.

• Decide the specialization

Before we move to the next step, you should know that deciding on the specialization is a must. Just like any other area of study, immunology also has different branches. Based on your interests, individual preferences, and career goals, you can choose the specialization. Some of these options include allergists, clinical immunology, and more.

• Find and join an immunology fellowship or internship

According to Dr. Kanury Rao, an internship or fellowship allows candidates to get familiar with this medical field better. When they work on real-life cases, they will find them in a better state to decide the diagnosis. Apart from this, candidates can broaden their perspective by assisting an experienced immunologist. These opportunities can be found in hospitals, labs, research centers, and other similar work settings.

What are the salary expectations?

Immunology is one of the most rewarding career options for budding immunologists. Hence, aspirants can earn a handsome salary by working in this sector. Speaking about the average salary may vary from one institution to another. Besides, the salary is greatly affected by the experience, skills, knowledge, etc. of the working professionals.

Takeaways

Before you kick-start your journey in immunology, you will be happy to know that the latest stats have shown that the industry will require more certified professionals in the years to come. The job outlook will grow and offer a great opportunity for budding immunology candidates to attain success just like Kanury Rao. Besides, you should do enough online and offline research to get familiar with other crucial aspects of this medical line.