"I chose Infectious
Diseases because I found it interesting . . . and I met inspirational
clinicians who were trained in Infectious Diseases during my basic
training.
The ability to retain and synthesise information is obviously important
to all specialties including Infectious Diseases. Perhaps the most
important abilities are to be able to take a step back and examine a
case from a fresh perspective, and adaptability. As a specialty which
(at least in New Zealand) primarily provides consultation on patients
under the care of other doctors, we are often required to come into a
situation where a patient has been in hospital and being investigated
and/or treated for some time and may have received various labels. It is
vital to be able to review the available information and attempt to come
to independent conclusions. In terms of adaptability, the field of
Infectious Diseases is constantly changing with the emergence of
antimicrobial resistance, new diseases being found to be related to
infections, and the emergence of new or re-emergence of old pathogens."
Dr
Stephen McBride, Infectious Diseases and General Physician, Middlemore
Hospital
