The rapid expansion of basic and clinical scientific knowledge has
made this an exciting field of work. National and international
meetings for pain medicine often involve up to fifty basic science
and clinical disciplines and provide rich opportunities for learning
outside of your primary specialty area. Collaborative discussions
regarding the diagnosis and management of patients tend to be
rewarding and intellectually stimulating.
If you wish to pursue a career in this field you must be able to
empathise with patients who have become debilitated as a result of
severe pain. You should also have a keen interest in working as part
of a team.
The daily schedule usually involves outpatient consulting, inpatient
consulting and multidisciplinary team meetings. It can also involve
considerable procedural work.
The basic and clinical science content of pain medicine is extremely
broad and currently represents one of the most rapidly expanding
areas of the neurosciences. Since knowledge in this specialty is
advancing swiftly, many specialists spend a significant amount of
their time in clinical or basic research. Specialist involvement in
undergraduate and postgraduate teaching is also essential in order
to bridge the knowledge gap that currently exists.
A career in pain medicine will broaden your clinical horizons and
invite you to keep pace with advances in basic science and
sociology. It provides an enjoyable opportunity to interact with
colleagues who are committed to improving patient care, and enables
you to develop research activities and contribute to undergraduate,
postgraduate and continuing education programs.
This field is extremely diverse: specialists are required to be
knowledgeable about the management of challenging pain problems in
paediatric, adult and geriatric patients across almost every field
of specialty. Since this is a relatively new field, specialists are
highly sought-after.
There is a significant amount of on-call work, particularly for
those who are involved in acute pain management. Those who are
predominantly involved in chronic pain are also called upon to
provide after-hours services.
Some patients with long standing chronic pain have become depressed
and demoralised. This may initially pose a challenge for you to
establish rapport and can be very demanding, although the training
program does provide assistance and advice in this respect.
Training in pain medicine is a supplementary specialist
degree. It would be highly desirable to seek a rotation in a
multidisciplinary pain centre before you make a final decision about
pursuing this specialty. Some training centres now provide the
opportunity for interns and residents to be attached to the training
program.
