Immunology - again!

[Guest kanayo101]

I could help noticing the thing about an immunology major in the FAQ section.

 

What exactly is involved in immunology and what does a person with an immunology degree do - at least in humans? I mean, I go to an immunologist for my allergy shots but he's an MD...how can immunology be a backup career for medicine?

 

I heard haematology/hematology is a backup profession too...again...huh?

[Guest mitchie41]

Immunologists are researchers that study the effects of microbes on the body. Essentially, Immunology is Microbiology.

 

So, in other words, you can't get a backup job as an Immunologist. However, you could get a job as a researcher is you have enough education/experience in the field.

 

Hope this helps.

[Guest med2006McGill]

While it is true that Immunology does draw on disciplines such as Microbiology, Pathology, and Biochemistry, I wouldn't say immunology is essentially microbiology. Immunology is a newer branch of medical sciences that encompasses "the body's response to infectious micro-organisms, and all aspects of self vs. non-self recognition phenomena, including organ transplantation, tumour immunology, autoimmune diseases and allergy."

 

With a BSc, MSc, or PhD degree in immunology, you can work for pharmaceutical companies like Aventis Pasteur or as a researcher in academia. However, you do need a MD degree to be a clinical immunologist. You also need a MD degree to be a clinical hematologist.

[Guest Ian Wong]

Your doctor that gives you the shots may well have completed a fellowship (additional training after residency) in Allergy and Immunology. In my limited experience, we usually call these clinicians allergists. Of course, there's a lot of areas of medicine that deal in allergy complaints despite not having this fellowship training: respirology, pediatrics, ENT to name a few.

 

And of course, in order to see the above people, you'll need to go through your family doctor as well.

 

Ian

UBC, Med 4