Types Of Doctors That Don't Do Surgery

Last Updated on December 24, 2022

The list of highest paid types doctors that dont do surgery is given below. By paying attention to the data given in the following types specialist doctors and 12 medical specialty stereotypes, everyone can find out out which type of doctors to visit for a successful recovery.

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When you’re looking for a doctor, it can be hard to know which one is the right fit. You might think that all doctors do the same thing, but that’s not true at all! There are many different types of doctors in the world, and they each have their own specialty. Here are just a few types of doctors that don’t do surgery:

You will also find related posts on types of doctors and salaries & types of doctors and years of schooling on infolearners.

Types Of Doctors That Don’t Do Surgery

Internal medicine doctors are dorks, emergency medicine physicians are cowboys, and dermatologists care about nothing more than money. What’s the truth about doctor stereotypes, and what is more fiction than fact? Let’s find out.

You voted for it, and here it is. Welcome to part 2 of the doctor stereotypes. In part one, we covered surgical specialties such as plastics, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, urology, OB/GYN, and general surgery. Now it’s time to dive into the non-surgical specialties.

Internal Medicine

Internal medicine is the default – what most people think about when they think “doctor”. This is the specialty you go into for one of three reasons. Either (1) you love the idea of being a hospitalist or primary care doctor, (2) you plan on specializing after residency in fellowship such as cardiology or gastroenterology, or (3) you didn’t fall in love with any other specialty, so you this becomes the default.

The stereotype of internal medicine, amongst medical students and physicians, is that they love thinking and talking more than they love doing. It’s often affectionately called “mental masturbation”. The reason this stereotype exists is that on inpatient medicine, teams spend several hours, sometimes up to half a day, rounding on patients and discussing the minor nuances of which antibiotic to prescribe or the minutiae of an obscure disease. Surgeon personalities, such as yours truly, are often less enthusiastic about spending such a long time rounding and prefer to be getting their hands dirty.

But as with most stereotypes, that isn’t fully accurate. Within internal medicine, there are two main ways of practicing: inpatient and outpatient. Inpatient medicine is where you take care of patients who are inpatient, meaning they are staying in the hospital. On average, these patients are sicker and more complex from a medical management perspective. With outpatient medicine, you are seeing patients in the clinic. When you think of going to the doctor, this is generally what you think of. You have an appointment, go to the clinic, wait an excessively long time, and then see your physician for 15 minutes to discuss your concerns.

Family Medicine

In contrast to internal medicine, which is primarily focused on adult patients, family medicine is focused less on a specific patient population, like adults for internal medicine, or children for pediatrics, or women for gynecology, and is instead focused on the social unit of the family.

The differences and similarities between family medicine and internal medicine are often confusing. Both residencies are generally 3 years. However, internal medicine has much more inpatient and ICU, or intensive care unit, training. Internal medicine also has significant training in internal medicine subspecialties, like endocrinology, rheumatology, infectious diseases, cardiology, and the like. While outpatient clinic medicine is included, it’s less heavily emphasized.

With family medicine, outpatient medicine is the primary focus, although they do receive a bit of gynecology, surgery, musculoskeletal, and other specialty training. In short, family medicine places an emphasis on outpatient medicine, continuity of care, health maintenance, and disease prevention. Internal medicine, given its deeper adult medicine training, is often better suited for managing adult patients with complex medical histories.

The stereotype of family medicine is that you generally go into the specialty if you’re not a particularly strong student. Compared to other specialties, it’s less competitive, the average board scores are low, and the pay is towards the bottom of the stack. That being said, I know several brilliant medical students that went into family medicine because they’re passionate about the field, not because they couldn’t do something else. And plus, a low or high board score is not necessarily predictive of whether or not you’ll be a good physician.

Anesthesiology

These next few specialties have something that most others don’t – a more balanced lifestyle. Anesthesiologists get a bad rap for being lazy, and it’s not hard to see why. During surgeries or other operations, anesthesiologists are busy at work at the beginning of the procedure, at the end of the procedure, and at moments in the middle of the procedure. However, compared to surgeons who are constantly “on”, there is a lot more down time. During cases in the operating room, I’ve seen anesthesiologists browsing Reddit on more than one occasion, or checking email, or watching videos.

Anesthesiologists often joke about the blood-brain barrier, and they aren’t referring to the semipermeable border separating circulating blood from the central nervous system within the human body. They’re talkinng about the drapes in the operating room that separate the surgeons, the blood, from the anesthesiologists, the brains.

Being an anesthesiologist is harder than it looks. When things are calm and steady, all is well. But when a patient is unstable and rapidly decompensating, you won’t be envious of their position. It’s not surprising that given the stress of their job and access to drugs, they have some of the highest rates of substance abuse.

All in all, it’s a great specialty. Your hours are more flexible compared to other specialties, pay is relatively good, it’s less competitive to match into, and you still get to work with your hands doing procedures. That being said, there are two deal breakers – ego and operating. If putting aside your ego is tough, it may be hard being second in command in the operating room, or being yelled at by a cranky surgeon who, quite frankly, has no business to be yelling at you. And if you love the art, challenge, and excitement of operating, it’s tough to forever be on the other side of the curtain, too brainy to get your hands dirty.

Radiology

If you like computers more than you like people, then radiology may be the right field for you. Radiologists spend the entire day in dark reading rooms looking over radiographs, MRI’s and other imaging . Some say radiologists are vampires, but others claim to have spotted a lone radiologist walking outside the hospital in the daylight. Sounds like Bigfoot if you ask me.

Pathology

If you don’t like patients and computers aren’t your jam, then consider pathology. Pathologists are stereotyped as lacking social skills, highly introverted, and not keen on interacting with those pesky homo sapiens.

While pathologists generally don’t have patient interaction or continuity, they are regularly working with physicians of other specialties, just as radiologists do. For that reason, you wouldn’t get very far in pathology, or any specialty for that matter, if you couldn’t work with other people as part of a team.

Dermatology

If you love money but don’t like working too hard, dermatology is the field for you. Just know that there are many other people like you, and for that reason it’s incredibly challenging to match into derm.

General Medical Officer

If you want to call yourself a surgeon without actually doing any surgery, join the military and become a General Medical Officer, or GMO for short.

A GMO is essentially a primary care doctor plus. They are colloquially referred to as “surgeons”, such as flight surgeons, dive surgeons, etc. However, they are NOT surgeons. After completing their intern year, GMOs are assigned to different units, where they undergo additional training to best support their team. For example, Navy Flight doctors would go to flight school where they will learn not only about the physiology involved in flying fighter jets and helicopters, but they themselves will also learn to fly.

Advancements in modern medicine have greatly extended life expectancy in the past century. The average life expectancy in the US was 47 in 1900, according to Health, United States, 2018, a publication from the National Center for Health Statistics. Today, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports the average American can expect to live to past 78 years old.

As life expectancy improves and the population ages, more health care will inevitably be required. In fact, the health care field is predicted to add more jobs to the economy in the coming decade than any other industry. And at the helm are the physicians caring for an array of patients and conditions.

Highest paid doctors that dont do surgery

Here is a list of the top 19 highest-paying doctor jobs. Take note of this list when you’re applying for jobs to earn a higher salary for your career.

1. Pharmacist

National average salary: $104,180 per year

Primary duties: A pharmacist gives medications to patients through the direction of their physician and refills prescriptions at their discretion. They also provide advice to patients on the dosage they should take for their medication and keep them secure within the pharmacy or hospital they work at.

2. Podiatrist

National average salary: $111,339 per year

Primary duties: A podiatrist renders treatments to an individual’s feet and takes active measures to monitor and relieve a patient’s pain. Some treatments include wart removals, athlete’s foot and injuries maintained while playing sports. They also give tips to patients on how to take care of your feet and the best shoes to wear.

3. Optometrist

National average salary: $119,386 per year

Primary duties: An optometrist is a specialist that examines the structure of the eye makes diagnoses and treatments based on their observation. They can prescribe medications, therapeutic procedures and lenses as well as conduct surgical procedures and evaluate the current vision of the patient.

4. Primary care physician

National average salary: $163,828 per year

Primary duties: A primary care physician is the first contact to address a patient’s medical needs. They observe the symptoms given by the patient, examine their body and come up with a diagnosis or refer them to a specialist. They can prescribe medications that can help a patient manage pain and treat their symptoms depending on their conditions.

5. Pediatrician

National average salary: $179,775 per year

Primary duties: A pediatrician oversees the health of children that come into their practice. They check on the status of a child’s physical, mental and emotional health and advise on preventative measures to take for illnesses and diseases. They also give vaccinations, answer questions about their nutrition, along with writing referrals to specialists when necessary.

6. Obstetrics and gynecology physician

National average salary: $180,639 per year

Primary duties: An obstetrics and gynecology physician, or OBGYN, cares for the needs of a woman’s reproductive health, including when they’re in labor and delivering their child. They screen patients to ensure mothers and babies can be free from diseases and perform surgeries if a major health risk arises.

7. Oncologist

National average salary: $188,554 per year

Primary duties: An oncologist is responsible for treating cancer for patients when they’re diagnosed. They can either work in radiation, medical or surgical, so a patient should expect to interact with different doctors throughout their diagnosis. Each type of oncologist can remove tissues or administer treatments that can increase their chances of treating their cancer.

8. Internal medicine physician

National average salary: $194,477 per year

Primary duties: An internal medicine physician is similar to a primary care physician, but the main difference is that they only work with adults instead of children. They give diagnoses and treatments related to their physical health and focus on short-term care, leading to a patient becoming fully healthy.

9. Dentist

National average salary: $197,453 per year

Primary duties: A dentist removes bacteria and evidence of decay from your teeth. They fill cavities, repair the alignment of teeth and decide on the preferable methods a patient should take to care for their teeth and gums. They take x-rays and make measurements for appliances they might need to realign your teeth.

10. Family medicine physician

National average salary: $201,862 per year

Primary duties: A family medicine physician, or family doctor, can be perceived as a personalized version of a primary care physician who follows the full life cycle of your health. This option is good for patients who want an in-depth relationship with their doctor, so they can follow their suggestions on what’s best for their health and treat an illness they have suffered. In addition to annual physicals, they also look at illnesses like infections or arthritis.

List of specialist doctors types

You may call them simply doctors. But most doctors have extra expertise in one type of medicine or another. In fact, there are several hundred medical specialties and subspecialties. Here are the most common types of doctors you’ll likely see.

Allergists/Immunologists
They treat immune system disorders such as asthma, eczema, food allergies, insect sting allergies, and some autoimmune diseases.

Anesthesiologists
These doctors give you drugs to numb your pain or to put you under during surgery, childbirth, or other procedures. They monitor your vital signs while you’re under anesthesia.

Cardiologists
They’re experts on the heart and blood vessels. You might see them for heart failure, a heart attack, high blood pressure, or an irregular heartbeat.

Colon and Rectal Surgeons
You would see these doctors for problems with your small intestine, colon, and bottom. They can treat colon cancer, hemorrhoids, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Critical Care Medicine Specialists
They care for people who are critically ill or injured, often heading intensive care units in hospitals. You might see them if your heart or other organs are failing or if you’ve been in an accident.

Dermatologists
Have problems with your skin, hair, nails? Do you have moles, scars, acne, or skin allergies? Dermatologists can help.

Endocrinologists
These are experts on hormones and metabolism. They can treat conditions like diabetes, thyroid problems, infertility, and calcium and bone disorders.

Emergency Medicine Specialists
These doctors make life-or-death decisions for sick and injured people, usually in an emergency room. Their job is to save lives and to avoid or lower the chances of disability.

Family Physicians
They care for the whole family, including children, adults, and the elderly. They do routine checkups and screening tests, give you flu and immunization shots, and manage diabetes and other ongoing medical conditions.

Gastroenterologists
They’re specialists in digestive organs, including the stomach, bowels, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder. You might see them for abdominal pain, ulcers, diarrhea, jaundice, or cancers in your digestive organs. They also do a colonoscopy and other tests for colon cancer.

Geriatric Medicine Specialists
These doctors care for the elderly. They can treat people in their homes, doctors’ offices, nursing homes, assisted-living centers, and hospitals.

Hematologists
These are specialists in diseases of the blood, spleen, and lymph glands, like sickle cell disease, anemia, hemophilia, and leukemia.

Hospice and Palliative Medicine Specialists
They work with people who are nearing death. They’re experts in pain management. They work with a team of other doctors to keep up your quality of life.

Infectious Disease Specialists
They diagnose and treat infections in any part of your body, like fevers, Lyme disease, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and HIV and AIDS. Some of them specialize in preventive medicine or travel medicine.

Internists
These primary-care doctors treat both common and complex illnesses, usually only in adults. You’ll likely visit them or your family doctor first for any condition. Internists often have advanced training in a host of subspecialties, like heart disease, cancer, or adolescent or sleep medicine. With additional training (called a fellowship), internists can specialize in cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, nephrology, pulmonology, and other medical sub-specialties.

Medical Geneticists
They diagnose and treat hereditary disorders passed down from parents to children. These doctors may also offer genetic counseling and screening tests.https://4b2aaeeb63f4c6510e2d97c03460905d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Nephrologists
They treat kidney diseases as well as high blood pressure and fluid and mineral imbalances linked to kidney disease.

Neurologists
These are specialists in the nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. They treat strokes, brain and spinal tumors, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Often called OB/GYNs, these doctors focus on women’s health, including pregnancy and childbirth. They do Pap smears, pelvic exams, and pregnancy checkups. OB/GYNs are trained in both areas. But some of them may focus on women’s reproductive health (gynecologists), and others specialize in caring for pregnant women (obstetricians).

Oncologists
These internists are cancer specialists. They do chemotherapy treatments and often work with radiation oncologists and surgeons to care for someone with cancer.

Ophthalmologists
You call them eye doctors. They can prescribe glasses or contact lenses and diagnose and treat diseases like glaucoma. Unlike optometrists, they’re medical doctors who can treat every kind of eye condition as well as operate on the eyes.

Osteopaths
Doctors of osteopathic medicine (DO) are fully licensed medical doctors just like MDs. Their training stresses a “whole body” approach. Osteopaths use the latest medical technology but also the body’s natural ability to heal itself

Otolaryngologists
They treat diseases in the ears, nose, throat, sinuses, head, neck, and respiratory system. They also can do reconstructive and plastic surgery on your head and neck.

Pathologists
These lab doctors identify the causes of diseases by examining body tissues and fluids under microscopes.

Pediatricians
They care for children from birth to young adulthood. Some pediatricians specialize in pre-teens and teens, child abuse, or children’s developmental issues.

Physiatrists
These specialists in physical medicine and rehabilitation treat neck or back pain and sports or spinal cord injuries as well as other disabilities caused by accidents or diseases.

Plastic Surgeons
You might call them cosmetic surgeons. They rebuild or repair your skin, face, hands, breasts, or body. That can happen after an injury or disease or for cosmetic reasons.

Podiatrists
They care for problems in your ankles and feet. That can include injuries from accidents or sports or from ongoing health conditions like diabetes. Some podiatrists have advanced training in other subspecialties of the foot.

Preventive Medicine Specialists
They focus on keeping you well. They may work in public health or at hospitals. Some focus on treating people with addictions, illnesses from exposure to drugs, chemicals, and poisons, and other areas.

Psychiatrists
These doctors work with people with mental, emotional, or addictive disorders. They can diagnose and treat depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, and sexual and gender identity issues. Some psychiatrists focus on children, adolescents, or the elderly.

Pulmonologists
You would see these specialists for problems like lung cancer, pneumonia, asthma, emphysema, and trouble sleeping caused by breathing issues.

Radiologists
They use X-rays, ultrasound, and other imaging tests to diagnose diseases. They can also specialize in radiation oncology to treat conditions like cancer.

Rheumatologists
They specialize in arthritis and other diseases in your joints, muscles, bones, and tendons. You might see them for your osteoporosis (weak bones), back pain, gout, tendinitis from sports or repetitive injuries, and fibromyalgia.

Sleep Medicine Specialists
They find and treat causes behind your poor sleep. They may have sleep labs or give you take-home tests to chart your sleep-wake patterns.

Sports Medicine Specialists
These doctors diagnose, treat, and prevent injuries related to sports and exercise.

General Surgeons
These doctors can operate on all parts of your body. They can take out tumors, appendices, or gallbladders and repair hernias. Many surgeons have subspecialties, like cancer, hand, or vascular surgery.

Urologists
These are surgeons who care for men and women for problems in the urinary tract, like a leaky bladder. They also treat male infertility and do prostate exams.