A branch of medicine — such as orthopedics, pediatrics, psychiatry, etc. — that requires specialist training.
World Health Organization. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Glossary. 2009.
A specialty (or speciality) in medicine is a branch of medical practice. After completing medical school, physicians or surgeons usually further their medical education in a specific specialty of medicine by completing a multiple-year residency to become a medical specialist.
Medical specialties can be classified along several axes:
- surgical or internal medicine
- age range of patients
- diagnostic or therapeutic
- organ-based or technique-based
