Study Endocrinology

What is Endocrinology?

Endocrinology is the branch of medicine that studies the endocrine system. The endocrine system is made up of organs and glands which include the adrenals, thyroid, pituitary, testes, ovaries, and pancreas.

The endocrine system is somewhat misunderstood and certainly, people are not exactly sure what an endocrinologist actually does. To get back to basics, the endocrine system is made up of organs that produce hormones which make up an important communication system in the body just like the nervous system. As such, endocrinologists diagnose and treat hormone-related disorders caused by malfunctioning endocrine glands.

In the case of endocrinology, diagnosis requires analytically reviewing various laboratory tests and diagnostic imaging and knowledge of biochemistry and clinical chemistry. In order to effectively diagnose and manage diseases, endocrinologists treat patients holistically and observe changes over time on a molecular and cellular level.

The main illness that US endocrinologists diagnose and treat is diabetes with its list of complications including blindness, amputations, heart attacks, and strokes. Other conditions that endocrinologists treat include infertility, thyroid disease, osteoporosis, obesity, menopause, short stature, and hypertension.

The demand for endocrinologists and endocrinology nurses remains high along with a steady increase in obesity and diabetes in the US.

Careers in Endocrinology

If you are considering becoming an endocrinologist it will take thirteen years to qualify. First, you’ll need to take a three-year pre-med or science course or a course that has biology, chemistry, physics, and calculus modules. The next step is passing the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) to get into med school. After four years of med school, budding endocrinologists need to take a three-year program in internal medicine before following that with a two to three-year fellowship.

If you’d like to become an endocrinology nurse you’ll need to complete a four-year nursing degree and successfully complete the NCLEX exam to become an RGN. However, from here it differs so you should check with your local State Board of Nursing. Some states require a Master’s of Science (MSN) degree whereas others will consider on-the-job training as sufficient to gain a license as an endocrinology nurse.

Endocrinologists love the science and cellular biology behind their specialization as well as providing relief to a variety of patients suffering from chronic illnesses where the missing link to their symptoms is a “natural” substance. Their work may overlap with oncologists and gastroenterologists. Gaining effective “control” over diabetes is essential as notwithstanding other serious symptoms, each hypo or hyperglycemic episode a diabetic patient experiences is a life-threatening medical emergency and extremely distressing for the patient.

Endocrinology nurses are often pediatric endocrinology nurses and enjoy working with children in their daily professional lives. They advise both parents and kids on ongoing disease management as well as physical and sexual development arising from hormonal disorders.

Pediatric endocrine nurses are some of the highest paid of all nurses with few specialties other than anesthesiology and psychiatry paying higher. Nurses that have specialized in this area can expect a median salary in excess of $84,000, per year. Endocrinologists too earn a healthy salary in excess of $220,000, per year.

If you think you have what it takes to enter endocrinological medicine then take a little time to visit The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists or the Endocrine Nurses Society. You can also take a moment to watch this quick video from the Crash Course team all about the endocrine system.

Learning Endocrinology

Studying to become an endocrinologist or an endocrinology nurse can be grueling.

There’s a vast amount of medical and scientific knowledge you need to commit to memory and you need to be a problem solver to correctly diagnose diseases and implement treatment plans.

When you are busy clocking up hours to qualify as an RGN with an MSN accreditation or working long shifts to eventually qualify as an endocrinologist you need an effective learning tool to boost your study time.

Brainscape will allow you to build on key foundational medical knowledge whilst you focus on delivering excellence in clinical practice.

Endocrinology in Brainscape

There are thousands of flashcards dedicated to endocrinology in Brainscape, all prepared by top students and professors. Endocrinologists are like medical detectives who need a heap of information from other disciplines to uncover medical clues. Dipping into other pages in Brainscape may also be helpful such as neurology, physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, embryology, nutrition, pathology, histology, neurobiology, nephrology, oncology, gastroenterology, and microbiology.

If you need to improve your scores to get into nursing college then take a look at the AP Biology and AP Chemistry study guides in Brainscape. For med school students, there’s USMLE Step 1 Endocrinology produced in conjunction with MDVersity that will have you scoring a 260 on your tests.

Additionally, there’s the opportunity to author your own flashcards and become a valued contributor. Authoring your own flashcards improves the memory trace and when you are complete, it’s your choice to share your notecards or keep them for your own personal use.

Learn faster with Brainscape

Smart medical students are taking advantage of Brainscape’s revolutionary learning system known as Confidence-Based Repetition or CBR which allows students to learn twice as fast and remember longer.

Thousands of doctors and nurses recognize Brainscape as being absolutely crucial in helping them study throughout medical school and nursing college. Student nurses and doctors don’t get the luxury of just attending lectures like other students; they are busy fitting their lectures and studies around intense clinical rotations. Brainscape allows medical students to learn more effectively and optimize their study time, they can also access the app, and grab ten minutes of learning as and when they can.

The CBR system designed by the Brainscape team incorporates three key learning methods: spaced repetition, active recall, and metacognition. The three systems deliver an effortless user learning experience coupled with unrivaled results.

The first system used in the CBR system is spaced repetition in its flashcard format. Thousands of studies over almost a century have proven this is an effective learning method. The method of showing bite-sized pieces of information at spaced intervals allows learners to concentrate for longer. Conversely, more traditional learning leads to students becoming bogged down and unfocused when lots of information is presented simultaneously.

The second system incorporated in the CBR system is active recall, which is the method of retrieving information. Brainscape doesn’t show answers in recognizable patterns so you’ll have to work hard to retrieve answers and when you do so you’ll strengthen both the neural pathways and the memory trace. The result is that the next time you need that information whether it's in an exam, or in clinical practice you’ll be able to retrieve it more easily.   

Other computer-aided learning tools use these mechanisms but Brainscape is unique in its use of the third system, metacognition. Whilst other learning tools show you flashcards randomly, Brainscape shows you cards with ultimate precision, enough so, to boost your learning by 100%.

In Brainscape, after you have reviewed each flashcard you take a few seconds to metacognitively consider your breadth of understanding and you’ll leave a record of that from 1-5. Now the algorithm knows where to place the card in the deck to optimize your learning experience. Flashcards you record as a “1” or”2” will be repeated to improve your understanding frequently, you’ll make time to focus on these weaker areas by the algorithm not showing you the cards you rated as “5’s” except to recap, and so on and so forth. With Brainscape, you never waste a second of your study time.

That’s why medical students across America are choosing Brainscape.

How to get started

Getting started with Brainscape is easy. Simply browse the decks below and you’ll see topics from Hypothyroidism, Thyrotoxicity, Obesity and Appetite Regulation, Neuroendocrine Tumors, and the Pituitary Gland. So dig in, today!

If you’d like to use the Brainscape software with your individual coursework and then it’s free and easy. Just click “make flashcards” at the top of the page to get started now.

Brainscape is making the difference for thousands of medical students across America and beyond. The Brainscape team wishes you the very best in your Endocrinology studies and career.