A proctologist is a type of physician who works with the digestive tract and the final parts of the digestive system – the anus, colon and rectum. The particular duties of a proctologist are mostly similar to those of other physicians – they include diagnosing the patient’s problem, determining a course of action, prescribing the proper medications, and in some cases taking part in the actual treatment as well, depending on the particular condition affecting the patient. Proctologists frequently work with laboratory tests in order to figure out an aspect of the condition affecting the patient.
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Getting a job as a proctologist requires going through medical school similarly to most other physicians. First, the candidate must obtain a Bachelor’s degree, and then specialize in medical school for the particular job of a proctologist. The educational process can be more demanding than that for other physicians in some cases, and the job can also be highly stressful and lead to a lot of complications in the procedures with just a little loss of attention on the physician’s side.
A proctologist earns very well, like most other physicians. The average annual salary is between $155,000 – $290,000, and the job usually has great benefits and bonuses attached to it which can reap in a lot of new employees every year. On the other hand, the working hours tend to be overly long and not very flexible, making it somewhat of a less attractive choice than some other options in the medical field.