Hi Diane. While living in Europe I was surprised to learn that those who go to medical school are not doctors. You are only called doctor if you do post graduate work and a thesis. After our conversation I did a little internet research and found an interesting blog of some doctor asking a number of doctors from all over Europe about their training as rheumatologists. They all did post graduate studies and research after medical school before going into practice. Not sure it answers the question but here's the link.

http://paulsufka.com/world3/

I believe most of them are MDs, if not all. Educational systems and grades are differing between countries. in Europe when completing your university studies in medicine it is common adding after the final examn the Medical Doctor, MD. While this is common (maybe 90%?) it's not a requirement. Becoming MD typically requires a small research project, often clinical, and additional tests. When you are seriously getting into research you might in some countries make a PhD, in other countries you become professor. Details are varying from country to country. The French rheumatologists all completed their medical studies at a university, probably with varying titles.

Wolfgang

moondanc:

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I could be mistaken but I believe I read somewhere on this forum--several years ago-- that the French rheumatologists who started the NA procedure aren't MDs. Glad to be proven wrong and corrected. What kind of training do they have?

Diane

Diane; My understanding is that the French rheumatologists, as with the rest of the developed world, must first obtain a medical degree before specialising in rheumatology.

I think it more likely that you have heard in the past that the people performing NA in France are not surgeons they rheumatologists. This is usually followed with a pejorative comment to the effect that they don't even use a hospital or proper surgery. And it is true that the French rheumatologists perform NA in their consulting rooms and they are not surgeons.

At least this is how it has been represented to me in Australia by the hand surgeons that I have seen. They seem to think that you need to be a surgeon to go digging around in someones hand.

Both rheumatologists that I have seen in Paris have said that they work with surgeons and will direct patients to surgeons where they think surgery is the better option.

Seph:

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Diane; Obviously I was writing my comments while you were doing an additional post.