Pain Medicine (or Pain Management) Specialist Education and Training

After graduating medical school and completing a one-year internship, the doctor enters a residency program typically in anesthesiology or physical medicine, but sometimes from other fields such as neurology and psychiatry. Upon completion of a residency program (typically 3 years long), the doctor does a one-year fellowship for advanced training in pain medicine.

Many pain medicine specialists are board certified. The organizations that board certify anesthesiologists, physiatrists, neurologists, and psychiatrists all cooperate to provide the board examination for the subspecialty of Pain Medicine.

Pain medicine specialists continue their medical education and training throughout their careers. There are many opportunities for pain management specialists to stay current with technical and medical advances in pain medicine, such as society meetings and scientific journals.