Gastroenterologist

As a gastroenterologist, you are a specialist doctor who treats the stomach, intestines and all the organs that digest food. You help people with common problems like heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome, but also more serious conditions like Crohn's disease and bowel cancer. Your job is to work out what is wrong, help people feel better, and sometimes save lives.

In clinic, you will talk to patients about their symptoms and examine them. You will often use a camera - a long, thin tube called an endoscope - to look inside their stomach or bowel and see what the problem is. You might take tiny samples to test, or remove polyps that could become cancer. You will work with surgeons, nurses and other doctors to plan the best treatment for each person. You also spend time teaching patients about what is wrong and how to look after themselves - like changing their diet or managing stress. The work is always changing because doctors keep discovering new treatments, so you will read research papers and go to conferences to stay up to date with the newest ideas.