Clinicians are attracted to the field of endocrinology because it integrates physiology, biochemistry, and cell signaling with patient care. The fact that many endocrine disorders are amenable to cure or effective treatment also makes the practice of endocrinology especially satisfying.

As medicine becomes more specialized, physician roles are changing. Many general medicine inpatient services are now managed by hospitalists, who work in conjunction with primary care physicians and consultants. Inpatient length of stay continues to fall, and this setting is now rarely used for extensive endocrine evaluation and testing. In fact, many endocrine pathways are perturbed by the stress associated with acute illness or hospitalization (e.g., sick euthyroid; false-positive dexamethasone suppression tests). These changes have resulted in a shift of an endocrinologist's activity to the outpatient setting.

Clinical endocrinologists serve three main roles: (1) to …