Things to consider when choosing your allergist?

When choosing an allergist you want to make sure the individual you are seeing is a Specialist Allergist, an expert in their field and have undergone rigorous training to provide you with the best advice. There are many unproven allergy tests being offered and inaccurate or even dangerous advice may be given if the doctor is not trained appropriately. Many patients are not aware that anyone can call themselves a "Dr" even those without any formal medical training or a PhD.

Their are a few very important things to look for in Australasia:

1) Check that your allergist is listed on the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology & Allergy (ASCIA) website - how to locate a specialist

2) Look at the letters after your doctor's name. These tell you what postgraduate qualifications or specialist training your doctor has undertaken. It can be confusing as they will vary depending on where your Allergy Specialist trained. If they trained in Australia or New Zealand look for the letters FRACP (Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians)they will also have a medical degree(e.g. MBBS, MBChB). 

If they are trained in the UK look for FRCP.  In America the equivalent terminology is "board certified Allergist .

3) As with other medical specialists, a referral from your GP or doctor is required to see a Specialist Allergist.