General practice has long been a popular career path for young doctors but others find specialising in a particular field a more attractive and fulfilling challenge. Speak to any consulting specialist and they'll tell you the satisfaction and rewards are immeasurable.

Despite this, an increasing demand for some specialist services has resulted in a relative shortage of doctors in those fields - namely neonatology, emergency medicine and pathology.

"In neonatology, for example, technological advances in medical treatment, combined with population lifestyle factors such as increasing maternal age, use of IVF and multiple pregnancies, have resulted in an increased demand for these services," says Elizabeth Fugaccia, principal policy officer for the NSW Department of Health's workforce development and leadership branch.

"However, as with any career, this means there will be opportunities for those who seek them," she says.

Fugaccia believes other contributing factors are the global shortage of doctors in general, as well as the "intrinsic popularity" of other specialties, including dermatology, radiology, pediatrics, cardiology, gastroenterology and anaesthetics.

A pediatric specialist for 30 years, clinical associate professor Nick Evans specialised further as a neonatologist in 1991 at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where he is now head of the department of newborn care.

Since then he has seen almost 12,000 newborns admitted to the hospital. The rewards of being a neonatologist, he says, still inspire him.

"In neonatal care you're really working on the edges of life and death. The rewards of working with children are self-evident … it's good old-fashioned saving of vulnerable newborn lives," Evans says.

"After we send the babies home we follow them in their first year and [occasionally] a parent will come up to me on the street and say, 'Hi, Doctor Evans, do you remember Johnny or David?' and that brings home to me what a humbling job I have. You get to see the babies grow up and you realise how important the work you and your team did and the lifetime impact it's had on these families."

For Dr Fiona Downs, being able to raise a family while still contributing at the adrenaline-pumping, life-and-death end of medicine is one of the most rewarding aspects of specialising as an emergency physician.

Downs, a John Hunter Hospital consultant, moved from Glasgow in Scotland to the Hunter 10 years ago to undertake part-time specialist studies in emergency medicine.

With her husband, also a doctor, and two young children, Downs was lured by Australia's flexible specialist training system that enabled her to raise a family while training part-time.

"We had no family here and the fact I could train part-time over seven years was a huge factor for me," says Downs, who also took time off during her studies to have two more children. "Being able to organise your own training program is really good, especially for people with family commitments. Australia's system is much more welcoming of part-time training and flexibility.

"I have a good work-life balance; I'm employed part-time working 30 hours a week and I can request a reasonable roster that fits in with our family," she says.

Variety is another attraction of emergency work for Downs relishes the hectic and "frantic environment".

"I thrive on all that; I like the unexpected. I'm a person who quite likes a challenge and dealing with the unknown," she says.

"Emergency is a bit of everything: surgical, trauma … trauma is a huge part of John Hunter [Hospital]. We have a huge trauma workload here and I really enjoy doing that."

To attract more doctors into specialties such as emergency medicine, neonatology and pathology, Fugaccia says the Department of Health is providing the 11 specialty colleges with more centralised marketing and recruitment support, while also helping them to further develop their specialist training networks and programs.

"Neonatology, for example, has developed a rotational training program, which allows trainees to gain experience in all aspects of care [in NSW's] neonatal units," Fugaccia says.

"Trainees [can also] become involved in other activities of the departments to which they rotate, such as research and teaching other medical students."

When it comes to attracting more neonatologists, however, Evans believes the specialisation has an image problem. "The perception is we spend our whole lives not getting any sleep.

"It's not as bad as it was 20 or 25 years ago - now there are four to five people on a roster so you get more recovery time - but no doubt it's hard work," Evans says.

"So it's our responsibility as neonatologists to change that image. We have to mentor and show juniors, who are very heavily influenced by their senior doctors, that this is all worthwhile and a rewarding career." 'IT'S WONDERFUL TO SEE CHILDREN BACK WITH THEIR FAMILIES' A TWO-MONTH stint in Nepal assisting in children's surgery was "something that grabbed me straight away", Michael Facek says of his decision to specialise in pediatric surgery.

A resident at Royal North Shore Hospital, the 28-year-old University of Sydney graduate has already spent eight years studying and training. It'll be six more years if his application to specialise in pediatric surgery is successful but the opportunities and rewards have already made a strong impression on the aspiring surgeon who majored in neuroscience.

"It's particularly rewarding working with kids — they're so resilient and it's wonderful to see them back up again and with their families … that really excited me," Facek says.

"When I went to Nepal, as part of my medical degree, it was much more about learning, so hopefully, one day I can go back and spend a few months each year there in a more senior, hands-on role".

Fond of travelling, Facek says he was also conscious of working in a field that would allow him to use his skills anywhere in the world to help others.