Also sometimes referred to as intensivists, critical care specialists are physicians with specialized training in the diagnosis and management of life-threatening conditions. Some of these conditions affect vital organs like the heart and lungs, those that make breathing difficult or impossible, and those that affect entire organ systems, like the renal system.
Critical care specialists are typically found in a hospital's intensive care unit where they monitor patients with life-threatening conditions and make determinations as to the best course of treatment.

A pulmonologist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions related to the lungs and respiratory tract.
These specialists are similar to critical care specialists in that their patients often require mechanical ventilation to assist their breathing.
Pulmonologists diagnose and treat patients with conditions such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, asbestosis, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, COPD, and emphysema. Exposure and inhalation of certain toxic substances may also warrant the services of a pulmonologist.
Some of the tools and tests pulmonologists use to diagnose a patient are a stethoscope in order to listen for abnormal breathing sounds, chest X-rays, CT scans, blood tests, bronchoscopy, and polysomnography.

An infectious disease specialist has specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of contagious diseases.
Infectious diseases, also known as contagious or transmissible diseases, are those that stem from pathogen from a host organism. These infections may spread to other carriers through physical touch, airborne inhalation, bodily fluids or contaminated foods.
Infectious disease specialists identify whether the disease is caused by bacteria, a virus, a fungus or a parasite often through blood tests and then determine what course of treatment, if any, is necessary.

An internist is a physician who focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that affect the adult population—both acute and chronic.
These doctors are often who adults see as their primary physicians because they treat a broad range of illnesses that do not require surgical or specialist interventions. They also work to help a patient maintain optimal health in order to prevent the onset of disease.
In addition to treating the common cold and flu, internists also treat chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

A sleep medicine specialist is specially trained in diagnosing and treating disorders involving sleep.
Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and insomnia are very common and can often cause other serious health issues, such as depression, asthma, and migraines. Sleep medicine specialists often work in sleep centers where they observe a patient while sleeping and monitor brain waves, behavior, and vital signs in order to identify the causes of sleep disturbance, or an inability to sleep (insomnia).
Sleep medicine specialists treat patients through advising on sleep hygiene, providing cognitive behavioral therapy, using light therapy, or medical sleep aides.