Healing
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Healing covers everything from basic first aid to brain surgery. Mages are taught how to identify injuries and diseases, to assess their severity, and to bring about a cure. The skill and experience they have at this depends on the degree of specialisation. The basic and partial levels of study are the same for all students. However, once they get to deciding on a full specialisation, they can choose between Human or Veterinary medicine. More specialities are generally taught for Human medicine; Veterinary science has a much broader base of study, given the sheer number of physiologies of potential patients.
Basic Level
In the course of the normal mage school studies, students will learn healing magic up to the level of basic first aid. They will be able to heal grazes and cuts, find and use pressure points, identify concussions, set simple sprains and breaks, handle artificial resuscitation, stop people choking to death, treat - although not cure - minor complaints such as fevers or heat stroke, undertake CPR, and generally act as the first-line treatment for accidents or illnesses. Simple sleep spells are also included at this level.
Partial Specialisation
At this level, mages are beginning to be able to relieve minor complaints, for example reducing fevers by bringing down temperatures, curing headaches, and treating rather more major injuries such as stab and gunshot wounds and compound breaks. In addition, the duration and effect (in terms of depth, etc.) of sleep spells becomes longer.
With partial specialisation, mages are beginning to develop the kind of internal sight that mage-healers and mage-surgeons use to diagnose and treat serious injuries and diseases, and can use this to a limited degree, for example to see where a bone is broken so that they can magically set it straight. However, they do not have the skill, for example, to diagnose cancer. They can also put a stasis field (aka the "coatrack" spell) around a patient who is in severe danger - with a major wound, for example.
In addition, with partial specialisation, mages are able to learn the basic youth and longevity spells, although at this level they can only cast on themselves, and the duration is not quite as strong as for a full specialisation. Maximum longevity obtained is between 100-120 years (although this is of less use in the Sable Kingdom, given the longer life expectancies there), although for that time, the recipient of the spell will remain fitter and more functional.
Full Specialisation: Medicine
At full specialisation, a mage has fully developed the internal sight they need to fully function as a physician and surgeon. With it they can effectively look inside their patient, to find something amiss, like a shadow on the lungs which might suggest pneumonia, or the abnormal growths that are indicative of cancer. Cures are brought about using the right combinations of magic and drugs.
Youth and longevity spells can be cast on others, and with longer durations. Longevity can be extended to about 150 years (although see also note above).
Related Studies
If a mage is planning on taking even a partial specialisation, they need to have basic medical training - for example trying to set a bone without some idea of general anatomy is rather difficult. To continue up to a full specialisation, they will effecitvely also take the equivalent of a mundane medical degree: the underlying medical knowledge is still required, even if the method of carrying out the cure is a magical one. Therefore, technically, a healing mage with a full specialisation would still be able to practise medicine on a non-magical world.
Full Specialisation: Veterinary Science
This is a different field into which a mage can direct his energies as far as healing magics are concerned. The knowledge gained at the partial specialisation level can be modified towards the treatment of animals, with increased ability and a wider range of creatures which can be treated becoming available as the full specialisation is achieved. A full specialisation in Veterinary science usually takes an additional year of study to Human medicine.
Related Studies
Knowledge of the animal biology, rather than human, and an ability to diagnose rather different complaints.Veterinary mages often also have a grounding in Animal-Related Natural Magics, and vice versa.
Full Specialisation: Harming Magic
It is beginning to become apparent that certain mages within the Reich and elsewhere have studied a corrupted form of healing magic, with the intention of causing harm and injury to the subject, rather than curing them. This form of magic is banned in Sable and those who attempt to study it would be subject to the discipline of the Sable Magical Oversight Committee. However, elsewhere it would appear that the regulations are more flexible.
Related Studies
Those rare mages who choose to abuse healing magic to cause pain would still need to have undertaken medical training to the equivalent of a mundane medical degree. The medical knowledge is still required, even if the method of causing injury is a magical one.
Specific Specialisation: Human - Magical Surgery
This is one step beyond the usual specialisation - after all, even on earth not every doctor or consultant is also a surgeon. At this level a mage-surgeon can focus his or her sight, and then magically perform surgery in the way a mundane surgeon would: for example, cutting magically into the patient to remove unhealthy tissue, or sometimes even using magic within the patient without breaking the skin.
Specific Specialisation: Human - Mental Magic
Mental magic, unsuprisingly, deals with ills of the mind. This includes mental disorders, which can be helped with magical therapy; curing mental tampering; and dealing with actual brain damage at a suitable degree of skill - finding the injuries within the brain and putting them on the road to recovery, or relieving pressure on the brain from injuries to the skull, etc.
Related Studies
A better than usual knowledge of how the brain and nervous system works, and what can go wrong with it is needed - somewhat above the usual level taught at medical school. Training in psychology/psychiatry is encouraged.
Specific Specialisation: Human - EMT/Paramedic
EMTs and Paramedics serve in emergency situations to give appropriate medical care where needed and, when necessary, transport the patient to the ER. They have some specialist investigative spells to allow them to identify injuries and prioritise a number of casualties at a major incident, plus a specific form of teleport which will allow them to get the patient directly to a hospital facility while causing a minimum amount of additional trauma.
EMT training allows the administration of intravenous fluids, the use of diagnostic spells to help assess the extent of a patient's injuries and defibrillator spells to give lifesaving shocks to a stopped heart, and the application of advanced airway techniques to assist patients experiencing respiratory emergencies.
Paramedics provide the most extensive prehospital care. In addition to carrying out the procedures described for EMT, paramedics may administer drugs orally and intravenously, interpret electrocardiograms (EKGs), perform endotracheal intubations, and use monitors and other complex equipment.
Related Studies
Training in a variety of areas of first aid and physical emergency procedures. Also, some specific investigative and transportation techniques, which will be taught within the EMT course.
Specific Specialisation: Genetics
Genetics mages are often researchers of assist in healing hereditary ailments and conditions. They can look at the human body at the genetic level, working out parentage and hereditary, as well as figuring out what which parts of the genome map to what. It is a highly skilled discipline, and there are comparatively few specialist geneticists.
Related Studies
Genetics mages are also likely to hold at least a partial specialisation in investigative magic, as an invaluable adjunct to their healing abilities.