Physicians
By: Alessandro Soto
Overview :
As a doctor, you would have to:
- Take people’s medical history
- Add to their records if they have started a new treatment or have a new ailment
- Recommend plans of treatment to those who need it and consult patients about their health and hygiene in general.
Physicians need to get a bachelors degree (4 years of schooling) before they can go into medical school, although they don’t have to major in anything specific.
Medical school lasts for 4 years and people gain very valuable hands on / field experience from it. After medical school you would then have to spend 3-8 years in an internship / residency program to become a full fledged doctor.
Some characteristics that are crucial to have as a doctor include:
The ability to communicate with people well.
A concern for people.
A logical/rational approach to problems.
Many think that because of the expansion of the healthcare industry, the demand will increase for physicians. In fact, the amount of jobs as a physician are projected to increase by 18% from 2012-2022.
A physician's salary can range anywhere from $180,000 to $520,000 depending on their speciality.
Doctors work in places like offices, clinics, and hospitals, with the main disadvantage of that being the work hours. Physicians can work very irregular schedules, sometimes very late into the night as well as very early in the morning.
Career Connections
I have come to the conclusion that doctor's opinions of their jobs are varied, with the answer to the question "Will I be satisfied in this career field", being completely different depending on who you are and what you value.
One doctor, Dr. Jauhar, wrote an article on the Wall Street Journal that addressed how doctors feel about their jobs.
He used data from a study that said "In 2001, 58% of about 2,000 physicians questioned said that their enthusiasm for medicine had gone down in the previous five years, and 87% said that their overall morale had declined during that time.”
He also said from his personal experience that “What's most important to me as a doctor, I've learned, are the human moments. Medicine is about taking care of people in their most vulnerable states and making yourself somewhat vulnerable in the process.”
High school preparation
Courses To Take In High School
Medical careers would be a beneficial course to take because it relates to what being a doctor is actually like, and provides opportunities to shadow doctors in practice. AP biology would also be a good class to take because it would help with critical thinking skills and I would understand more about how the body works, which would ultimately help me if I were to become a doctor.
Related Clubs That Would Be Beneficial To Join
Related Work and/or Volunteer Experience
Volunteering at a local clinic/hospital or shadowing a doctor if able would help. As a part of the medical careers class, I would be able to shadow doctors in a hospital.
References
- Below is a list of 3 individuals who I believe could best vouch for me If need be
Erno Sostarics - Neighbor / retired from The Air Force.
Mr. Schuett - English teacher, School District #212
- Mr. Fumagalli - Bio teacher/assistant dean, School District #212
Post-Secondary Plans
I plan on attending a 4 year college striaght out of high school, transfering to a 4 year medical school, and then going through with the residency/internship in a hospital, hopefully making it to the end goal of recieving a medical license.