Becoming a doctor is something many people dream about, with great salaries and plenty of respect it is a very attractive profession. But there are many college students who become burnt out on the amount of training and money they have to spend, and the goal soon seems unreachable. A young person who isn't absolutely sure of his or her career path should be discouraged from entering medicine. The drive must be there, as well as the emotional qualities needed to meet the goals put forth by a medical career.
If you ask any doctor none will lie to you about the difficulty of their medical training, the great deal of motivation required to stay on course. If you simply think you want to be a doctor, that isn't enough, you need to be completely sure. This is not to say that it is not worth the effort, when you finally succeed you will find it was all completely worth it. There's no question that doctors will always be needed in society. This physician added that he's never been sorry for the profession he chose, and has never considered changing jobs.
In order to become a licensed doctor, students will have to get through at least nine years of education, which includes 4 years in a medical program and a minimum of one year as an intern. A residency of up to five years is necessary to become a practicing specialist, and during this time spent in school, there is no accompanying monetary compensation. However, for a young person who earns the required degree, there are various opportunities in medicine that would offer a niche for whatever particular type of talent and training they have. There are usually openings in research, public health, private, institutional, and other branches in the field of medicine. Women who plan to enter the medical profession have no disadvantages, other than the need to compete with male counterparts. While this might be discouraging for some women it can be quite useful down the line in medical practice.
A physician who is a family doctor, claims to have been pushed into the medical career pretty much involuntarily in the beginning. One such way could be to serve with the medical corps for the navy for some years. He states that although he had very little choice in the matter, after having spent those six years working with doctors and nurses, he developed a clear idea as to what he wanted to pursue.
Most professionals will tell you the long hours are a big drawback to a career as a surgeon or physician. The family doctor that we talked to, said that he regrets not having more family time. While unsure of the actual total of hours he works in a week he felt safe in estimating it at nearly sixty hours. Time is split between seeing patients in the hospital and dealing with the needs of people who he will see in his office each day. He is on call round the clock, no matter what. Providing medical service to industry, such as examinations, treatment and preventive care, comprise a smaller percentage of his professional time.
Earnings for a physician are dependent on the kind of work he does, and the amount of time he spends working. But if a doctor can withstand the daunting amount of schooling needed and the long hours required for the work, the job can be remarkably rewarding. Not just financially, but the satisfaction of helping other human beings can be the biggest reward. Many doctors will tell you that when they make a difficult diagnosis or even take measures to save a patients life, the reward felt is like no other.
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