Physician Careers

Obtaining a career in medicine as a physician can offer a rewarding life both financially and personally. Becoming a doctor takes many years of committed work, which includes applying for schools, studying courses, testing, research, writing, training and practicing. For individuals who know that this is the career they want to take up, they should begin the preparations during high school for the best success in obtaining a degree in medicine.

Physicians are trained to diagnose and treat illnesses, injuries, diseases and disorders. They usually supervise other medical staff such as nurses and physician assistants. Much of their practice is also prevention of illness and promotion of health. Physicians work directly with patients either in their own practice or work with other doctors in a group practice.

Most doctors are general practitioners who are trained to treat common illnesses and injuries while other doctors specialize in certain specialties such as obstetrics, internal medicine or oncology. The demand for physicians is rising rapidly and is expected to grow faster than all other occupations, which is due to more of the population aging and the expansion of health care industries.

It takes between 11 and 15 years after completing high school to obtain a physician degree. Students who are serious about becoming a doctor should have a high GPA and be active in activities to provide a better chance of being accepted into the college of their choice. Once they are accepted into a university they will need to obtain a bachelor’s degree, preferably in a related science, which will help them to be prepared to pass the medical college admissions test.

The MCAT required scores vary with each university, but passing with a high score will help with the acceptance of admission. Once in medical school, the courses must be completed satisfactorily in order to move on to the medical residency training program. Before and during residency students will be required to take a 3 part exam and pass to obtain their medical license in the United States. They must also take a state medical license exam and if specializing in a certain field of medicine they will also have to take an additional exam that is given by the American Board of Medicine.

The average costs of tuition is around $25,000 for the first year and an additional cost of about $10,000 for housing, meals, books and student fees. For out of state students, the costs are significantly higher.

The medical school curriculum consists mainly of courses for the first two years. The courses for the first year focus on the human body and include anatomy and physiology, histology, biochemistry, embyology and neuroanatomy. Second year courses focus on disease and treatments. These courses include pathology, microbiology, pharmacology and immunology. Also during the second year of school students will begin to interact with patients by doing physical exams and taking their medical histories. The third year students will begin rotations, which will continue through the fourth year as well.

Once the medical student has completed their second year of medical school they will be required to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination, which is given by the National Board of Medical Examiners. This exam is given to students to determine if their competency level is high enough to begin practicing medicine. Although this exam is difficult, most students pass. Individual states offer their own medical license according to their state’s rules.

The examination consists of three parts. Part 1 test students on their knowledge of medical sciences, which is given towards the end of the second year. Part 2 test students on medical knowledge and their ability to apply this knowledge while caring for patients under supervision. This test is given during the fourth year of school. Part 3 is given to students to test them on their medical knowledge during patient contact without supervision, which is given sometime during their first year of residency.