¶ … Physician A written report preferred profession, Medical doctor. The report 3-4 pages long (including Literature Cited) 1.5 line spacing. Please read carefully attach Instructions Professional Report file. Ask questions.

The road to becoming a physician

Overview of the profession

Physicians serve in many capacities, spanning from primary care physicians who see a wide variety of patients to specialists; from researchers to active practitioners in the field. However, one common, linking thread between all types of doctors is the care they must exhibit for the welfare of humanity and the arduous requirements for entry into the profession. The American Association of Medical Colleges notes that medical school itself (embarked upon after undergraduate school) is four years in duration (The road to becoming a doctor, 2013, AAMC: 3). Year one is devoted to normal structure of body tissue; year two to abnormal structure; year three and four are clinical years in which the students gain experience in both primary and specialist care, enabling them to make a selection of specialty once they graduate (The road to becoming a doctor., 2013, AAMC:7). During this time period students take the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) enabling them to practice. After students complete medical school, the new doctors prepare for their residency, usually through the National Resident Matching Program (The road to becoming a doctor, 2013, AAMC: 8). The residency and internship component of a physician's education can last from 3 to 8 years, depending on the field of specialty (Physicians and surgeons, 2013, BLS).

According to the World Medical Association, the responsibilities of physicians include: diagnosing disease; assessing the need for treatment and medicine; providing information to patients about these factors and goals; monitoring the results of treatment; and also maintaining...

As well as great personal responsibilities in terms of patient care, becoming a physician also incurs a very great financial responsibility for the student -- it is a rare physician who is able to graduate medical school without going into significant debt. Even at an elite need-blind school such as Yale Medical School (and one in which most graduates can feel assured of a job upon graduation), tuition is $42,350 per year. "Students were advised to budget an additional $25,000 per year for books, equipment, travel to rotations, medical expenses, licensing exams, and living expenses… [during the] 2009 -- 2010 academic year, tuition at Tufts ($50,320), for example, exceeded Yale's $43,850. Nor is Yale's tuition far above the national average for private medical schools -- $39,233 in 2009," regardless of the school's quality (Collins 2011:1). This is why many physicians become specialists rather than general practitioners, given the high levels of debt they incur. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics: "physicians practicing primary care received total median annual compensation of $202,392, and physicians practicing in medical specialties received total median annual compensation of $356,885 in 2010" (Physicians and surgeons, 2013, BLS).
The hours of being a resident are grueling. "Doctors-in-training often forgo sleep entirely, racking up as many as 30 work hours in a single stretch" (Sharples 2009). Even after the trial-by-fire of residency, hours can be long, making a work-life balance challenging: "four in 10 female doctors between the ages of 35 and 44 are working part-time" (Martin 2011). However, because of the high barriers to entry in the profession, the occupational outlook for physicians is growing: an estimated 24% increase from 2010 to 2020, and even more so for primary…