Careers beyond Clinical Medicine - Research Paper Example

CAREER EXPLORATION: There are a wide variety of careers that are appealing to me. However, the best two careers that are appealing to me are a career in medicines, as well as a career in accountancy. Eisenberg (22) defines medicine as an area of an applied science, which has a relation to the art of healing through treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of a disease. Medicine involves a variety of practices in health care, which have evolved for purposes of restoring and maintaining health through treatment and prevention of diseases in people. (Moawad, 41) explains that contemporary medical practice involves genetics, biomedical research, biomedical sciences, prevention and treatment of diseases through surgery and medication, etc. My career of choice under medicine is that of a medical doctor. A medical doctor is responsible for diagnosing and treating diseases. Another career of choice is accountancy. Accountancy refers to a profession that involves the communication of financial information of an organization to the stakeholders of the organization under consideration. The stakeholders can be managers, or even shareholders. Professionals who are responsible for conducting accounting work are always referred to as accountants. Accountants can also conduct an audit of a company, for purposes of ascertaining whether the company manages its financial resources in an effective manner. While meeting the objectives of this paper, I will identify the subdivisions of these professions, analyze them, and ascertain the area that interests me most amongst the sub-divisions. One of the major reasons as to why I would like to pursue a career in medicine is my desire to help. This involves helping people who are sick, and being able to make them improve on their health conditions. Eisenberg (32) explains that doctors are very useful people within the society. This is because they are able to identify a problem, and provide diagnosis about a medical problem, for the main purpose of treating the disease under consideration. A doctor is an individual who is highly respected within the society, and is always held in high esteem. To qualify as a doctor, an individual has to attend a medical school, and be good in science based subjects. This includes chemistry, biology, and physics. There are different types of doctors, however, the main types of doctors includes andrologists, allergists, cardiologists, dermatologists, dentists, family practician, gynecologists, surgeons, pediatric doctors etc. An andrologist is a doctor who specializes in treating and diagnosing diseases that relate to the male reproductive system. An allergist on the other hand is a doctor who is responsible for the identification of different types of allergies and disorders of the immunity system. On the other hand, a cardiologist is responsible for treating cardiovascular diseases, and those relating to the heart. (Moawad, 53) explains that a dermatologist is a doctor who specializes in the treatment of skin diseases, while dentist is responsible for treating ailments that have to do with the tooth. A family practician is the general doctor who is always consulted within the neighborhood, while a gynecologist is a doctor responsible for treating conditions that relate to women. A surgeon on the other hand is a doctor who specializes in carrying out surgeries. A pediatric doctor on the other hand has the responsibility of diagnosing and treating the diseases that children face. Fogg, Paul and Thomas (35) explains that the remuneration package of a doctor is based on the experience and expertise that the medical doctor under consideration has. Fogg, Paul and Thomas (43) maintain that one of the highest paid doctors is a surgeon. According to statistics, in the year 2012, the annual basic salary of a surgeon was more than 300,000 US dollars. This was followed by a gynecologist who earned slightly less than 300,000 US dollars, in the year 2012. On the other hand, a general physician earned less than 200,000 US dollars in the year 2012, while a gynecologist earned slightly less than what a general medical practitioner was able to earn (Moawad, 33). It is important to understand that doctors have a restricted time limit in which they can work. Doctors are required to work for not more than 80 hours within a week, and they must have one day off, within a week. On this basis, doctors have time for social activities and leisure. However, the lifestyle of a surgeon is more complicated, because they might always be required at any time of the day. On this basis, it is difficult to predict their lifestyles. On the other hand, because of the vigorous nature of the profession, doctors normally derive little satisfaction in their work. This is because their work is vigorous, and the training they undergo is intensive. However, my major interest is in the field of pediatrics (Moawad, 41). I would like to be a doctor who specializes in treating small children, more because of my love for small children. This would help me derive satisfaction in my work, which is also stable, and well paying. For instance, the average annual salary of a pediatric is 192, 148 US dollars. Furthermore, there are plenty of employment opportunities for Pediatric doctors, and it is estimated that in the next six years, this employment opportunity will grow by 24% (Moawad, 39). Another profession under consideration is accountancy. This profession is appealing to me, mainly because there are a variety of jobs available for accountants. All most all organizations in the country would need an accountant, to calculate their tax returns, audit their financial activities, as well as prepare financial statements for the stakeholders of the organization. There are five major types of accountants, namely auditors, public accountants, tax professionals, forensic accountants, as well as financial advisors. An auditor is responsible for analyzing various statements of accounts, for the main purpose of ascertaining whether the company effectively utilizes its financial as well as other resources (Fogg, Paul and Thomas, 52). A public accountant on the other hand is responsible for the preparation of accounting statements, while a tax professional is an accountant responsible for calculating the tax liability of a company. On the other hand, a forensic accountant is responsible for analyzing the financial records of a company for purposes of preventing fraud, or when a company is under the suspicion of engaging in fraudulent activities. The average starting salary of an accountant as of the year 2010 stood at 59,000 US dollars (Careers-in-Accounting.com, 1). However, an individual can earn as low as 55,000 US Dollars, to 150,000 US Dollars, depending on the type of experience that the person under consideration has. It is important to understand that due to the differences in the type of accountants, their responsibilities are different and hence they have different working hours (Careers in Accounting, 1). However, the average working hours for accountants is between 50, to 70 hours in a week (Careers in Accounting). This further depends on the nature of the organization that they work for, and the size of the organization under consideration. It is therefore prudent to denote that an accountant has the capability of controlling their own time, which is always made possible by the work load that they have. Furthermore, Fogg, Paul and Thomas (39) explains that accountants who normally work for small business organizations normally earn less than that of accountants who work for large business organizations. However, accountants working for private firms have a similar pay structure that is better than the pay structure of accountants working for a government organization (Media, 3). My ideal profession is that of a tax accountant. This is mainly because I would like to help business organizations to have the capability of accurately calculating their tax returns. This is based on my belief that there is a need of being ethical, and this is by paying taxes to the government, as it will help in facilitating efficiency in the provision of services to the people, by the government. In conclusion, there are a series of tests and qualifications that an individual has to undertake while pursuing these two careers. For instance, in becoming an accountant, an individual must be licensed by the Certified Accountancy Body. To gain the license, an individual can acquire a certificate in accountancy, an associate’s degree in accountancy, or even a bachelor’s degree in accountancy. This goes all the way to a master’s degree in accountancy. Furthermore, to gain a license, an individual has to pass an exam administered by Uniform Certified Public Accountancy body. These examinations are always graded by the American institution of certified public accountants. On the other hand, to be a doctor, an individual must have a degree in medicine. The first step is to enroll for a pre-medical school, and this is after graduating from a four year degree course. For admission in a medical school, it is crucial for an individual to take subjects in Chemistry, Physics, and Biology. Furthermore, before gaining acceptance to a medical school, an individual has to complete an exam referred to as Medical College Admission Exams (MCAT). These tests are aimed at testing an individual’s skills in reasoning and verbal communication, as well as physical and biological sciences. It is after a passage of these tests, that an individual may gain acceptance to a medical school. Works Cited: Careers in Accounting. "Welcome to Careers-in-Accounting.com." Accounting Jobs from Careers-in-Accounting.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June 2014. . "Careers-in-Accounting.com: Your Guide to Salaries." Careers-in-Accounting.com: Your Guide to Salaries. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 June 2014. . Eisenberg, Mark J.. The physician scientist's career guide. New York, NY: Springer, 2011. Print. Fogg, Neeta, Paul Harrington, and Thomas F. Harrington. College majors handbook with real career paths and payoffs: the actual jobs, earnings, and trends for graduates of 60 college majors. 2nd ed. Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works, 2004. Print. Media, BPP Learning. Becoming an Accountant Is Accountancy Really the career for you?. London: BPP Learning Media, 2012. Print. Moawad, Heidi. Careers beyond clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 2013. Print. Read More