Intensive Education to a Medical Doctor - Research Paper Example

?Virginia Yesinel Moreau English 16 Dr. Bokor June 14, Intensive Education to a Medical Doctor A medical doctor is a professional career recognized worldwide and one that draws a lot of significance to human life. Qualified medical doctors absorb the mandate of preventing diseases, diagnosing infections, prescribing treatment, preventing the spread of diseases, and handling emergencies (Herbert 612-616). To achieve these objectives, medical doctors must undergo a long, detailed, and effective training to minimize the treatment risks subject to the fact that human lives are at stake. Medical doctors work within a number of specialties that include pediatrics, general surgery, psychiatry, emergency medicine, trauma and orthopedics, obstetrics, anesthetics, and gynaecology. To succeed in this field, medical doctors work in wards and outpatient clinics where they treat and refer patients with the assistance of physiotherapists, nurses, pharmacists, and radiographers. Worth noting is the fact that the medical doctor career is intrinsically and financially rewarding. Nevertheless, to attain this status I require a lot of commitment in, studying, raining, testing, writing, practicing, researching, and applying learnt skills. This paper will relevantly address the requirements of becoming a medical doctor, the benefits of becoming a medical doctor, and the possible motivations for people who choose to become medical doctors. Requirements In becoming a medical doctor, I have to follow the streamlined procedures and medical requirements to the profession as set out by the international medical associations. Although some of these procedures are not applicable universally worldwide, there are unique procedures and requirements that are indispensable in all nations. Indeed, there have been controversies surrounding the intensive education on medical doctors and the significance of the entire intensive process of educating medical doctors. This calls for detailed research to ascertain and solve these controversies (Connaway and Powell 71-78). Maybe the very first requirement to becoming a medical doctor is the individual choice and free will to venture in this career. This will serve as a significant aspect to keep me going through the long and detailed intensive process to a qualified medical doctor. Indeed, to become a licensed medical doctor, I will need to graduate from high school and complete 11-15 years of medical training at various levels that includes universities, medical colleges, training institutes, and hospital practice. Actually, I will need to graduate from high school with top grades and best performance in co-curriculum activities. Additionally, advance studies in science and math serve as an added advantage to this career. Indeed, the higher is my GPA and my outside activities performance, the better are my chances of joining a college or university offering medicine. After graduating from high school with top GPA marks, I will have to obtain a bachelor's degree from a recognized university within a period of four years. Majoring in Biology, pre-med, science, math at this level will not be mandatory for me but serves as a merit to Medical College Admissions Test (American Medical Association Web). Upon graduating with an undergraduate degree, I will require to sit and pass a Medical College Admission Test. The pass marks and acceptance to the medical school will depend on the available chances, the number of graduates applying for admission, the popularity, and prestige of the reference medical school. The higher is any of these conditions, the higher the MCAT scores I will need to obtain to get a chance at the medical school. Upon admission to a medical school, I will have to obtain a medical degree within four years of study from an American medical school, or an equivalent degree from an international medical school. I will then attend 3-7 years of Residency Training depending on my medical specialty. I will then take 3-6 days to complete a three-part exam for obtaining a medical practicing license in America (American Medical Association Web). Depending on my medical specialty, I may be required to complete a fellowship training that will take me up to 3 years (Heller 155; American Medical Association web). Subsequent to obtaining an American Medical license, I will equally need to obtain a state medical license in the state where i plan to practice. This process will take me 3-9 months depending on the state process and involves completing an application and paying the subscription fee. I am also required to pass the Medical Board Exam for my medical Specialty and get the Local Credentialing and Hospital Privileges that will allow me to admit and treat patients in a hospital within my medical specialty. Finally, I am supposed to obtain the Provider Numbers and DEA Numbers that will allow me to prescribe drugs such as narcotics to patients. As seen herein, the medical requirements of a medical doctor highly depends on the medical specialty though we have some basic standards set out by the medical associations like the American Medical Association and the World Medical Association. The benefits of becoming a medical doctor There has been a common notion that the pursuit of a medical doctor career is long, more involving, and requires more commitments. However, the medical doctor career attracts a lot of personal, intellectual, and financial benefits and advantages over other professions despite the time commitment and the challenge of the entire process. Despite the medical specialty, the medical doctor profession benefits range from attending to accident casualties, saving toddlers lives, performing bypass surgeries, and other life changing medical procedures (Herbert 612-616). The medical doctor career offers me the ability and chance to provide service and support to other individuals. With the knowledge and training from the intensive education subject to becoming a medical doctor, I get the opportunity to help and take care of patients thus making a difference and saving their lives (Heller 10). Through this profession, I got an avenue to use my interpersonal communication skills for the good of others. In addition, this career accords me the chance to continue with my learning. Indeed, it allows me to make medical advancements in my specialty and other related specialties. Other fields of study tend to limit this advantage. Moreover, in practicing my profession, I relevantly appreciate medical science as an important aspect of human life. I also get a chance to teach students and patients about medicine as I continue with my medical practice (Antal 436-440). This accords me the satisfaction that there is continuation and derived benefits from my career. Though doctors get their remuneration depending on their medical specialty, generally medical doctors are among the highest-paid professionals of any field in the world where the least paid doctor earns a reasonable salary. In addition, the medical doctor career offers me diverse opportunities with the wide range of specializations. I can conveniently specialize in various medical specialties thus improving my significance in the society. Moreover, this career opens research avenues for me where I can use my existing knowledge and equally derive other ways of treating patients. I can achieve this by doing detailed research in various specialties and invent new medical procedures for preventing diseases and treating patients. This is unlike other professions where the code of operations is streamlined and not subject to any changes. Most importantly, is the fact that the medical career is ever growing, has increasing demand, and will never become obsolete or lose its significance (Antal 436-440). The need for specialized medical care will forever be necessary in the presence of human life. Socially, the medical doctor career is an honorable profession and attracts a lot of respect and pride. Subject to the role, I play in the society by ensuring their health as well as my high level of education and intelligence everybody accords due respect. Indeed, all other professions are dependent on medical doctors. Furthermore, although the years of practice are many, once qualified, I can schedule my patients at my convenience that gives me enough time to attend to other duties. Moreover, this profession involves a very high level of responsibility and subsequent magnificent job satisfaction upon succeeding in my responsibilities. Actually, it generates a lot of satisfaction to save a toddlers life, carry out a successful major surgery, or save a patient from a fatal accident. Possible motivations for people who choose to become doctors To succeed in such a high profession, it takes more than just a quest for better pay from the practice. Indeed, the responsibilities and activities of a medical doctor override the need for money and pride. It requires a lot of motivation, sacrifice, dedication, and courage to pursue and succeed in this career to become an extraordinary caregiver. Actually, as medical doctors, we draw our motivation from the critical type of work that we engage in. As such, for people who choose to become doctors, possible motivations can come from the responsibilities, the significance, and the activities that medical doctors carry out (Heller 10). If one has an urge of helping people, then this motivation should drive in the medical career. A medical can actually help many people in different ways by offering direct and indirect assistance. In fact, medical help to patients is the most critical type of help that any human being envies. The medical profession will accord people who choose to become doctors by giving them a chance to treat patients thus saving and changing their lives (Antal 436-440). Another motivation that the medical field offers to the would-be medical doctors is the guaranteed chances to learn new things constantly. Actually, the medical profession offers chances for more research on treatment methods, new medications, as well as oversees medical training and seminars. The continued learning improves the knowledge and skills of the medical doctors thus enhancing their efficiency in the society. Therefore, to those seeking intellectual stimulation and conquering challenges, then medical career will suit you. It is also motivating to be in the medical profession because of the available opportunities to teach new doctors and students what you know. Indeed, many medical professors’ doubles as medical lectures who earn double salaries above passing their knowledge to various generations (Antal 436-440). As such, the medical profession does not contain ones knowledge but opens more opens more opportunities to it. For those with abject passion and love to have direct human contact in their profession, then this serves as a motivation in this profession. A medical doctor gets the chance to monitor and provide general care to patients on hospital wards and in outpatient clinics as well as admitting patients for specialized care. The medical doctor equally has direct contact with humans while examining and talking to patients in seeking their medical history and subsequent diagnosis. Additionally, the medical doctor will always interact with the patients while prescribing medical treatment and clinical drugs (Heller 10). More so, the people choosing to be medical doctors have direct contact with humans while performing operations and specialist investigations. Hence, the chance to interact directly with humans is a good motivation to that choosing medical doctor career. The job security that manifests in the medical doctor career is also another motivation. Indeed, this career will retain its relevance forever and as such, doctors will have an easy time in getting a job. Actually, there are many medical specialties open to medical doctors. Additionally, all other fields including sports rely on the medical profession to perform their duties perfectly. The respect that the society accords to medical doctors serves as a motivation to pursuing this career to completion. In fact, subject to the significance of a doctor in the society, medical practitioners command a degree of respect. This command of respect acts as a motivation to those choosing the path of medical doctors. Most significantly, the chance to exercise authority in making decisions is a significant motivator in the medical field. A medical doctor offers the final medical judgment in all health care issues. These include diagnosis, treatment, surgery, referral, discharge, and death. The doctors equally undertake managerial responsibilities, quality improvement in treatment in liaison with other medical and non-medical staff. This therefore offers doctors a chance to lead and make important decisions in life. Hence, the chance to leadership, management, and make important decision acts as a motivation to pursuing the medical doctor profession. More so, a doctor can work anywhere in the world as long as he has a state medical license of that country since health care is basic to all. The guarantee to work anywhere in the world is therefore a motivation to the people choosing to become medical doctors. Finally, medical doctor is an interesting career that all would-be medical professionals should be motivated to join. In conclusion, I find that becoming a medical doctor should be a personal decision relying on its significance and process. The medical associations have set the requisite medical requirements and the intensive education process I should complete to become a licensed medical doctor. The basic process involves learning for four years to earn an undergraduate degree, passing the Medical College Admission Test MCAT, attending a medical school for four years, attending and completing Residency Training for 3-7 years, and getting a license to practice medicine. However, although this process takes 11-15 years after graduating from high school, it clearly depends on the medical specialty I chooses. Despite the commitment and the long time it takes to become a licensed medical doctor, there are many benefits attached to the profession. However, to realize these benefits, people choosing to become medical doctors will require a lot of motivation to complete the process. Works Cited American Medical Association. “Requirements for Becoming a Physician”. American Medical Association, 2012. Web 30, May 2012. < http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/education-careers/becoming-physician.page> Antal, Solyom. “Educating Physicians: Are We Doing Enough?” Southern Medical Journal 99.4 (2006): 436-440. Print. Connaway, Lynn and Powell, Ronald. Basic Research Methods for Librarians. London: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Print. Heller, Tania. On Becoming a Doctor: Everything You Need to Know about Medical School, Residency, Specialization, and Practice. London: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2009. Print. Herbert, Swick. “Toward a Normative Definition of Medical Professionalism.” Academic Medicine 75.6 (2000): 612-616. Print. 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