Doctor

A doctor is someone who can help someone else in need. There are many types of
doctors, ranging from general pediatricians to specialists. They are respected
people and are looked to when something is wrong. Everyone needs a doctor at so
me point, so doctors are very much in demand.
I am interested in this career because I like to help people. Also, it pays wel
l so I can live off the salary. Another reason is because many of my relatives
are doctors, nurses, or dentists. Even though school and training are very hard
, it pays off in the end, when someone can make a difference in someone's life.
I am not sure if I would like to be a pediatrician, or a specialist. Specialis
ts probably earn more money, but do not do as much, and are required to learn mo
re. I do not think I will want to be a surgeon, because cutting people open and
taking things out does not seem very appealing.
To become a doctor, one must endure a lot of training and education. In college
, one must study courses to prepare for medicine, such as biology, chemistry, an
d some advanced mathematics. It generally takes seven to eight years to finish
his education. The first four years, one would take pre-med. classes. Then it'
s on to medical school, where for four years one learns about the area of medici
ne one chooses. After medical school, about one year of internship is needed.
Then he becomes a resident and practice medicine under supervision of a senior d
octor. All together, it is about 11 years before one actually become an indepen
dent doctor.
Doctors will always be needed. Because of this, and because of the population g
rowth, doctors will always be in demand and the profession will continue to grow
. This way, a doctor will be unemployed less, and will be more secure, financia
lly.
A doctor can earn from $60,000 to $700,000. Pediatricians and doctors at free c
linics earn the least, although they are probably the most needed. There are ma
ny doctors that want to help children, so they become pediatricians, even if the
y earn a little less than others. Specialists earn a little more, from $90,000
to $200,000. These specialists range from neurologists, dermatologists, and uro
logists to cardiologists. Of course, the ones that are in need will earn more.
The doctors that earn the most are surgeons. Doctors that perform tonsillectom
ies will earn less than plastic surgeons, and plastic surgeons will earn less th
an cardiovascular surgeons and neurosurgeons. Anesthesiologists, who give the p
atients shots during surgery, earn around $250,000 a year. The fields that requ
ire more patients, nerve, and perfection earn the most money.
Doctors are needed all over the world. That's why they want to build a hospital
on an airplane. Everyone gets sick, so a doctor could go anywhere and probably
get a job. Of course, large cities will have more hospitals, and need more doc
tors. However, if someone lives in a small town, and he is the only doctor, the
n he will have people turn to him whenever anyone in town gets sick.
Many companies will employ a doctor. Kaiser Permanente is a hospital chain near
by. Community hospitals will employ doctors. Universities, such as UCLA or UCI
, also have hospitals where a doctor can work. One can also go into practice by
himself, although it is more risky. Doctors can pretty much work anywhere.
Bibliography
1. Medical Education. Microsoft Encarta '95.
2. Hoffman, Stephen. Under the Ether Dome. Schribner, 1986.
3. Konner, Melvin. Becoming a Doctor. Viking, 1987.
4. Rothstein, William G. American Medical Schools and the Practice of Medicine:
A History. Oxford, 1987.
5. http://www.atlcom.net/%7Ekyle/hack.html
6. http://www.bcn.net/~jac136/enter.html