Becoming a Doctor

Many people think that becoming a doctor is difficult. Others have some sense that becoming a physician takes many years and is expensive. Most people realize that being a physician is difficult yet rewarding. All these people are correct. Becoming a physician is a long, arduous, expensive process that can only be accomplished with great dedication.

Before starting the process of becoming a physician (or any profession) you must do some honest soul searching. First of all you must be aware of the time commitment involved in becoming a physician. Medicine is a career that requires many years of preparation. Generally most people graduate college at age 22 and medical school at 26. Then after 3 years of internship and residency, many physicians begin their career at age 29. However, the training for some specialties can last until the physician's early to mid 30's. Obviously this can delay plans for marriage and starting a family. Some people begin their medical education after pursuing other careers, which can further delay the completion of their medical training. You must decide early on if you are willing to dedicate the time it takes to become a physician. As you can see, this is not a decision to be made lightly.

More importantly, you must decide if medicine is a field that is right for the kind of person you are. I believe that there are three cornerstones of a successful career in medicine:

„h A love for learning in general

„h A true intellectual curiosity about medicine in particular

„h A strong desire to help others.

Being smart and doing well in the sciences are obviously important components of being a successful physician. However, do not fall into a medical career because you have done well in the sciences. Although this is a necessary requirement, you must also be able to relate well with people.

As a physician you have an opportunity to help others. Wanting to help others and enjoying helping others are necessary attributes of a good physician. This is something that cannot be taught. However, there are many other professions that can help others. Politicians, religious leaders and social workers all have the opportunity to help others, perhaps in larger numbers.

Medicine is a career filled with choices. In what other career can you choose between delivering babies, taking care of children, handling emergencies, removing someone's cancer, or talking to someone who needs psychiatric help? Better yet, you can teach others any of these specialties, and while teaching have the opportunity to both practice your profession and teach it. Alternately, you can do research in whatever specialty you choose, with the potential to make a real breakthrough in preventing or treating illness. In addition medicine is a career that is honorable and is held in high esteem, allows you the ability to live just about anywhere, and provides job security.

However, all of this comes at a price. The many years of preparation, the discipline, the awesome responsibility, the worry about malpractice and the long hours can take their toll. Medicine is a unique field and it demands a unique person. Money should not be a driving factor in your decision, for the sake of your patients and yourself, because it will not sustain you. There are other careers in which you can make more money without the responsibility and the effort it takes to be a physician.

A famous Chinese proverb says that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Well the same is true with the road to becoming a physician. While in high school it is important to get a good general education. This is good by itself, but also prepares you for doing well on the S.A.T. Taking a complete science curriculum in high school is key to having a good science foundation for future science courses in college and medical school. Take 4 years of science in high school, including biology, physics and chemistry, plus 4 years of math (including calculus). It is so important to have a good foundation in these sciences so that you can learn the subject matter in college well enough to earn A's. It seems inconceivable that someone can do well in the killer science courses in college without having been introduced to these in high school. Getting high grades is the most important component in being accepted into a prestigious college. However, do not be tempted to take easy courses that allow you to get high grades. This will not prepare you for taking courses in college that are much more difficult than those in high school.

More importantly, high school is the time to learn about the real world of medicine (not the one you see on TV). Do something that gets you in touch with the medical field to see if it is right for you now, before putting in all that effort. Learn about other fields that may interest you so that you may compare them to medicine. Also, for the same reason, take elective courses other than sciences to see if these interest you more.

When choosing a college, remember that there is no perfect college. There is only what is right for you. Some of the factors to consider are:

„h Academic reputation

„h Size

„h Distance from home

„h Location - rural, suburban, urban

„h Cost

„h Academic programs - quality of faculty, facilities, advisors; choice of majors; number of pre-meds, percent of pre-meds accepted to medical school.

You may want to select a college that has a medical school as part of the University. In the end you will know what is right by what your gut tells you.

Having fun is very important. However, you must have the discipline to know when to stop. Remember, chances are you have moved away from home and are living in a dorm and have more freedom now than ever before. However,