Essay/Term paper: Becoming a doctor

Essay, term paper, research paper:  College Term Papers

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 some point, so doctors are very much in demand.
I am interested in this career because I like to help people. Also, it pays well 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. Specialists probably earn more money, but do not do as much, and are required to learn more. 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, and 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 medicine 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 doctor. All together, it is about 11 years before one actually become an independent doctor.
Doctors will always be needed. Because of this, and because of the population growth, 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, financially.
A doctor can earn from $60,000 to $700,000. Pediatricians and doctors at free clinics earn the least, although they are probably the most needed. There are many doctors that want to help children, so they become pediatricians, even if they earn a little less than others. Specialists earn a little more, from $90,000 to $200,000. These specialists range from neurologists, dermatologists, and urologists to cardiologists. Of course, the ones that are in need will earn more. The doctors that earn the most are surgeons. Doctors that perform tonsillectomies will earn less than plastic surgeons, and plastic surgeons will earn less than cardiovascular surgeons and neurosurgeons. Anesthesiologists, who give the patients shots during surgery, earn around $250,000 a year. The fields that require 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 doctors. However, if someone lives in a small town, and he is the only doctor, then 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 nearby. 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