PHYSICIAN
Do you want challenges, opportunities, and a chance to make a difference? Are you curious about science ad how the human body works? Do you have a passion for learning and knowledge? Do you have the fortitude to endure the pressures of long hours of medical education and practice? A career as a physician isn't for everyone, but if you answered yes to these questions, it might be the right one for you!
Physicians, who usually must have at least 11 years of advanced study following high school, are qualified upon passing exams and obtaining state licensure to diagnose and manage the treatment for individuals seeking optimum health or experiencing injury or illness. Typically, they collaborate and coordinate the care with other health care professionals – nurses, pharmacists, therapists, and specialty doctors – to order tests, procedures, and medications to address a patient’s symptoms and improve their health. Many engage in public health or research activities that allow them to oversee the prevention and treatment for groups of populations or diseases, such as infectious disease, diabetes, and asthma.
Physicians providing direct patient care usually split their time between seeing patients in an office-type setting and provider venues, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based centers. They conduct physical exams, monitor lab test results, and evaluate the patient’s response to medications and therapies. Today, counseling for proper diet and exercise is often included to promote healthy lifestyles.
There are two ways to become a doctor and practice medicine. You can become a doctor of medicine (MD) or a doctor of osteopathy (DO). Both an MD and a DO can prescribe medicine and treat a disease with equal competency and may legally use all accepted methods of treatment, including drugs and surgery. However, DOs place special emphasis on the body’s musculoskeletal system, preventive medicine, and holistic patient care. DOs are most likely to be primary care specialists, although there are some that pursue specialties.
About one-third of the nation’s doctors are generalists – primary care physicians - the first doctor a person might consult for their medical care. Primary care physicians include internists, family and general practitioners, and pediatricians. When warranted, primary care physicians refer their patients to a specialist. Primary care physicians are critically important but today there are simply not enough to go around.
Specialists differ from primary care physicians in that they focus on a specific system or part of the body. Physicians may work in one or more of several specialties, including, but not limited to:
Anesthesiologists specialize in the branch of medicine which involves the use of drugs or other agents that cause insensibility to pain.
Cardiologists specialize in structure and function and disorders of the heart. This includes the diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and valvular heart disease. Cardiologists are not to be confused with cardiac surgeons – cardiothoracic and cardiovascular – who are surgeons who perform cardiac surgery via open operative procedures on the heart and great vessels.
Obstetricians and gynecologists treat female patients, focusing on women’s health, including pregnancy, birth, and general well-being.
Oncologists specialize in the management of patients with malignant diseases.
Neurologists specialize in the nervous system and the disorders affecting it. This includes diseases of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and muscles.
Pediatricians treat the physical, emotional, and social health of children from birth to adult.
Psychiatrists specialize in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.
Surgeons treat disease, injury, or deformity by operative or manual methods. They specialize in the removal of organs, masses, and tumors and in doing other procedures using a scalpel. The definition of “surgeon” has changed in recently years as surgeons have begun to employ new technologies that are “minimally invasive.”
First Steps:
You need a very strong background in math and science to become a doctor. In high school, take and excel in as many math and science courses as you can. Advanced Placement (AP) courses are essential. You may receive college credit if you do well in these AP courses and this can strengthen your college application.
Helpful high school electives that prepare you for a career as a physician include:
- Biology
- Microbiology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Anatomy and physiology
- Computer Applications
Salary Range:
According to the Medical Group Management Association’s Physician Compensation and Production Survey, median total compensation for physicians varies by the type of practice. In 2008, physicians practicing primary care had a total median annual compensation of $186,044, and physicians practicing in medical specialties had a total median annual compensation of $339,738.
Earnings vary according to the number of years in practice, geographic location, hours worked, skill, personality, and professional reputation. Self-employed physicians – those who own or are part owners of their medical practice – generally have higher incomes than salaried physicians. However, self-employed physicians and surgeons must cover their office expenses and provide for their own health insurance and retirement.
Work Environment:
Oftentimes hours for physicians can be long and unpredictable. Many doctors work more than 60 hours a week and are on call 24/7 to respond to their patient’s needs. However, as the American healthcare system is changing, many doctors are joining health care systems, which afford them more flexibility in their work schedule.
Job Outlook:
The aging population will drive overall growth in the demand for physician services. With advances in technology and the need for doctors in rural and inner city communities, the demand for physicians will continue to grow.
The nation continues to face a shortage of primary care physicians and this is especially true in rural areas and small towns. The Rural Medical Education Program (RMED) of the National Center for Rural Health Professions (NCRHP) attempts to recruit, admit and prepare medical students from Illinois who once completing their residency will locate and practice in rural Illinois as primary care physicians.
Education:
Becoming a doctor takes a serious educational and financial commitment. It takes from 11-16 years to complete your education which includes four years of undergraduate school, four years of medical school and from three to eight years of graduate medical education in a desired specialty. But a doctor’s education doesn’t stop there. Physicians are required to maintain their license and certification and to continuously keep up with advancements in the field.
Undergraduate Education – Four years at a college or university, earning a BS or BA degree and a high GPA, usually with a strong emphasis on basic sciences, such as biology, chemistry, and physics.
Medical School (Undergraduate Medical Education) – Four years at one of the accredited Illinois schools listed below. After completing medical school, students earn their doctor of medicine degree (MD or DO). Before practicing on their own as a physician three years of additional training is necessary (graduate medical education).
MD-granting schools are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. Illinois schools are:
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago
Rosalind Franklin University, Chicago School of Medicine, North Chicago
Rush Medical College, Chicago
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago
University of Illinois, College of Medicine, Chicago/Urbana/Peoria/Rockford
The DO-granting medical schools in Illinois accredited by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation is Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Downers Grove.
Graduate Medical Education – Through a national matching program, newly graduated MDs enter into a residency program that is three to seven years or more of training under the supervision of senior physician educators. The length of the residency depends on the specialty chosen.
Fellowship – Some doctors may choose one to three years of additional training to become highly specialized in a particular field, such as gastroenterology, a subspecialty of internal medicine.
Acceptance to medical school is highly competitive. The admissions process includes submission of transcripts, scores from the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and letters of recommendation. Most schools require an interview with members of the admission committee and consider numerous factors other than a high GPA, including an applicant's character, leadership qualities, personality, and participation in extracurricular activities.
Educational/Professional Requirements:
In Illinois, family and general practitioners must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Licensing requirements include:
- completion of an approved medical education program
- successful completion of the United States medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)
- successful completion of an approved clinical training program (graduate medical education)
- payment of appropriate fee of $300.
Additionally, in order to be certified as a specialist, doctors must meet the above requirements in addition to:
- completion of additional years of residency
- passing a board certification exam.
Board certification is an optional, voluntary process; however, many hospitals and managed care organizations require board certification. Certification ensures that a doctor has been tested to determine that doctor has the knowledge, skills, and experience to provide quality patient care in a particular specialty.
Professional Organizations:
American Medical Association
Illinois State Medical Society
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