DOCTOR

Doctors make people healthier. When people get sick,

doctors figure out why. They examine people, listen to
them describe their health problems, and do tests to see
what is wrong. They give people medicine and other
kinds of treatment. They also give advice about diet,
exercise, and sleep.

There are many kinds of doctors. Family and general

practitioners are often the first doctors that people go to
when they get sick. These doctors treat common
problems. They also send patients to other doctors,
called specialists. Specialists are experts in specific
types of health problems.

For example, internists focus on problems with internal

organs. Pediatricians care for children and babies.
Surgeons perform operations, like fixing broken bones or
transplanting organs.

Most doctors are doctors of medicine (M.D.). They treat

all kinds of diseases and injuries. Some doctors are
doctors of osteopathic medicine (D.O.). They focus on
muscles and bones.

Many doctors work long hours, at all times of day and

night. About 3 out of 10 physicians worked more than 60
hours a week in 2008. But doctors who work in small
offices often have more time off. Doctors sometimes
have to rush to the hospital to deal with emergencies.

HOW DO YOU GET READY?

Becoming a doctor requires more training than most
other jobs. It usually takes at least 11 years to become a
doctor: 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school,
and 3 years working in a hospital. For some specialties,
doctors may have to work in a hospital for up to 8 years
before they are fully trained.

To become a doctor, you should study biology,

chemistry, physics, math, and English. It is not easy to
get into medical school. You have to do very well in
college and on medical school entrance tests.

Students spend most of the first 2 years of medical

school in labs and classrooms. They take lots of science
courses. They also learn to ask patients the right
questions and how to examine them. They learn how to
tell what sickness a patient has. In the last 2 years,
students work with patients and doctors in hospitals and
clinics. After medical school, doctors go to work in a
hospital for a few years. They are called residents. To be
a resident, you must pass a test.

If you want to be a doctor, you should like to help

people. You should also be willing to study a lot.

You have to know how to talk to sick people. And you

should be able to make decisions and handle
emergencies.

HOW MUCH DOES THIS JOB PAY?

Of all jobs, being a doctor usually pays the most money.

According to the Medical Group Management
Association's Physician Compensation and Production
Survey, median wages depended on what kind of doctor
a person was. The median yearly wages of general
practitioners were $186,044 in 2008. Specialists usually
made more, about $339,738 per year. How much they
earned also depended on how long they had been
doctors and where they lived. It also depended on how
many hours they worked and how good a doctor they
were.
HOW MANY JOBS ARE THERE?

Physicians held about 661,400 jobs in 2008. More

doctors are working as partners or in a group.

WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE?

The number of jobs for physicians is expected to grow

much faster than the average for all occupations
through the year 2018. This is partly because new
machines and tools are letting doctors treat more health
problems. It is also partly because the population is
growing and getting older, so they will need more health
care.

Job opportunities for doctors are expected to be good,

especially in rural and low-income areas. Some of these
areas do not have enough doctors.

ARE THERE OTHER JOBS LIKE THIS?

 Chiropractors
 Dentists
 Optometrists
 Pharmacists
 Physician assistants
 Nurses
 Veterinarians

 How to be a doctor?

First and foremost, one significant thing that one needs

to realize is that the path to becoming a qualified doctor
takes longer time than most of other fields.A medical
degree from the United Kingdom usually takes between
4 to 5 years to finish (and longer if you have to repeat
some subjects or academic year), and a pre-university
or A-Levels enrolment before that may take up to 2
years. So, discounting high school, you will be spending
more or less 6 or 7 good years here.Medical field
requires students with good grades and results in
science related subjects, particularly Biology.Unlike
many other courses that usually pay more emphasis on
theories (and practical in employment world), your real
‘employment’ actually starts during your studies where
you will be attending real health cases, and if you get
lucky, you can do your first post-mortem on corpses
during this time. Towards your final year, soliciting
information, clerking the patients and presenting real
cases to the lecturers become your routine and it is
particularly important to note that good communication,
interaction and interpersonal skills are key elements in
your job. While this can sound stressful, wait for what to
come.Upon graduation, you will be placed in assigned
hospitals for a housemanship (atraining regime before
you can be ‘upgraded’ to a certified medical officer or
doctor) that lasts between 1 to 2 years. During this time,
you will undergo a series of job rotation in different
departments and handle different cases.In countries like
Malaysia, this can be the most gruesome period of your
life. During housemanship, you will be wishing you have
more time to rest and sleep. In the United Kingdom or
Ireland, a housemanship officer will have his job
confined to desk job (clerking the patients) and less on
technical related jobs. It is probably true when they say
that doctors who completed their housemanship in
Malaysia are more competent that those from the UK
and Ireland. And that is the most probable course that a
doctor officer who finishes housemanship in the UK or
Ireland will have to undergo another round of
housemanship training back in Malaysia.Once you
become a certified doctor, you are able to start your
own medical practice if you wish (depending on which
country you are, the regulations might differ. Check with
the local authority). You also have the option to pursue
your studies in your choice of specializations such as
pediatrics, pathology, oncology, psychiatry, E&T (ear,
nose and throat) and many others Granted, the higher
your academic attainment in the medical field, the
higher the salary you can command.Medical doctor is a
noble profession. Doctors attend to sick patient. They
listen to people’s health complaints. They advise and
consult people. Some spend hours in the surgery room
removing a thing or two from patient’s body, while some
others take care of other wide range of medical
specializations.Apart from having a good career, medical
doctor is perceived as a profession that rewards highly.
As the recent research in America indicates, 9 out of 10
top highest paid jobs in the US are related to medical
field. They are also unlikely to become victims of
unemployment as the world needs them dearly.But
being a doctor is not just about earning high income or
salary. Just like any other profession, it takes passion,
determination and perseverance before you can
eventually become a doctor. When you do, be a good
one.

FOLIO KERJAYA
DOKTOR
 SITI AISYAH BINTI
NAZMAN

2 AL-KHAWARIZMI
Sabil Fahmee is cute.