The Complete Medical School Admission Guide: From High School to Doctor. Dr. Paul Jr. Toote

medical school graduates were in debt for educational costs.

      Once you’ve completed all the educational and training requirements, you must obtain your official licensing in order to actually practice medicine. That licensing is done by the state in which you intend to practice medicine (all states, as well as the District of Columbia and all state territories, license doctors). In addition, would-be physicians must also pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) or, for osteopathic physicians, the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Exam (COMLEX). You are only eligible to take these exams if you graduate from an accredited medical school. Those who graduate from a foreign medical school must usually complete a residency in America before they can take all parts of the USMLE or COMLEX.

      Once you are licensed in one state, you can usually get a license in another without having to go through another round of tests, although some states do make it more difficult than others. The medical board of each individual state can provide you with more information regarding their particular licensing criteria.

      LIFE AS A PHYSICIAN

      Your career as a physician will be mainly defined by what your specialty is and what environment you choose to work in.

      More general practitioners and internists, as well as pediatricians, OB/GYNs and psychiatrists, work in small private offices or clinics, and usually will have a small staff of nurses and other administrative workers helping to run their practice and serve their patients. Group practices and healthcare organizations are becoming increasingly popular for doctors, as they can easily provide backup coverage as well as more time off. This means they are less independent than the doctor who operates his or her own practice, but they also have less demands on their time and a resulting reduction of stress as a result.

      Surgeons and anesthesiologists, in contrast, work in hospitals or surgical outpatient centers, as they must have access to facilities where they can perform or assist in operations. From a physical standpoint, their work involves standing for long periods of time during these surgeries.

      Despite the increasing group-effort nature of working physicians today, many doctors and surgeons still work long and inconsistent hours. For example, in 2008, 43 percent of all doctors worked 50 or more hours during the week, while a third worked 60 or more. Besides their regular practice hours, doctors must also travel between their offices and hospitals or clinics to care for whatever patients are currently in treatment.

      Even when they’re not at the office or at the hospital, a physician can still be on call, which means a patient can phone during the dinner hour - or even when the doctor is asleep if the patient has a medical emergency or an urgent question. Of course, the doctor may even have to make a last-minute trip to the hospital if a patient takes a sudden turn for the worse.

      If doctors have a heavier demand on their time than most occupations, the good news is that they are also among the highest-paid professions. According to the Medical Group Management Association's Physician Compensation and Production Survey in 2008, primary care physicians had an average annual income of about $186,000. Specialists earn a great deal more, with a yearly compensation approaching $340,000. These numbers obviously vary from area to area, and are also dependent upon the doctor’s years of experience, skill level, reputation, and so forth. Self-employed physicians (those who own at least part of their medical practice) are generally higher earners than physicians who draw a salary at a hospital or clinic.

      And more good news – the long-range employment forecast for doctors is quite positive. The number of doctors needed is expected to grow a great deal faster than all other occupations, with a 22 percent spike over the next 10 years. The demand will be highest in rural and low-income areas.

      What’s behind the increased demand? Healthcare related industries continue to expand – due, in large part, to an aging population that’s growing in numbers as the Baby Boom generation transitions into retirement. This large group will require much more healthcare. There are also many doctors in that generation who will be retiring along with the rest of their peers; they will need to be replaced. Many medical schools are, in fact, increasing their enrollment limits because they foresee this increased need for physicians.

      Because the elderly will be the primary group driving this new doctor demand, certain specialists will especially be needed. For example, because heart disease and cancer are more prevalent among the elderly, more cardiologists, oncologist and radiologists will be called for.

      As for today’s doctor employment picture, roughly 665,000 physicians are currently working today. About 12 percent of those are self-employed with their own practices, while around 53 percent work in the offices of other physicians. Nineteen (19) percent are employed by hospitals, while the remaining group practice either at government facilities, educational services, or outpatient care centers.

      How many doctors practice what kind of medicine today? According to the American Medical Association, this is the breakdown of the major categories by percentage:

      Internal Medicine: 20.1%

      Family Medicine/General Practice: 12.4%

      Pediatrics: 9.6%

      OB/GYNs: 5.6%

      Anesthesiologist: 5.5%

      Psychiatry: 5.2%

      General Surgery: 5%

      Emergency Medicine: 4.1%

      SHOULD YOU BECOME A DOCTOR?

      I’d like to conclude this chapter by asking you to review its contents and consider again if you would really like to be a doctor. As you can see, it’s a great deal of effort – but there is also a great deal of reward after in the end. If you prove to be proficient at medicine, you are virtually guaranteed employment, as a future doctor shortage is expected for the reasons I’ve explained. You can also expect to earn a very good income.

      On the downside, you will have to spend many years preparing to become a doctor. Difficult hours and financial hardship will be a part of that time. You also must be able to study hard, learn quickly and retain that information as you begin to assume vital medical duties.

      Physicians, must sincerely want to help their patients. They also need to be self-motivated and be able to handle the pressure and the odd schedule that comes along with being a doctor. They should also be emotionally strong, have good people skills and have the ability to be decisive when an emergency crops up. Finally, they should be willing to continue keeping up with the latest medical advances and breakthroughs, so they can always provide the very best and most up-to-date care to their patients.

      It’s a lot to ask of a person. Are you comfortable with that challenge? You may not really know the answer until you face it head-on – but for now, if you can answer “yes,” I invite you to continue on with this book and learn just what it takes to get into medical school.

Chapter 2: Making Your High School Years Count