So you are thinking of becoming a doctor? But are you quite sure that you know what you are letting yourself in for? You need to look at yourself and look at the job. Working conditions and the training itself are improving, but medicine remains a harder taskmaster
than most occupations. Doctors have also never been under greater pressure nor been more concerned for the future of the NHS.
Before starting medicine you really do need to think about what lies ahead. The trouble is that it is almost impossible to understand fully what the profession demands, particularly during the early years of postgraduate training, without actually doing it.
Becoming a doctor is a calculated risk because it may be at least five or six years hard grind before you begin to discover for sure whether or not you suit medicine and it suits you. And you may change; you might like it now, at your present age and in your current frame of mind, but in six years time other pressures and priorities may have crowded into your life.
Medicine is both a university education and a professional training. The first five or six years lead to a medical degree, which becomes a licence to practise. That is followed by at least as long again in practical postgraduate training. The medical degree course at university is too long, too expensive (about 200 000 in university and NHS costs, quite apart from personal costs), and too scarce an opportunity to be used merely as an education for life.
It might seem odd not to start considering medicine or not by weighing up academic credentials and chances of admission to medical school. Not so; of course academic and other attributes are necessary, but there is a real danger that bright but unsuited people, encouraged by ambitious schools, parents or their own personalities, will go for a high profile course like medicine without having considered carefully first just where it is leading.
A few years later they find themselves on a conveyor belt from which it becomes increasingly difficult to step. Could inappropriate selection of students (most of whom are so gifted that they almost select themselves) account for disillusioned doctors? Think hard about the career first and consider the entry requirements afterwards.
Why do people want to become doctors? Medicine is a popular career choice for reasons perhaps both good and not so good. And who is to say whether the reasons for going in necessarily affect the quality of what comes out?
Related Articles
Doctoring in the United States
By: Josh Stone | 13/09/2006 | Careers
A physician (also called doctor in some places) is a person who practices medicine. In the United States, the term physician is traditional and commonly used. In Britain & Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, the term doctor is more common (and in formal/legal contexts, medical practitioner as well), as physician refers to specialists in internal medicine.
Choosing a University For Higher Learning
By: James Hunt | 27/12/2005 | Education
Pretty much everyone has heard of a college or university. So what exactly is a university and what do you need to know if you are planning...
Great Education Can Be Had At The Smaller Schools Too!
By: David Neehly | 28/08/2006 | Non-Fiction
Thinking about college after high school graduation? This process happens for many seniors every year. Should you go to a larger college that offers an extensive variety of classes and that has a beautiful campus setting? A larger school may appear like the number one choice of many, but ...
Why Distance Learning Will Continue To Explode
By: Kenneth Echie | 17/04/2007 | Education
Distance learning is one of the flavors of the cyber highway. The coming has been fast and furious. Those that do not embrace it will be left behind. For those that are still quick to dismiss it, these are the reasons I think online learning will continue to explode.
1. Distance...
How to Keep Alert in Lectures and Lessons
By: Leon Edward | 26/06/2007 | Non-Fiction
You might look forward to some lectures and classes; you might also have lectures and lessons that you hoped that you did not have to attend. The following are some techniques for keeping awake during your dullest lectures and lessons.
Shortage Of Spots To Give MCAT Test
By: Alisha Dhamani | 16/05/2008 | Careers
For sure you have heard to people taking the Medical Colleges Admissions Test(MCAT) many times before they pass it, and are able to get their admission in a medical college.
Graduation, A Peculiar Ceremony
By: Ben Welch | 15/06/2007 | Education
Unknown to most, this article points out the irony of celebration that is supposed to commemorate higher learning but which most of the attendees - including the graduates - don't understand.
Is Wikipedia a Viable Source for College Papers?
By: Ben Welch | 19/06/2007 | Writing
As a college writing instructor, I can vouch that there are certain questions that come up again and again during the course of every writing class. But perhaps the most common question I get is whether Wikipedia, the ubiquitous online encyclopedia, can be used as a viable source for research papers.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
Weighted grading
By: Kay | 10-07-2008
How does it benefit a student if the teacher uses a weighted grading system?
What is the email address of Prof. H.N.Macha
By: al korba | 10-07-2008
What is the email address of Prof. H.N.Macha
What are some good Algebra 2 courses?
By: Readinglover33 | 10-07-2008
I am looking for a good and clear Algebra 2 course. I have tried an online course with live teachers, but I need something with longer time limits, meaning something I can work on at my own pace. Something online is preferred, but if anyone knows of a book that explains Algebra 2 well, then that is just as fine. I do not like Saxon math, because it gets too complicated for a student to be reading on his own. Suggestions greatly appreciated!
Is phenophthalein dye used in dye used for ...
By: Darcus | 10-07-2008
Is phenophthalein dye used in dye used for medical purpose example MRI mra ct scans?
Is south university a good school?
By: imbigpimpin143 | 09-07-2008
is south university a good school?
I have just finished my treatment for breast ...
By: monkey | 09-07-2008
I have just finished my treatment for breast cancer my radiation and chemo are done. I am left with nausea, and blood residue in the vomit also some blood in the stool. Dr wants to do an upper gi to see if there is a tear or ulcer forming. does this sound like it will give him answers or just more questions.
Q&A Powered by:
More from Alisha Dhamani
The Herbal Medications For Breasts
By: Alisha Dhamani | 12/07/2008 | Health
Herbal Breast Supplements are unfortunately like many other herbal products, too good to be true.
The Cosmetics Of Women Breasts
By: Alisha Dhamani | 12/07/2008 | Health
Breast augmentation is the most common cosmetic procedure in the UK.
The Development Of Female Breasts
By: Alisha Dhamani | 12/07/2008 | Health
Breasts vary in both size and shape, and their external appearance is not predictive of their internal anatomy or lactation potential.
The Anatomy Of Female Breasts
By: Alisha Dhamani | 12/07/2008 | Health
The term breast refers to the upper ventral region of an animals torso, particularly that of mammals, including human beings.
The Factors That Influence Birth Weight
By: Alisha Dhamani | 11/07/2008 | Health
Birth weight is the weight of a baby at its birth. It has direct links with the gestational age at which the child was born and can be estimated during the pregnancy by measuring fundal height.
Breast Feeding And The Function Of Mammary Glands
By: Alisha Dhamani | 11/07/2008 | Health
Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from a woman's breasts, not from a baby bottle or other container.
The Truth About Breast Enhancement
By: Alisha Dhamani | 11/07/2008 | Health
Breast Enhancement stimulates a woman's body to produce specific amounts of hormones which cause the body to deposit fatty breast tissue in the breasts.
Learn The Facts About Breast Changes
By: Alisha Dhamani | 11/07/2008 | Health
Women spend billions of dollars annually on breast enlargement surgery and receive in most cases instant gratification of a larger breast.
Careers 
