Yes, I want to be a doctor

Well, I always wanted to be a doctor, wearing a white coat, having people listen to me when I speak, the room is hush and what I say is final. Every body waits for my decision and people wait to see me. There is aura in the atmosphere when a doctor passes by, and of course don’t forget the title, no one calls you by name, you are always referred to as a doctor; you are everybody’s doctor, and whenever an accident occurs, people call “is there a doctor in the place” not is there an accountant or an engineer or a marine biologist etc.

I am sure you liked my introduction, however what I am going to write below may shock you. A doctor cannot work without the others who work in the medical field. The nurse, the ultrasound technician, the lab technician, the X-ray technician, the hospital management, the data entry team, the ambulance technicians, the anesthesiologist, the dietitian, the pharmacist, healthcare people and all the myriad of jobs that are available in the medical fields. So why do we insist on becoming doctors only when its so difficult to enter, so expensive, so time consuming and so limited in spaces?

Statistics

I have been a student counsellor for a very long time, I can provide statistics on the number of students who want to study medicine and the number that actually end up being doctors. From every hundred students we meet, 85% want to study medicine, and only 10% actually end up studying medicine. That is why a student has to know his or her potential before making the decision on the major. Of course the reason for the drop in percentage is not just the grades, its because the spaces all around the world are limited, many want to have you do a test, some want a gap year, some want you to have volunteering experience. Off late some top universities are testing the students to see if they actually love interacting with people.

Requirements

Also there is a huge difference in the acceptance to medical schools. In America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand a student needs to have a bachelor degree first and then do a test to enter medical school (premed). Most medical universities in UK require A levels and many other requirements like working in an underdeveloped country and volunteering. In the Arab world the universities start soon after the high school, many just require an English test. In India, China, Russia the entry is easy and sometimes the grades are not necessary, however in Europe its difficult and one requires the language of that country.

A student who wants to study medicine has to start doing some work from year 9, its very important that the parents also know what is required so the student doesn’t feel left out if he or she leaves everything to the end. Unfortunately, not many schools test the students’ potential so we will only know if the student actually can become a doctor when he or she actually graduates and we see him in a hospital.

Jobs

This is the crunch of the issue, a student has to do some internships after the programme is over, and then completes a residency programme in the place of study. Many countries require the ministry of health test prior to working in those countries. This test will only be provided if the doctor had completed all the requirements.

Accreditation of the University

This is of vital importance, there are three sets of accreditation, first in the country its established in, second with world health organization, third with FAIMER.org, fourth the country you want to work in. Also it may be important to see the cross accreditations and links between the universities themselves so going for a postgrad degree will be easier.

Postgraduate Programmes VS Residency Programmes.

There is a big difference between the two. To become a specialist one needs to secure a place in a hospital, in order to do that one has to pass the test required in that country, for example USMLE in USA, the Australasia medical test for Australia and New Zealand, the Canadian medical test, PLAB in UK, and many others. A doctor who wants to specialize, he or she must first do these test, and then find a hospital that can house him or her for the period of the residency and specialization. However, if a doctor wants to do a research qualification then a university that has the programme is what he or she needs to find. Doing a residency requires a certain length of time so one has to have that in mind.

Continuous Education

Being a doctor doesn’t end by getting the MBBS and the specializations, we are living in a world where change is eminent, so a doctor needs to read, and study for the rest of his/her life, there is no way of stopping in the 15th century, as advancement in the medical field happen on a minute by minute basis. I would rather check the internet for cure instead of going to a doctor who is stuck in the 1960’s. The doctor must realize that its patients lives he or she are tampering with, hence the daily reading and research.

Are you ready for this?

At the end I must reiterate the importance of the medical field, so a student in year 9 watching Doctors programme or CSI must not just think that he or she want to become one, but they must realize the importance of the field and know the ins and outs prior to making that decision.

Below you will find some of the medical fields that are there and once you complete reading this article, many other fields have been created and many diseases have been discovered, time is running out, so please make a good research from now.