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= Physician = =**The educational process to become a physician is grueling and time consuming. Dedication is the key to a physician's success in studies and carreer. Commitment to the process of becoming a doctor builds the character of a great physician or reveals who should choose another profession. **=

By Jearhby Jean Charles == =The Job title of a physician consists of many hours and hard work.=

A physician, or health care provider, who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments.

=Earning a living is part of the job.=

media type="custom" key="8558320" width="50" height="50" Depending on the physicians chosen specialty, their salary can range from $70,000 a year to $200,000 anually.

=﻿Work hard for that A.= Working as a physician, or medical doctor, is a very rewarding career both financially and intrinsically. However, becoming a doctor requires many years of hard work including applying, studying, testing, writing, researching, practicing, and training. Therefore, it is best to start preparing as soon as possible, preferably in high school, if possible, for optimum success in your quest to become a doctor of medicine.


 * Time Required:** About 10-15 Years, After Graduating from High School
 * 1) **Graduate from High School.** Graduate from high school with your best grades possible.
 * 2) **Obtain a Bachelor's Degree.** Obtain a bachelor's degree from a university. Preferably major in Math or science based classes.[[image:http://futurepocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/medical_school_1.jpg width="307" height="207" align="right"]]
 * 3) **Take and pass the MCAT. (Medical College Admissions Test).** Scores required for acceptance vary according to the supply and demand of medical students applying, how you rank amongst the field of applicants, and the number of slots available in the medical school for which you are applying. The more popular or prestigious the medical school is, the higher the MCAT scores you will have to obtain to get accepted.
 * 4) **Graduate from Medical School.** You can choose from a variety of accredited medical schools, but you must obtain a medical degree such as an M.D. (allopathic medical degree) or D.O. (doctorate of osteopathic medicine) from an American medical school.
 * 5) **Complete a medical residency training program.** The length of the medical residency training program you must complete varies according to the medical specialty in which you are training. Residency programs are a minimum of three years for primary care and some medical specialties.

=Step into my office.= Doctors can work almost anywhere where human live. However due to the broad term of Physician, for different kinds of physicians their work locations vary. You can find all kinds in hospitals of course, however, what about private practices or specialty hospitals?

· **Plastic Surgery Centers ** · **Concierge Centers ** · **Trauma Centers ** · **Urgent Care Centers ** · **Managed Care Clinics ** Just a few of many more places where doctors can work.

= Time to go to school. = It is appealing to go to the best college you can get into, sometimes though less prominent schools will offer you an enticing scholarship. Which one should you choose? Certainly attending a more prestigious college or university known for its academics will be to your benefit. On the other hand, many public colleges/universities have very good academic reputations and good medical school placement record for their graduates.

Medical schools do not care whether you major in sciences or not. In fact, some of the worst admissions rates to medical school is for biology majors, though it is higher than average for biochemistry majors. Philosophy majors tend to do well as do Economics majors for example. The bottom line is that your GPA needs to be good, and the best way to ensure that you do well in classes is (a) to study hard and (b) to study what you like.

For college and medical school rankings you can check [|US News & World Report Rankings of Colleges, Medical Schools]. As always, these rankings are useful but whether the school is number 10 or 15 may not mean much.

I guess the best advice I can give is not to fall into the fallacious thinking that taking many and the hardest classes in college is the way to get into a medical school. If you can do that and still get good grades--by all means do it. But if the alternative is taking harder classes and getting lower grades, as it is usually is then you will definitely improve your chances of admission if you take it slowly and do better in your classes.

=﻿But where do Doctors actually become doctors?=

A medical career starts with finding the program that best fits your needs. With //U.S. News//'s rankings, narrow your search by location, tuition, school size, and test scores. Also, if your primary goal is in **Research** the following listings of Medical Schools apply:
 * 1) **__[|Harvard University]__ -** A Harvard Medical School president designed the current medical school curriculum in the late 1800s, and in the years since, HMS has continued to innovate and influence medical education.
 * 2) **__[|University of Pennsylvania]__ -** The University of Pennsylvania was home to the first medical school and first school hospital in the country.
 * 3) **[|Johns Hopkins University] -** Students at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine learn through the Genes to Society Curriculum, which pairs academics with concurrent clinical experience.
 * 4) University of California in San Francisco
 * 5) Washington University in St. Louis

However, if your goal is in **Primary Care** the following listings of Medical Schools apply:
 * 1) **[|University of Washington] -** Entering students at the University of Washington School of Medicine are divided into six colleges: Rainier, Wind River, Denali, Big Ski, Snake River, and Columbia River, all named after natural wonders. [[image:http://depts.washington.edu/lumines/index_files/uwseal.GIF width="188" height="183" align="right"]]
 * 2) **__[|University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill]__ -** The University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill School of Medicine operates on the traditional four-year medical curriculum. Students can beef up their studies with summertime electives and have opportunities to study abroad as well.
 * 3) **__[|Oregon Health and Science University]__ -** The Oregon Health and Science University is a highly ranked medical school especially renowned for training in primary care, rural medicine, and family medicine.
 * 4) University of Vermont
 * 5) University of California in San Francisco

A link is provided for the top three in each section.

= On a personal note. =

I myself grew up with a chronic illness that I'd rather not continue to mention. I spent much time with physicians and other health care providers throughout my life. I had many continuous experiences with the health care providers and how the medical professionals treated me. I have many personal relationships and admirations of my doctors as well as understand that they couldn't cure me yet. I was able to participate in physical sports activities with the support and help of these professionals. I am dedicated to be a part of the professional healthcare workforce which has, all my life, been a great inspiration for me.

= ﻿Interviewing a pro. =

Who better to interview than Christopher Maged Walter, M.D., formal medical admissions officer for Florida State University, Harvard graduate and current Pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Clinical Fellow in Pathology Massachusetts General Hospital Pathology, Warren 219 55 Fruit St Boston, MA 02114 Phone: 617-726- email: cmw3temp@*****.com
 * Christopher Maged Walter, M.D. **

When I graduated High School, I majored in Biochemistry. At the time I didn’t know what I wanted to do with such a degree, all I know was I enjoyed science very much. It wasn’t until Sophmore year in college that one of my professors mentioned that he sees a future doctor in me. I took that in to consideration and decided to pursue it.
 * How did you decide to become a doctor? **

Simply, very difficult. Even with my grades I found it extremely hard to be accepted. I applied to four medical schools` and was declined by all four my first year applying. My girlfriend at the time was accepted to Harvard Law School, and she insisted that I apply despite previous rejections. I applied and a few months later I received word that I was accepted.
 * How difficult was it to apply to Medical School? **

Working for Florida State University was a job I took to pay bills. It wasn’t easy getting the job but the pay was well worth it. I was in charge of reading essays of Pre-Med students who wanted admission. I've read thousands of essays and was literally the gateway to many futures.
 * What was it like being an admissions officer for Florida State University? **

Write the best essay you ever wrote in your life. The ones who got my attentions were those who looked back in time to find the moment of their initial inspiration. Some people have wanted to be a doctor so long they do not even know what originally inspired them. To incorporate this theme, look back to the material you gathered in the last chapter, specifically in response to “The Chronological Method,” “Note Major Influences,” and “Identify Your Goals.” Ask yourself these questions: How old was I when I first wanted to become a doctor? Was there a defining moment? Was there ever any ambivalence? Was I inspired by a specific person? What kind of doctor do I want to be and how does that tie into my motivation? Some truly outstanding essays are about strong emotional experiences such as a childhood struggle with disease or the death of a loved one. Some of these are done so effectively that they are held up as role models for all essays. I had a student who was considered a weak candidate because of poor grades and low test scores. She was African-American and although she had pursued all the right avenues (classes, MCAT, volunteer experiences) to prepare herself for medical school, she remained undistinguished as a candidate- until, that is, she wrote her essay. The essay revealed her tremendous and sincere drive. She was from a crime-riddled area of New York City and several of her siblings had been violently killed. She wrote about her experience and her desire to practice medicine in the city and improve the neighborhood where she was raised. It was compelling, believable, and truly inspiring.
 * What can I do to increase my chances of being accepted to medical school? **

I can say I like the respect earned. However, I LOVE the position I am in where I can provide direct care for ill patients. I love wakening in the morning to go to work and have zero regrets for my career choice. I can believe I share the same opinion with others in my profession.
 * What do you like about your job? **

I graduated medical school when I was 32 years old. I wasnt able to practice until I was 35.
 * How old were you when you went you graduated medical school? **

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 * |[]>
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