Profession - Doctor

Advantages of the medical profession

• A noble cause. The doctor is one of the most important and crucial professions for society. The physician does not just sort through pieces of paper or do small things, he heals and puts the sick on their feet, and often saves lives. We rely on doctors in the most critical and extreme situations, trusting them with our health. Physicians can rightfully be proud of their work and feel a sense of social importance.
• Psychic income. Every day, doctors save lives and help people. Their work brings relatively visible and quick results. In addition to the joy of improving the health of patients, doctors receive sincere gratitude.
• Demand and career opportunities. Doctors are always in demand, and even more so at the present time, since in many countries there is an acute shortage of medical professionals. A good doctor will find a job both in the countryside and in the city. If you wish, you can retrain to meet the requirements of other countries and find a job anywhere in the world. In addition, physicians have the opportunity to climb the career ladder, the top of which may be the head of a department or the chief physician of a hospital.
• Diversity in career options. Doctors have a huge number of specializations. If you love children, then pediatrics is a great choice. If you have nerves of steel and steady hands, then you can try yourself in surgery. The perfect match for animal lovers is veterinary medicine, and for researchers of the human condition — psychiatry. Moreover, the doctor has a wide choice of places to work at. For example, obstetricians deliver in maternity hospitals, and ophthalmologists work in optics stores. Also, doctors can work in private clinics or open their own medical practice.
• Intellectual work. Medicine is one of the most challenging but exciting sciences. It does not stand in place, so doctors constantly study new discoveries and materials, attend conferences, and learn all their lives. At medical faculties, students often have a hard time, but the interesting profession and knowledge are worth sleepless nights and crunches.

Disadvantages of the medical profession

• Responsibility and stress. There is a great responsibility on the shoulders of doctors because a medical error can lead to the loss of a patient's life. Doctors often have to quickly make important decisions on which the patient's health depends. Also, doctors are under pressure due to heavy workloads and night shifts. Stress and anxiety accompany medical professionals throughout their careers.
• Long and difficult studies. Medical education could take anything from 4 to 14 years depending on the country and the program. In the classroom, a large amount of information is given, not just for pure understanding, but also for thorough memorization (for example, anatomy), especially during the first years. Much depends on the university, but in most cases it is practically impossible to skip classes, the only exception is being a donor or sickness, but in that case you must take additional tests or write papers. The study schedule, as a rule, has a lot of lectures, seminars, and electives. There is no time to rest after school either. However, if a student is passionate about the profession, then he will like to study and he will enthusiastically learn medicine.
• Tough work schedule. Many doctors work night shifts, sometimes in a row. This not only reduces the amount of free time that can be spent with the family but also has a detrimental effect on health. Often, doctors have to do house call visits, treat people outside of working hours due to emergencies, and always be available.
• Low salaries in some countries. Despite the fact that doctors are the backbone of state health care, plenty of countries don’t reward their work and knowledge properly. For example, the average salary of doctors in the regions of Russia is 200-400 USD per month. Because of this, doctors have to work several shifts and leave to seek employment in other areas.
• The danger of the profession. The main danger in medical practice is the treatment of patients with contagious diseases. The risk of infection is extremely high, as doctors are on the frontlines of the fight against influenza, respiratory infections, hepatitis, and other illnesses. For example, this is confirmed by the independent statistic "Memory List", which is maintained by physicians themselves. So, in Russia 631 doctors died from COVID-19. In Moscow alone, medical workers accounted for 1-1.5% of all fatalities. In addition, Russian hospitals became the hotspots of the coronavirus, and doctors themselves — the main carriers of it^[2]. Other infections are spread through accidentally piercing skin with needles or contact with body fluids. It so happens that patients themselves pose a physical threat, for example, in psychiatric wards, patients with mental conditions often attack the attending physicians.

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What qualities does a doctor need?

A doctor is a difficult and profession which comes with great responsibility, obtaining which involves no less difficult and long studies. Being a doctor is a life calling. Therefore, dedicating your life to the medical profession is a serious step that must be taken consciously.

The main quality a doctor must have is the desire to help others. Physicians are distinguished by humanism, and even to some extent altruism, combined with high morals. Honesty, decency, responsibility, intelligence, kindness, reliability, integrity, lack of self-interest, and the ability to keep one's word are important to a medical professional. They are conditioned by deontology — the discipline of medical ethics and the norms of interaction between a doctor and colleagues and patients.

Other necessary qualities for future doctors are good memory, analytical mind, the ability to make quick decisions, endurance, determination, high demands from oneself and others, a tendency to take responsibility, stress resistance, emotional stability, leadership, empathy, and sociability.

Love for people is also important, since doctors constantly listen to complaints, communicate, and provide moral support to patients. It is important to be patient and considerate in order to build trust and not make the sick person's situation worse. However, there are specializations for which communication with people is not necessary, for example, pathologists.

Finally, doctors deal with human secretions, bodies and organs, so disgust and blood intolerance, and even more so fainting at the sight of unpleasantness, may become major roadblocks when becoming a doctor. To test your resilience, you can watch videos of autopsies or operations on YouTube.

It is important to understand that a doctor is not just a profession, but a life stance. Therefore, humanism is a defining personality trait of a physician.

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Where do doctors work?

Doctors work in both public and private medical institutions. They are clinics, hospitals, trauma centers, ambulance and emergency rooms, psychiatric wards, medical centers, research institutes. Pediatricians often have their own offices in kindergartens and schools. Some doctors work for themselves and open private clinics or practices.

Typically, doctors work irregularly with night shifts and emergency calls. The responsibilities of physicians depend on the specialization and place of work. The main activities include making rounds and examining patients, conducting diagnostics, prescribing treatment and drugs, and performing surgeries. Also, doctors are engaged in administrative work: they keep records and patient medical histories, write prescriptions and issue medical certificates. Outside of work hours, doctors improve their knowledge, read medical literature and magazines.

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