Helpful Tips For Doctors And Medical Students

By Author: yash singh
Total Articles: 23
Comment this article

Entering medical profession is to choose a willing path to help people in need of medical care. Although, the profession is remunerative, all through irrespective of leisure time there will be emergencies, calling for immediate attention, which cannot be thwarted. The journey to start to become a doctor is not only long, but difficult too. There has to be some kind of dedication and mental preparation for hard work. Grade point average or GPA is the most important factor for entry into medical schools in the US through Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

Faculty of medicine is practice of medicine, either with initial training to become a physician through medical school and internship or additional training through residency and fellowship, thereafter. Initial training is given at medical school, divided between preclinical and clinical. The preclinical mainly deals with basic sciences such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology and pathology. Clinical level teaching aims at clinical medicine such as internal medicine, obstetrics, pediatrics, radiology, gynecology, ...
... psychiatry, neurology, surgery etc.

Structure of the first two years curricula has been undergoing a transition. Some medical schools have an organ-based approach i.e. Anatomy, physiology, pathology and pharmacology are taught one time before going to the next organ system. Some medical schools teach one subject at a time i.e. all day for 8 weeks after which next subject is taken up. Some other medical schools combine both approaches. In the 3rd year students start rotating through each of the specialties i.e. internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, radiology, psychiatry, neurology, family medicine, emergency medicine and surgery etc. In the 4th year rotations in clinical medicine with electives is taken up under higher level of responsibility. It is after school of medicine that medical specialties are done, in a phased manner i.e. internship, residency and fellowship. Residency in a medical specialty is a 3 + year training programme. First year of residency is called internship or post graduate year -1, followed by PGY-2 and PGY -3. The training taken in subspecialty after residency is called fellowship. There is one term ‘on call’ in residency, which means you will work for 30 to 36 hours at a stretch on every 2nd, 3rd or 4th night depending on the specialty and institution you are in.

In order to practice medicine you need to obtain a license after residency or fellowship. Many states have their own rules. In some states 1 year of training after internship is enough to obtain license to practice medicine.

Now that you are a doctor, you can practice by joining a group, join a clinic or start your own practice and start earning. You can also become a hospital based physician either as radiologist, pathologist, emergency physician or anesthesiologist.