Considering a Career in Medicine

From Careers in Medicine, Association of American Medical Colleges

How do I know if a career in medicine might be for me?

First ask yourself what kind of future appeals to you. Do you want challenges, opportunities, a chance to make a difference? Many bright and motivated college students describe a “dream career” with the following characteristics:

  • Opportunity to serve – Allows you to help people.
  • Action – Doesn't tie you to a desk all the time.
  • Respect – You are an important part of your community.
  • Security – Allows you a good living with a secure future.
  • Excitement – Changes daily, so it's hardly ever boring.
  • Mobility – You're in demand wherever you choose to live.
  • Flexibility – Gives you lots of career options from the same education base.

Few occupations meet all of these standards. None meets them better than a career in medicine.

What is a doctor's career like?

Few fields offer a wider variety of opportunities. Most doctors' professional lives are filled with caring for people and continuously learning more about the human body. Every day in communities around the country, doctors work in neighborhood clinics, hospitals, offices, even homeless shelters and schools to care for people in need.

But physicians also do many other things. Physician researchers are at work today developing exciting new treatments for cancer, genetic disorders, and infectious diseases like AIDS. Academic physicians share their skills and wisdom by teaching medical students and residents. Others work with health maintenance organizations, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, health insurance companies, or in corporations directing health and safety programs. People with medical skills are in demand everywhere.

Would medicine provide me with a good living?

Medicine has many rewards – personally, intellectually, and financially. On average, doctors make about $160,000 a year, but this amount can vary depending on where physicians live and what type of medical specialty they practice. As the American health care system changes, fewer doctors are working for themselves and more are joining health care systems, often as salaried employees. In these organizations, physicians often can command salaries comparable to executives in other occupations.

I've heard a lot about primary care doctors lately. What are their careers like? What are some examples of specialist physicians?

About one-third of the nation's physicians are generalists – “primary care” doctors who provide lifelong medical services for you and all the members of your family. General internists, family physicians, and general pediatricians are all considered generalist doctors. They are the first doctors you consult for medical care. And they are trained to provide the wide range of services children and adults need. When patients' specific health need require further treatment, generalist physicians send them to see a specialist physician.

Specialist physicians differ from generalists in that they focus on treating a particular system or part of the body. Neurologists who study the brain, cardiologists who study the heart, ophthalmologists who study the eye, and hematologists who study the blood are just a few examples of specialists. They work together with generalist physicians to ensure that patients receive treatment for specific medical problems as well as complete and comprehensive care throughout life.

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