Research Paper on Being a Doctor

Introduction: A flame sparked a passion early in my life a desire to become a surgeon. My first exposure to the medical field was when I visited my aunt in her residency in Venezuela. â€Å"A surgeon is responsible for the success of his scheduled surgeries. He’s a leader who coordinates each operation with a highly qualified staff, assesses the patient’s need for surgery and is in charge of his post op recovery (Baylor). † A surgeon possesses qualities above those of a general physician, requiring years of additional schooling.Few choose this path and I hope one day I will succeed in reaching my ultimate goal and to also be able to help people. [pic] Research Process: The career cluster choices offered were business management, construction and health sciences which is the one that captured my attention because a surgeon fits in that category. I was excited because I got to write about something in which I was passionate. My research was primarily based on expan ding my knowledge and getting a deeper insight into the medical career of a surgeon and how to arrive at this destination, which the career cluster helped clarify.The next step was to locate the right person of prominence in the field. Although difficult, my pediatrician helped me find the him. Dr. Schierling is a general surgeon working with the Medical Clinic of North Texas. Knowing that surgeons have many responsibilities, I knew that contacting him early was necessary as well as having back up surgeons. I developed my interview in a thoughtful and detailed manner covering all the requirements making sure I had the right information to write a detailed and informative paper.I sent the interview by email Wednesday and first received his response on Sunday, learning the importance of backups and contacting people early. Dr. Schierling’s information was exactly what I was looking for; helpful and detailed information which really helped me develop my knowledge about the medic al field. Job Specifics: To become a doctor the path is long and hard. Under normal circumstances you need a four year degree in any university. You can major in anything you want, â€Å"but at least two years of you college experience will be trying to build up your prerequisite credits for med school.It is better if you major in English or science as it will be easier to meet those credits(Schierling)†. In the charts below are the ACT and SAT scores for acceptance into Southwestern University as well as class rank for acceptance. This is one of the thousand universities that offer a four year degree. To get more requirements and learn more about this university you should visit the Southwestern website. First-Year Acceptance Rates By Class Rank (2010) CLASS RANK | |185 students enrolled | |Average undergraduate GPA: 3. 8 | |Average MCAT scores: 11. 15 ( out of a 15 point scale) | Remember that it is not imperative to go to a prestigious med school to be successful (Schie rling)†. â€Å"After Medical School you will apply for residency in surgery in one of the thousands of hospitals across the country. Then after you are matched to a residency program you move to the state and get a license to practice medicine which takes about one year. Residency for surgery is usually five years, then if you want to do a sub specialization it can take about one to two years in a fellowship(Schierling). † While you do your residency you earn about 35,000-41,000 dollars, depending on the area.After you are a surgeon and depending on your specialty your salary can vary from 258,000-700,000 dollars. Hours, traveling and even dress are flexible after med school. â€Å"You also have to remember that surgeons are few and they are always in constant demand. Below are some statistics for job outlooks from the â€Å"Bureau of Labor Statistics†: Occupational Title |SOC Code |Employment, 2008 |Projected Employment, 2018 |Change, 2008-18 | | | | | |Number |Percent | |Physicians and surgeons |29-1060 |661,400 |805,500 |144,100 |22 | |Another important responsibility of a surgeon is to be a good businessman. Thinking of the patient’s ability to pay for care always needs to be taken into consideration. â€Å"This brings long hours and a difficult quality of life if you have a family, but the patient always needs to come first. A surgeon’s work week generally consists of a few days in the operating room, some days of patient evaluation and post op care. They also cover emergency calls and sometimes you are on call late at night; loss of sleep and not having the time to eat are normal.Surgeons have opportunities to attain higher positions within the hospital community; chief or head of certain departments. These positions are more managerial and can redefine your role to more leadership and less clinical care. This is a decision that every surgeon needs to make early on in his career. (Schierling)† [pic] Reflection: T he I-Search project was very eye opening and educational. This really encouraged me to start preparing to be more knowledgeable in my subject and choice of university and education.I now understand the surgeon’s general work days and the path to get there. I had the opportunity to meet people in the career field in which I was interested. I also learned about possible secondary career choices such as business management in the health care industry and the career possibilities related to managing a hospital. I discovered that while studying medicine you can also get a secondary degree such as a PHD or an MBA. The survey, therefore did manage to cover a specific interest of mine and it also opened other possibilities.I also learned that to be a doctor â€Å" you have to have good studying an organizational skills to manage all the rigorous training required as well as honesty and a good work ethic. Looking back at all the work I did put into this paper, I would only change one thing. I would have been more organized with my time. A time line would have helped me better approach all this work. This experience will help me in the future by having given me the necessary tools to complete bigger complex projects in an organized manner.