The Steps to becoming a Doctor
Contemporary medicine is challenging, exciting and dynamic. Countless new discoveries are making their impact on medical practice: doctors qualifying now will see even more dramatic changes in the future, with the development of many new therapies, involving not only drugs, but also treatments arising from research in electronics, nuclear physics, genetics and molecular biology.
A career in medicine offers doctors an opportunity to provide a service to the public through the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, diseases and infections. Doctors are able to choose which area of medicine they practise in.
This should suit their own personal aptitudes (for example, community-based doctors such as general practitioners have daily face to face contact with patients, whilst some other doctors concentrate on advancing medicine in terms of undertaking scientific research, which may involve less patient contact).
There are a large number of specialty career paths in medicine - with over 50 career options available, a doctor is assured of finding a suitable career. The options include becoming a surgeon, a general practitioner, a geneticist, a psychiatrist, a medical lecturer at medical school, a medical researcher or a public health physician, to name a few.
Although the majority of doctors work within the NHS, opportunities exist in other settings, such as the armed forces, prisons or the Home Office working as a police surgeon.
Medicine is a rewarding career; however, being a doctor involves a lifetime of learning, both formally and informally. Doctors have to update their knowledge and skills throughout their careers. In terms of the training period, at present it can take up to 12 years to progress within structured training - from studying medicine at undergraduate level to being appointed as a senior doctor (hospital consultant). GP status may be obtained in nine years.
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