A Physician Career and Its Advantages

Introduction

Field study of global health is involved in health promotion and ensuring equality in providing medical care to all. Global health involves prevention measures of illnesses, determinants of health, and transitional health issues. The field has many career opportunities, and I am mostly interested in the physician career; the first stop patients make once they need medical assistance. This paper aims to define my career as a physician and all it entails and explain why I choose to pursue this profession.

Physician as a Career

The career involves taking a patient’s medical history, ordering tests to know which illness a patient is suffering from, and identifying irregularities in the patient’s body. Physicians see healthy patients for check-ups to prevent illnesses before they start. National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) areas of responsibility and competencies involve assessment, evaluation, planning, administration, advocacy, and communication (Eifert et al., 2021). Based on the tests and examinations, they can prescribe medicines for the patient as a treatment plan.

Responsibilities in a physician’s career include the following:

• Ordering tests for patients and analyzing them to diagnose a patient’s illness.
• Referring the patient to a specialist when needed.
• Creation of a payment plan for the patient based on their diagnosis.
• Explanation of side effects that may arise from medications and medical procedures.
• Conducting performance of basic treatment procedures.
• Recording the medical history of the patient.
• Identifying symptoms experienced by a patient and diagnosing illnesses (Perumalswami et al., 2020).
• Provide the patient with advice concerning their illness.
• May answer any medical question the patient may have.

The qualifications needed include:

• A bachelor’s degree where some medical school needs specific course work for the significance of qualification to a medical school.
• A medical degree is acquired by completing medical school, which takes four years.
• A medical internship is done after graduating from medical school. A physician has a year of internship and on-job training where a physician can choose there are of a specialty
• The residency was in the US; there is a need for three to seven years of residency, a post-training graduate where doctors can practice medicine in their specialty area under an experienced doctor’s supervision (Erschens et al., 2021).
• After the physician completes their residency period, they may apply to gain a license and become a board-certified practitioner in medicine.

Challenges faced in the physician career may include regulatory requirements where they have to face enormous burdens of paperwork to remain competitive in the field. There may be funding challenges for small independent practices that challenge ethical dilemmas, such as balancing patients’ medical needs and their ability to pay for medical care (Bunnik et al., 2018). Physicians may experience physical burnout from work and the growth of telemedicine, where they need to stay informed about current and emerging technologies.

To tackle shortcomings in my career, I will pay attention to nonverbal communication from my patients and provide ways for them to gather more information and remain motivated to keep my medical requirements up to date. There will be increased involvement in encouraging patients to take care of their mental health. Finally, I will learn about upcoming technologies and keep up to date to ensure quality care and make all efforts to give quality care to my patients.

Physicians have a great chance of placement in the medical field with the rise of diseases and the need for health care globally. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic decreased the health status of many individuals and lowered immunity hence a need for health care. The working hours are between 40 to 60 hours weekly; however, most of them may find themselves working up to 61 to 80 hours do the demanding nature of the work. For remuneration in the US, the average salary for a physician is $ 243,990 annually, and others may get paid up to a range of $ 48,000 to $ 453,000 annually (Streilein et al., 2018). There are chances of growing overall employment rates for physicians, projected to be 3% by 2030 (Zhang et al., 2020). Despite the evidence for limited employment growth, there are expectations for over 22,700 job openings for physicians each year over decades.

I must be equipped with the necessary skills to succeed in the physician career. Communication skills are significant as the career dictates great and effective communication with patients, nurses, caregivers, and support staff. Attention to detail to make sure patients receive proper treatment and medication. Leadership qualities to issue directions to other staff members. Patience and compassion to the patients to give quality medical care. Other skills and qualifications involve problem-solving, organizational and personal stamina and agility. The career most appeals to me due to my high interest in helping others and making their lives better regardless of their conditions and circumstances. Moreover, my number one motivation is a physician career essential for a happy and healthier society.

Conclusion

In conclusion, global health is essential for giving quality care worldwide. Therefore, I choose a career as a physician, which involves taking a patient’s medical history and ordering tests to know the patient’s illness. The career has various responsibilities in giving quality care to patients. Some qualifications are required to pursue the career and skills requirements. Challenges are common, and knowledge of tackling them is essential. The paper’s purpose was to analyze the physician career and why I chose this career. As expressed, I am interested in the profession and will appreciate pursuing it.

References

Bunnik, E. M., Aarts, N., & van de Vathorst, S. (2018). Little to lose and no other options: ethical issues in efforts to facilitate expanded access to investigational drugs. Health Policy, 122(9), 977-983.

Eifert, E., Chaney, B., Redican, K., & Eddy, J. (2021). Responsibilities and competencies for health education specialists: Implications for research and practice in the American Journal of Health Education. American Journal of Health Education, 52(1), 1-7.

Erschens, R., Herrmann-Werner, A., Schaffland, T. F., Kelava, A., Ambiel, D., Zipfel, S., & Loda, T. (2021). Association of professional pre-qualifications, study success in medical school and the eligibility for becoming a physician: A scoping review. Plus one, 16(11), e0258941.

Perumalswami, C. R., Takenoshita, S., Tanabe, A., Kanda, R., Hiraike, H., Okinaga, H. & Nomura, K. (2020). Workplace resources, mentorship, and burnout in early career physician-scientists: a cross-sectional study in Japan. BMC Medical Education, 20(1), 1-10.

Streilein, A., Leach, B., Everett, C., & Morgan, P. (2018). Knowing your worth: salary expectations and gender of matriculating physician assistant students. The Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 29(1), 1-6.

Zhang, X., Lin, D., Pforsich, H., & Lin, V. W. (2020). Physician workforce in the United States of America: Forecasting nationwide shortages. Human resources for health, 18(1), 1-9.