Doctors are some of the most well-known professionals in the world. Almost
anywhere you go, doctors are respected, trusted and often in demand. To many
people, they are the pillars of society.
Doctors care for the sick, diagnose illnesses, prescribe remedies and welcome
newborns into the world every day. There's no doubt it's a demanding
job. The work often means long hours, late nights and early mornings. And
sometimes there's not much rest in between.
But there's no question that many doctors like their jobs. "I love
it," says Dr. Christine Petty. She is an MD and the president of the Illinois
Academy of Family Physicians. "I really like getting to know the families,
and being able to take care of the entire family."
Dr. Ross Black, an MD in Ohio, says for him, being a doctor is about helping
people with life. Black says he enjoys working with kids and helping parents
understand what kind of impact they can have on their children.
"I like to deal with families," says Black. He adds that working with several
generations of one family is common.
But working with families is just one small part of a family physician's
job. Family medicine requires doctors to deal with a wide variety of patients
and problems.
Dr. Alina Cribb is a family physician. She says doctors also spend a lot
of time counseling patients. That's something she never expected would
be part of her job.
She adds that doctors also spend several hours teaching their patients.
For example, helping people understand preventative health care is becoming
more and more common in today's society.
But it's the variety that most doctors love. "One of the things about
family medicine is that you never know what's waiting on the other side
of the exam room door," says Dr. Alma Littles. She is a family doctor in Florida
and the president of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians.
"Each patient encounter is different, and each gives you the opportunity
to make a difference in the patient's life."
And making a difference is what being a family doctor is all about. Whether
it's stitching up a wound, taking someone's blood pressure, delivering
a baby or performing a biopsy, helping people stay healthy is what every family
doctor strives to do.
And it's not always easy. On average, a family doctor works between
60 and 70 hours each week, a far cry from the average 40 hours many people
work. Doctors often have their own patient base they must look after, plus
make hospital rounds, tend to emergencies when they're on call and try
to keep on top of a growing stack of paperwork.
"There's never a dull moment," says Petty. She says for her, finding
enough time to get everything done is one of her biggest challenges.
That's why long hours become a normal part of a doctor's job.
Fortunately, they're well-prepared for them before they ever start practicing
full time.
While doctors are doing their residency, which is usually at least three
years of on-the-job training, 90-hour workweeks are common. Petty says residents
are usually on call every third night. That means they work from 7 a.m. until
5 or 6 p.m. the following night.
The doctors used to tell her that if you weren't on call every night,
you'd miss half the good cases. In other words, hands-on experience is
extremely important. "But you get through it," says Petty.
Of course, before residency, there are the long hours to be put in at school.
Most medical students get their undergraduate degrees before applying to medical
school, which usually takes another four years.
Littles got her degree in chemistry before completing medical school at
the University of Florida. "It seems like a lot of years, but they go by so
rapidly," she says. She says if you're serious about becoming a family
doctor, focus on what it is you want to do, not what it takes to get there.
She remembers attending her 10-year high school reunion, and she was already
a doctor by that point. "A lot of people told me they wished they'd done
the same thing," says Littles. Others were still trying to decide what they
wanted to do.
"Look beyond the fact it takes a long time, and focus on why you want to
go into [medicine]," she suggests.
She says prospective students shouldn't let the idea of school scare
them away, nor should the thought of large student loans. It's true that
students do come out of medical school deeply in debt, and $100,000 loans
are common.
But becoming a doctor almost always guarantees you'll earn a good
wage. (However, most doctors will tell you that money should never be the
motivating factor.)
Patient care should always be a doctor's number one concern. It should
never be about working shorter hours and earning more money, says Black.
"I wanted to work in a helping profession -- I wanted to work with people,"
says Cribb. She says she also wanted something challenging, which is exactly
what she got. "I like when I can make a difference in somebody's life."
And when she can't? For her, that's the toughest thing about
being a doctor. Sometimes you can't solve everybody's problems.
"When you can't help somebody, that's hard," she says. But unfortunately,
much like the long hours, it's just part of the job.
But for the most part, the satisfaction that comes from helping people
far outweighs the negatives. And dealing with so many different patients makes
the job exciting.
"It's so much more interesting that just specializing in one body
part," says Petty.
And training in family medicine gives doctors all kinds of career choices,
adds Littles. Family physicians can work in emergency or urgent care, in a
private practice or with an established group. They can even work in the health
department for the federal government if they so choose.
No matter what route family doctors decide to pursue, it's nice to
know there will always be a demand for their services.
"If you're good, have the right attitude, and provide good care, people
will always come to you," says Black.