Doctor

What is this job like?		Back to Top

Doctors make people healthier. When people get sick, doctors figure out why. They give people medicine and other kinds of treatment. They also give advice about diet, exercise, and sleep.

Doctors use science to figure out what is making people sick. Doctors examine people, listen to them describe their health problems, and do tests to see what is wrong.

There are many kinds of doctors. Family and general practitioners are often the first doctors that people go to when they get sick. These doctors treat common problems. They also send patients to other doctors, called specialists. Specialists are experts in different types of health problems.

For example, internists focus on problems with internal organs. Pediatricians care for children and babies. Surgeons perform operations, like fixing broken bones or transplanting organs.

Most doctors are doctors of medicine (M.D.). They treat all kinds of diseases and injuries. Some doctors are doctors of osteopathic medicine (D.O.). They focus on muscles and bones.

Many doctors work long hours, at all times of day and night. Over one-third of physicians worked more than 60 hours a week in 2004. But doctors who work in small offices often have more time off. Doctors sometimes have to rush to the hospital to deal with emergencies.

How do you get ready?		Back to Top

Becoming a doctor requires more training than most other jobs. It usually takes at least 11 years to become a doctor: 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, and 3 years working in a hospital. For some specialties, doctors may have to work in a hospital for up to 8 years before they are trained.

To become a doctor, you should study biology, chemistry, physics, math, and English. It is not easy to get into medical school. You have to do very well in college and on medical school entrance tests.

Students spend most of the first 2 years of medical school in labs and classrooms. They take lots of science courses. They also learn to ask patients the right questions and how to examine them. They learn how to tell what sickness a patient has. In the last 2 years, students work with patients and doctors in hospitals and clinics. After medical school, doctors go to work in a hospital for a few years. They are called residents. To be a resident, you must take a test.

If you want to be a doctor, you should like to help people. You should be willing to study a lot.

You have to know how to talk to sick people. And you should be able to make decisions and handle emergencies.

How much does this job pay?		Back to Top

Of all jobs, being a doctor usually pays the most money. The Medical Group Management Association's Physician Compensation and Production Survey says that most doctors earned between $132,953 and $321,686 in 2005. How much they earned depended on how long they had been doctors and where they lived. It also depended on how many hours they worked and how good a doctor they were. And it depended on what kind of doctor they were—specialists usually made more than general practitioners.

How many jobs are there?		Back to Top

Physicians held about 633,000 jobs in 2006. More doctors are working as partners or in a group.

What about the future?		Back to Top

BLS expects the number of jobs for physicians to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2016. This is partly because new machines and tools are letting doctors treat more health problems. And it is partly because people are living longer and need more healthcare.

Job opportunities for doctors are expected to be good, especially in rural and low-income areas. Some of these areas do not have enough doctors.

Are there other jobs like this?		Back to Top

• Acupuncturists
• Audiologists
• Chiropractors
• Dentists
• Medical transcriptionists
• Optometrists
• Pharmacists
• Physician assistants
• Podiatrists
• Nurses
• Nurse practitioners
• Speech-language pathologists
• Veterinarians

Where can you find more information?		Back to Top

More BLS information about physicians and surgeons can be found in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. The Handbook also shows where to find out even more about this job.

Last Modified Date: April 29, 2008