4 answers
Adrian
Student
Planada, CA
3
Questions
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physician
what is the daily life of a physician like, such as routines #medicine #healthcare #physician
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4 answers
Richard A.
physician
2153
Answers
Updated
Richard’s Answer
My field is radiology.
There are multiple subspecialties in Radiology, so each of my partners daily work is quite different. I am an Interventional radiologist. I spend about half my time looking at Medical Imaging ( CT, x-ray, ultrasound, and MRI) to diagnose diseases. The other half of my time is spent performing procedures. We use ultrasound, CT, and x-ray to guide various Tools into different parts of the body to diagnose and treat illness. We can open and close arteries and veins as necessary. We also inject radiation and chemotherapy directly into tumors.
I work about 50 hours per week. My hours vary as my group provides 24/7 service. Twice a year I work a week of night shift; and twice a year, I work a week of evening shifts from 4-11 pm. Some radiologists work in outpatient centers and can have more regular hours.
There are multiple subspecialties in Radiology, so each of my partners daily work is quite different. I am an Interventional radiologist. I spend about half my time looking at Medical Imaging ( CT, x-ray, ultrasound, and MRI) to diagnose diseases. The other half of my time is spent performing procedures. We use ultrasound, CT, and x-ray to guide various Tools into different parts of the body to diagnose and treat illness. We can open and close arteries and veins as necessary. We also inject radiation and chemotherapy directly into tumors.
I work about 50 hours per week. My hours vary as my group provides 24/7 service. Twice a year I work a week of night shift; and twice a year, I work a week of evening shifts from 4-11 pm. Some radiologists work in outpatient centers and can have more regular hours.
Rachel Weinheimer
Surgeon
1121
Answers
Amarillo, Texas
Updated
Rachel’s Answer
The days of surgical residency tend to be longer than those of surgeons out in practice. As a surgical resident you arrive at the hospital between 5 and 6 am. You make rounds on your hospitalized patients and make sure they are doing well. You then report to the operating room and spend the rest of the day operating on your patients. About twice per week you will go to clinic instead of the operating room in order to see patients who need surgery or have recently undergone surgery. During training, the hours are long and you will work about 80 hours a week. Once you have completed residency, you will have more flexibility. However, you will still most likely need to take night and weekend call.
Ira Schwalb, M. D.
Physician Anesthesiologist
5
Answers
Hallandale Beach, Florida
Updated
Ira’s Answer
Hello Adrian, I am a physician in practice for almost 40 years. My specialty is anesthesiology which is the physician that typically takes care of patients undergoing surgery. Though the specialty entails many different aspects of critical care and pain management as well. There are many different levels of work in the healthcare care industry even within particular specialties such as pediatrics which I see you have an interest in. Also you don’t have to be a pediatrician to take care of kids. There is a sub specialty in anesthesia that specializes in pediatric anesthesiology where you take care of children undergoing surgery. You may love children and that is wonderful but the trip to do that is very diverse and you will be introduced to many different areas of medicine on that journey. You may find other areas of interest along the way.
The physician is at the top of the food chain in medicine. You have the most responsibility and the education and training is long. There are other levels in medicine, nurses, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, etc that are a bit easier to achieve and may yield the same if not more career satisfaction.
The road to becoming a physician, or other healthcare providers to various degrees is long and very time consuming. Getting into medical school that leads to a career as a physician is very competitive and requires a well rounded education with excellent grades in the basic sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics) with a Bachelor’s degree at a four year college or university. There is a standardized test call the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) that tests you in those basic sciences plus reading comprehension and quantitative reasoning. The competition to get into a medical school is very high. But once you are in, you can expect to graduate if you continue to work hard. Few people flunk out. Schools want you to succeed. They are very selective in who they admit and only admit those that they feel will succeed with hard work. After medical school you enter a postgraduate residency training program in the specialty of your choosing.
Medicine is not a job. It is a career that you devote much of your time to which takes a toll on other relationships. Those around you need a level understanding that many do not possess. It is best to be in a position to put 100% into this endeavor. It requires passion. You need to love medicine. It may be beneficial to find a physician you can shadow and see what their days are like. Seek out physicians in different specialties. There are many. There is a saying, “if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.” I personally have not found anything truer. I love what I do and have done for 40 years.
In addition to the hard work required to get in and through medical school, there is an enormous cost. There are two costs. One is the tuition of school itself at about $25-30,000 per year plus room and board. The second is the 4 years of delay in earning an income that you friends who entered the workforce after college where fortunate to get. Many have huge student loans upon graduation.
Medicine is a calling. It requires passion and love. Without either of those it can be a real chore. The amount of time needed to devote will make your life miserable if you don’t love. It is extremely rewarding to those that feel that calling.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to reach out. Good luck in you journey. It is a journey with no destination. It is your life.
The physician is at the top of the food chain in medicine. You have the most responsibility and the education and training is long. There are other levels in medicine, nurses, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, etc that are a bit easier to achieve and may yield the same if not more career satisfaction.
The road to becoming a physician, or other healthcare providers to various degrees is long and very time consuming. Getting into medical school that leads to a career as a physician is very competitive and requires a well rounded education with excellent grades in the basic sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics) with a Bachelor’s degree at a four year college or university. There is a standardized test call the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) that tests you in those basic sciences plus reading comprehension and quantitative reasoning. The competition to get into a medical school is very high. But once you are in, you can expect to graduate if you continue to work hard. Few people flunk out. Schools want you to succeed. They are very selective in who they admit and only admit those that they feel will succeed with hard work. After medical school you enter a postgraduate residency training program in the specialty of your choosing.
Medicine is not a job. It is a career that you devote much of your time to which takes a toll on other relationships. Those around you need a level understanding that many do not possess. It is best to be in a position to put 100% into this endeavor. It requires passion. You need to love medicine. It may be beneficial to find a physician you can shadow and see what their days are like. Seek out physicians in different specialties. There are many. There is a saying, “if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.” I personally have not found anything truer. I love what I do and have done for 40 years.
In addition to the hard work required to get in and through medical school, there is an enormous cost. There are two costs. One is the tuition of school itself at about $25-30,000 per year plus room and board. The second is the 4 years of delay in earning an income that you friends who entered the workforce after college where fortunate to get. Many have huge student loans upon graduation.
Medicine is a calling. It requires passion and love. Without either of those it can be a real chore. The amount of time needed to devote will make your life miserable if you don’t love. It is extremely rewarding to those that feel that calling.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to reach out. Good luck in you journey. It is a journey with no destination. It is your life.
Estelle Archer
Gynecologist
1322
Answers
United States
Updated
Estelle’s Answer
This is highly variable depending on which specialty you choose. Do you have a particular area of medicine that interests you?