There is no doubt that a career in medicine is many things, it is reputable, rewarding, challenging, and lucrative to name but a few. It is often said that the life of a physician is not viewed as a career, rather it is a vocation. It takes years of dedication and commitment in order to successfully qualify as a licensed physician and practice medicine. If you are tempted by it then be sure to take these factors into consideration. 

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Education 

It takes a great deal of education and study to successfully enter the medical field. Medicine is one of the longest educational paths available taking on average 14 years of education before becoming a doctor and this can cost around $100,000.00. Further, your academic ability has to be incredibly strong to keep up with the difficulty of the education involved. The level of dedication and commitment to studies and practical training is also one of the most demanding in the world. Medical students need to pass a series of exams and evaluations such as the MSPE. What is more, a doctor’s education does not finish on the day they graduate med school. Doctors are required to continually learn and develop their practical knowledge throughout their careers. The educational achievements of doctors both during and beyond med school can be a great and necessary tool for making them stand out in the competitive market during interviews or on their personal profiles to showcase their skills to potential patients, one such example is the profile of Dr. Derek Steinbacher

Service 

A career in medicine is a career in service and you have to be committed to helping others. Medicine is about saving lives and improving the health and wellbeing of others so it is imperative that would-be doctors are as passionate about this aspect of medicine as they are about the academia and scientific elements. 

Responsibility

Practicing medicine will require you to take on huge levels of responsibilities and to be confident in making decisions. There will be times where someone’s life is quite literally in your hands and their future rests on the decisions you make. It is a daunting prospect but one you will be taught to manage. That said you have to have a degree of confidence in your ability to make decisions and to shoulder a lot of responsibility. 

Lifestyle

It is no secret that a doctor’s work-life balance isn’t always, well, balanced. Doctors work long hours all year round. In fact, a doctor may rarely feel off duty, especially given the amount of on-call shifts they can be required to do. If FOMO is something you are likely to suffer from then a time-consuming career in medicine may not be best suited. 

Salary 

Doctors are some of the highest-paid professionals the world over, and rightly so you might say. What is more, there are very few limits on the earning potential of certain physicians, the more qualified you are and the more experience you have the higher your pay is likely to be. Further fields such as plastic surgery or cosmetic dentistry can earn eye-watering amounts in private practice.