Doctors are healthcare professionals who treat illnesses and injuries by diagnosing and providing medical care to patients. They can work in a variety of settings, including private practices, hospitals, universities, and other organizations. Doctors specialize in many fields after initial medical training. Medical school involves classroom learning and clinical experience over several years to develop skills in areas like physical examination, communication, and clinical reasoning. Becoming a doctor requires passion for helping others and continuous learning.

1. CONSIDERING MEDICINE?

2. What is a doctor?
Doctors are healthcare professionals who
encourage, maintain, and restore health
through diagnosing and treating illnesses,
injuries, and other physical ailments.

3.  Referred to as
 Physicians
 Medical Practitioners
 Provide primary health care
 Socially appropriate, universally accessible,
scientifically sound first level care
 Refer patients to other healthcare providers
when necessary
 Doctors can specialise in many fields or may
focus on broad and comprehensive care for
individuals (GP)

4. An average day…
 Doctors don’t really have an average day
 Tasks depend on where they work and the
patients they see
 GP’s do a bit of everything
 Examine patients
 Order tests and procedures
 Prescribe and administer medications
 Provide acute emergency care
 Provide counseling and support

5.  The specialist role is similar GP’s but focused
on a specific body system.
 Surgeons determine what procedures a
patient needs and performs them.
 Other hospital doctors see, treat and refer
many different things.
 ED
 Medical wards
 Often work long shifts
 May be required to do a lot of on-call work

6. Where can doctors work?
 General practitioners usually work in private
practice (as individuals)
 Most specialists work in hospitals and at a private
practice
 Universities (as teachers)
 Other various health initiatives and organisations
 Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS)
 Defence force
 MSF or WHO
 Insurance companies

7. Where can doctors work?
 General practitioners usually work in private
practice (as individuals)
 Most specialists work in hospitals and at a private
practice
 Universities (as teachers)
 Other various health initiatives and organisations

12. Levels of Doctors

13. Some Specialty Colleges
Royal
Australian
College of
Physicians
~ 6yrs min
Royal
Australasian
College of
Surgeons
~ varied time
Royal Australian
College of
General
Practitioners
~ 6 yrs
Australian
College of
Rural and
Remote
medicine
~ 4 yrs

14. Lots of specialties...
 Addiction Medicine
 Anesthesia
 Dermatology
 Emergency Medicine
 General Practice
 Intensive care medicine: Pediatric
 Medical administration
 Obstetrics and Gynecology: Oncology, Maternal-fetal, Ultrasounds, Reproductive
endocrinology and infertility, Urogynaecology
 Occupational and Environmental medicine
 Ophthalmology
 Pediatrics and child health: Clinical genetics, Community child heath, General,
Neonatal and perinatal, Cardiology, Clinical pharmacology, Emergency, Intensive
care
 Pain Medicine

15.  Palliative medicine
 Pathology: General, Anatomical, Chemical, Haematology, Immunology,
Microbiology, Forensic
 Physician: Cardiology, Clinical Genetics, Clinical Pharmacology, Endocrinology,
Gastroenterology, General Medicine, Geriatric, Hematology, Immunology, Infectious
diseases, Oncology, Nephrology, Neurology, Nuclear Medicine, Respiratory and
Sleep, Rheumatology
 Psychiatry
 Public health medicine
 Radiation oncology
 Radiology: Diagnostic radiology, Diagnostic ultrasound, Nuclear medicine
 Rehabilitation medicine
 Sexual health medicine
 Sport and exercise medicine
 Surgery: Cardio-thoracic, General, Neurosurgery, Orthopedic, Otolaryngology,
Pediatric, Plastic, Urology, Vascular

16. Good things about being a
doctor...
 Ability to save lives and provide support to
others – Rewarding
 Continuous learning
 High status occupation
 Challenging
 Decent salary
 Job satisfaction
 Job security and opportunities

17.  Salary
 Resident AU$60000 - $75000 (up to $90000
with overtime).
 Registrar AU$75000 - $110000 (up to
$130000 with overtime).
 GP AU$150000 – $350000 (up to $400000
with overtime).
 Consultant AU$175000 – $350000 (up to
$400000 with overtime.
 Private consultants AU$1million+

18. Disadvantages of being a
doctor...
 Debt
 Long and ongoing education
 Can be difficult (training and on the job)
 Can be depressing and stressful (when unable
to help)
 Time consuming
 Long work hours (overtime and on-call)
 A lot of responsibility
 Frustrating with patient non-compliance

19. Is being a doctor for me?
 Remember.. You are choosing to become a
doctor, not just a medical student
 Do you love learning?
 Do you enjoy solving challenging problems?
 Are you emotionally resilient?
 Are you interested in how the human body
functions?

20. 8 traits of a good doctor
 Doctors need to be:
 Approachable (Can ask them anything)
 Empathetic (understands what I am feeling)
 Trustworthy
 Confident (“a confident doctor gives me confidence”)
 Humane (caring, compassionate, kind)
 Forthright (tells what a patient needs to know)
 Respectful (takes the patient seriously)
 Thorough (complete, pays attention to every detail)

21. Poor reasons for choosing
medicine
 Pressure from family/friends/society
 Friend/sibling is studying medicine
 Parents are doctors
 Because you can
 “I got an OP1 and therefore have to do medicine
or law”
 Money and prestige
 Hot nurses

22. How to ‘get in’ to study med?
1. Undergraduate: Apply for direct entry as a
school leaver and sit the UMAT
OR
2. Graduate: Study an undergraduate degree and
then sit the GAMSAT
 Most universities use an interview as part of their
entry requirements

23. Undergraduate Medicine at…

24. Graduate Medicine at…

25. Medical degree format
 30 – 40 hours/wk contact time
 +10-20 hours/wk extra study (university
dependent)
 Within a medical degree:
 Examine the normal human body compared to
abnormal body
 Focus on structure, function and development

26.  Common disease states:
 Recognising and diagnosing illness
 Developing clinical reasoning
 Managing conditions with an evidence based approach
 Clinical skills are developed through participation in
skill based, general practice and ward-based
sessions.

27.  The role of the doctor within
 the profession
 wider society: including the social, economic, population
and cultural bases of health in contemporary Australia.
(this incorporates Indigenous health issues).
 Develop skills in communication, physical
examination and professional practice
 Clinical years consolidate and integrate students’
early experiences
 Prepare for internship

28. What to do next?

29. Subject selection
 Prerequisites
 English
 Math B
 A science subject
 (usually chemistry)
 Assumed Knowledge
 Chemistry
 Biology
 Recommended
 Physics