Medicine as a Career - Page 8
areas and all but 17 metropolitan areas gained
physicians per 100,000 people. Moreover,
of those 17 cities, only two saw a decline in
the total number of physicians, while the
large remainder gained physicians, albeit below
the general rate of increase. In addition,
it was found that the ratio of generalist to
specialist remained about one-third to two-thirds
during this ten-year interlude. Also, the
disparity in the distribution of physicians between
urban and rural areas, while narrowed, still
exists.
It is clear that the present decade is an era of
change and uncertainty; it will take
time till this situation becomes clarified. The
current debate reinforces the conclusion
noted above that prospective physicians must be
strongly committed, need to show flex-
ibility and openmindedness, and above all stay
informed.
DESIRABLE ATTRIBUTES FOR A MEDICAL CAREER
_______________
The changing environment for medical practice
that is gradually taking place, which is
discussed later in this chapter, will fully
impact on those who will practice in the
twenty-first century. Thus, while ten specific
desirable attributes are noted below, one
major personal quality should be emphasized at
this point, namely, the need for a strong
commitment to medicine. Having such a
commitment will serve to overcome the
inevitable obstacles, which include a less
attractive environment in which to practice,
high tuition costs, a long education and
training period, and lower income expectations.
An intense commitment will permit one to meet
the inevitable challenges and overcome
any setbacks that may be encountered. It will
also serve to avoid incurring the disap-
pointment that withdrawal from a career goal
for nonacademic reasons would generate.
There are ten basic qualities that are
desirable for prospective physicians to have.
1. Intelligence. Medical studies and practice
require an ability to learn, retain, and
integrate a vast amount of scientific data
through study, experimentation, and
experience.
2. Scientific interest. Medicine, while an
applied science, rests upon an under-
standing of the fundamental biological and
chemical activities that we define as
life. An understanding of its dynamic processes
requires a solid grounding in
chemical, physical, and biological principles.
What is especially desirable is a
mastery of the scientific mode of inquiry and
the attainment of good manipula-
tive skills.
3. Favorable personality. A successful practice
involves an ability to establish and
maintain a good rapport with people at all
levels. Thus, you must realize that
you will have to treat people coming from
different walks of life and associate
with colleagues who have different backgrounds.
It is very desirable to have
warmth and empathy and, thus, be able to
reflect a positive response to the
needs, suffering, and fears of others in a
manner that can provide both reassur-
ance and respect. Another desirable personality
characteristic is broadminded-
ness. This is reflected by a wide breadth of
interests, the desire for a wide range
of experiences, the habit of forming value
judgments independently, the ability
to establish close friendships, an
open-mindedness to nonconforming ideas, and
the capacity of putting issues in their proper
perspective.
4. Physical and emotional strength. Those who
plan a career in medicine must
possess the capability of enduring the rigorous
physical and emotional demands
of many years of study and training. You must
be able to maintain the self-disci-
pline required during such a prolonged
preparatory period. Medical school and
specialty training require a disposition
capable of expending an enormous
amount of energy. This innate characteristic is
reflected in the records of those
achieving a high degree of academic success
while being simultaneously
involved in a variety of extracurricular
activities. This suggests that as busy
practitioners such individuals will also be
able to participate in a variety of non-
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