By Ella Rasmussen According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of a doctor is “a person skilled or specializing in healing arts.” So, what does that actually mean? As a teenager decidedly unqualified to answer that question, I asked one. Sean M. Fox, MD, is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and a Professor of Pediatrics at the Carolinas Medical Center of Atrium Health here in Charlotte. He’s also the Program Director for the Medical Center’s Emergency Medicine Residency Training Program.
According to Dr. Fox, “doctor” encompasses a huge range of disciplines, and, contrary to that sterile, rigid impression that most people have of professions in the sciences, it’s much more personal than one might think. Deciding how to pursue your career after medical school “requires a personal assessment of what you as an individual value and hold most dear,” he says. “The practice of medicine is quite vast and has many refined areas.” And we haven’t even gotten to the messy details of actually treating patients yet. But getting there, or surviving medical school, is what really teaches you the spirit of the field. As a professor, Dr. Fox puts special emphasis on the amount of dedication it takes to complete a doctor’s education. According to him, the process typically involves four years of college, four years of medical school, and three to five years of training in a specialty of medical practice (such as pediatrics or surgery), also known as residency. While primary care doctors start their careers by finishing their residencies and taking Board Examinations, specialists require additional years of training. One of the most difficult parts of the process, according to Dr. Fox, is “to prioritize continued efforts in learning more every day.” In his words, the puzzle pieces do not all come together at one time. Medical school involves years worth of learning, forgetting, and relearning all the moving parts of the medical field, while your chosen specialty will challenge you to combine select bits of that knowledge. So, yes. It’s incredibly difficult--and it should be. You’re learning how to coax the obstinate boundaries of the medical field forward, and at the same time, you’re entrusted with saving lives. But, Dr. Fox says, don’t let that stop you. “Regardless of what path you select, there will be aspects that are not pleasurable,” he notes, “but if that path gets you to the place that you love, then the pain is tolerable and even beneficial.” While that education sounds like a marathon you have to run just to start your career, it’s an integral part of a process that continues throughout the profession. “We are all on the same path toward mastery, but that path is really an asymptote, never crossing that point of mastery,” says Dr. Fox. “We all need to be diligent and continually push the educational and experience boulder up the mountainous path.” He considers succeeding on that path one of the highlights of his career. And though it may seem easier to take the path of least resistance, one of his biggest pieces of advice for students interested in becoming a doctor is to choose a career based on what you love rather than on avoiding what you don’t. “Do something that inspires others as well as yourself,” he says. “Never stop learning.” Of course, the profession after training presents its own challenges. Dr. Fox works in the Emergency Department, where he holds that there are no typical days. Working eight to ten hours at a time, his department treats anything from minor cuts to victims of major car accidents. Residents typically work much longer shifts limited to thirty contiguous hours. While he sees severe, graphic injuries on the regular, he says the most stressful part of his job is constantly watching for signs of those severe illnesses that aren’t immediately obvious. “The fear of missing a clue, or worse, causing harm induces a lot of stress.” Still, the upsides of the work measure up well against the demands. “Without a doubt, that stress is offset by the reward of being present to help a patient and their family in their time of need,” he says. And, of course, the obligatory answer to the question everyone is really asking: how accurate is Grey’s Anatomy? Unfortunately, Dr. Fox stresses how bad television is at portraying medical care--typically, they tend to prioritize drama over the continuous, chaotic learning experience required of most emergency department staff. Though it may be a demanding profession, it’s just as achievable as any other. It’s not impossible. You don’t have to be a once-in-a-generation genius. Really, what you need to pursue a medical career is a “steadfast resolve to want to improve yourself every day,” says Dr. Fox. With that, you can focus on what the field is really about: helping people in need.
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