Physician Specialists are medical doctors that specialize in a spefic field of care, such as cardiology, surgery, neurology etc.
Duties of a Physician:
- See patients that are referred from general practitioners.
- Assess the patient based on their specialty such as the heart, brain, lungs etc.
- Conduct special tests that identify what is wrong with the patient.
- Prescribe a plan suited specially for the patient to help them recover.
Work Requirements:
Physician Specialists need to be very calm and patient to deal with the complex problems that patients may have. They also have to be quick learners in order to keep their knowledge of technology current. Physician Specialist tend to see a lot of patients and therefore work long hours, so they must love what they do.
Types of Work Environments:
- Private or team practices
- Healthcare clinics
- Community practices
- Universities
Personality Requirements:
- Be genuine and interested in helping people
- Proficient knowledge of medicine and lifelong learning
- Be patient, have emotional strength and have empathy
- Be confidential
- Have excellent communications skills and interpersonal skills
- Passion and energy for their work
Education: 10-15 years post-secondary
Bachelor’s Degree and Doctor of Medicine certificate followed by 3-7 year residencies.
Certification
Specialist physicians must have a medical degree from an accredited Canadian medical school and complete a residency in their desired field of practice.
Courses taken during high school which will assist you in a career as a Physician:
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Math
- English
- Physics
Job placement – after 10- 15 years of post-secondary education your chances of finding a job are considered – Very Good
Canada’s aging population requires an ever-increasing supply of medical services and the number of recent graduates will not likely meet the demand. Increasingly complex medical issues require a large pool of specialits for referrals.
Wages:
Cardiologist - $220,000
Surgeon - $300,000
Neurologist - $205,000
Links:
Canadian Medical Association
http://www.cma.ca
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
http://www.cpso.on.ca
Association of Canadian Medical Colleges
http://www.afmc.ca
Canadian Federation of Medical Students
http://www.cfms.org
Canadian Medical Association Journal
http://www.cmaj.ca
Canadian Association of Interns and Residents
http://www.cair.ca
