Careers have various contexts in terms of how well they benefit an individual and their impact on the society as well as their social responsibility. Serving as a doctor is far much important, both as a career and a service. The doctor has a responsibility to bring health and happiness to human lives. The context of ‘doctor’ as a career is profound and entails numerous responsibilities, education and extreme commitment. This paper explores the various responsibilities, skills, education qualifications and the paradigms of the career. A Doctor; definition
A doctor is well defined as the practice of diagnosing and treating human illnesses and condition. The best qualification in this career is the ‘medical doctor’ level. This is a distinctive position in the career and it is well understood as the practice of medicine which includes the diagnosis, treatment, correction, advisement, or prescription for any human disease, ailment, injury, infirmity, deformity, pain or other condition, physical or mental, real or imaginary (Van Voorhees, 2007). This practice has various requirements, rules and regulation that govern it.
The essence of this regulation is to monitor, license and examine those who want to practice. Why ‘doctor’ is a profession Based on the context of ‘saving lives, bringing health and serving people’, the ‘doctor’ is a profession. The context of a career or service being a profession is based on some specific characteristics as well as set regulatory and practice requirements. The doctor is responsible over the public health. Regardless of the private practice, a doctor has a social responsibility to serve people.
According to, this profession requires Conscientiousness, Competence, Timeliness, Sensitivity, Confidentiality, Effective Communication and Integrity (Plaut, 2008). The career is a profession since it has a compulsory set of characteristics which include the career being based on • Specialized Body of Knowledge, • Set of Skills • Group Mission or Identity • Standards of Behavior and Practice (Plaut, 2008) Most other professions do not require commitments and integrity; they are merely services which everyone can get without following ethics.
According to Sarringer, ‘often but not always a “professional” in business refers to having a designation which is regulated by a standard of behavior, ethics and practice which those in the field are obliged to adhere to. A professional does not make his/her feelings and the external circumstances the deciding factor for how to act, this is why the ‘doctor’ is a profession since it’s a career governed by these ethical considerations (Sarringer, 2008*). Hierarchy of needs and the doctor The doctor has a social responsibility.
Social needs especially in healthcare force him to be committed to serving people and adhering to the ethical requirements set as stand alone principals in the profession. The needs of patients are dire and sensitive. The successful correction of an illness, a physical condition or any ailment determines the reputation and ranking of the practitioner. C F Donavan argues that, due to the nature of the profession, a doctor has to be clinically competent to deliver and practice. This means the doctor knows the fundamentals of practice, level of his abilities and responsibilities.
The needs of patients need to be addressed urgently; as such the doctor should have the level of competence that has the most up-to-date remedies about improving healthcare and raising standards of healthcare more effectively (Donavan, 1977). Administering treatment and prescribing medicine however detaches the doctor from the patient. The patient administers the drugs as per the prescription, thought the doctor, should go a step further and observe if the patient followed the prescription. As such, conclusively, the doctor is laden with a very profound social responsibility.
Basic requirements for a doctor Each profession has its tools of trade. A doctor requires a set of tools to successfully practice. The most pivotal requirement is a facility to offer the service. A facility means a hospital where in the doctor will be able to consult and treat the patients. He also needs basic requirements like a pharmacy where his prescriptions, tools like needles, scalpels and other implements will come from. According to empirical research on the requirements of a successful doctor venture, one has to have a bachelor’s degree.
Subsequently, if not a private practice, the doctor goes into residency in an institution where he serves as a resident doctor. Conclusion The ‘doctor’ is a very rewarding career, with a resident making over $135,000 an year, the responsibilities are huge but they are all very vital in maintaining and improving social healthcare. The doctor as a practitioner should as such maintains discipline; adhere to ethical considerations and standards. He should have self understanding, commitment and a mission to serve and improve the lives of people through medicine.
Sources
Donavan, C F (1977). A doctor’s responsibility to his patients. PubMed Central, 70, Retrieved 22/9/2008, from http://www. pubmedcentral. nih. gov/pagerender. fcgi? artid=1542920&pageindex=2#page Plaut, Michael (2008). What does it mean to be a member of a profession?. Retrieved September 22, 2008, from University of Maryland School of Medicine Web site: http://74. 125. 45. 104/search? q=cache:qoNXZqDe0L4J:medschool. umaryland. edu/Professionalism/professionalism_dmrt. pdf+what+is+a+profession%3F&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=ke