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Medical Doctor / General Practitioner
Few relationships require as much emotional and physical imtimacy as the relationship between doctor and patient. Doctors are licensed practitioners of the science of medicine.

The duties of general medical practitioners include the examination and diagnosis of patients, the prescription of medicines, performing of minor operations and provision of different treatments for injuries, diseases and other ailments. Medical practitioners (doctors) are licensed practitioners of medicine.

General practitioners diagnose and treat diseases and injuries and perform an important function in looking after the well-being of the community. Thorough knowledge of diseases and their symptoms is required for diagnoses and treatment. Medical doctors first compile clinical histories of their patients before making diagnoses. They make use of several techniques and different apparatus in the examination of patients, for example blood pressure gauges, X-rays and stethoscopes, in order to form an image of the disease or injury.

It is important that all factors be taken into consideration by general practitioners before a diagnosis is made. Treatment can be medical, surgical and therapeutic. They may prescribe medication or refer the patient to a specialist, for further diagnosis and special treatment. General practitioners may perform small operations or assist surgeons with big operations.

Medical students can opt to specialize after or during their internship year and their choices include the following:

Clinical Medicine Physicians:

- Anaesthetist - anaesthetics during surgery
- Cardiologist - heart problems and surgery
- Dermatologist - skin problems
- Endocrinologist - glands and blood
- Gastroenterologist - stomach & intestine problems
- Geriatrician - elderly people
- Hepatologist - liver speciialist
- Internist - specialist physician
- Nephrologist - kidney specialist
- Neurologist - brain, spinal cord and nerve specialist
- Orthopaedic Surgeon - bones
- Orthodontist - dental surgeon - teeth and jaws
- Ophthalmologist - eye specialist
- Paediatrician - child specialist
- Psychiatrist - mental problems, with a medical base
- Pulmonologist- respiratory system
- Radiation Oncologist - radiation for cancer
- Rheumatologist - rheumatism specialist

Laboratory Medicine Physicians:

- Anatomical Pathologist
- General Pathologist
- Haematological Pathologist
- Medical Biochemist
- Medical Microbiologist
- Neuropathologist
- Pathologist - diagnose disease

Surgeons:

- Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgeon
- General Surgeon
- Gynaecologist
- Neurosurgeon
- Obstetrician
- Ophthalmologist
- Orthopedic Surgeon
- Otolaryngologist
- Plastic Surgeon
- Thoracic Surgeon
- Urologist

Satisfying Aspects
- good working conditions
- relatively high income
- prestige associated with the profession
- satisfaction of helping others get well

Demanding aspects
- long and expensive training
- having leisure plans upset by emergencies quite often
- being responsible for the life or death of others
- long working hours
- keeping abreast of new developments

Requirements
A medical doctor should:
- have a strong desire to serve the sick and injured;
- be sincere and have a pleasant personality;
- be emotionally stable;
- be able to make decisions in emergencies;
- have an aptitude for science and mathematics;
- be willing to study to keep up with medical advances;
- have the physical stamina to work long and irregular hours.

School Subjects
National Senior Certificate meeting degree requirements for a degree course

Each institution will have its own minimum entry requirements.

Compulsory Subjects: Mathematics, Physical Sciences
Recommended Subjects: Life Sciences

Note that competition to enter medical studies is stiff and there are usually many applicants with excellent marks who would naturally be given preference.

Training
Degree: The Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree is offered at Wits, UP, UKZN, UCT, UFS, UL, US.

- Theoretical training: 6 years.
- Student internship: 1 year.
- Community Service: 1 year

Students register with the Interim National Medical and Dental Council of SA as medical students and, on completion of their training, as medical doctors.

There are several fields of specialization, such as orthopaedics, gynaecology, paediatrics, etc. Usually medical doctors must already be in possession of a MBChB degree for 2 years and be registered as medical doctors for 1 year, before they can specialize. Further training in these specialized areas takes about 4 years after which an examination is written in order to qualify as a specialist.

Employer
- Training hospitals and universities
- Research laboratories
- Hospitals, clinics and nursing homes
- Government departments and municipalities
- Large industries and organisations
- Large resort hotels, ships and other places where large groups of people gather
- Self-employment, with enough experience and capital, can open private practice

Contact
Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA)
P O Box 205
Pretoria, 0001
Tel: (012) 338-9300
Fax: (012) 328-5120

www.hpcsa.co.za