- How many years does it take in your country to become a doctor? How much does it cost?
- What personal qualities should a great doctor have?
- Tell us about a doctor you know personally (family member or friend). What kind of doctor are they? Do they enjoy being a doctor? Why?
- Tell us about either the best or worst experience you have ever had with a doctor.
- Doctors are paid well but they have long hours and have to study hard. Are you doctor? If so, are you glad you chose your profession and your specialization? If no, do you wish you had chosen to become a doctor when you were young? Why?
- Here are 10 types of doctor (you can look them up!); Surgeon, Psychiatrist, Oncologist, Radiologist, Anesthesiologist, GP (General Practitioner), Pediatrician, Neurologist, Emergency Physician, Pathologist. Which, if you had studied medicine, do you think you would have been either really good at or really bad at? Why?
Question 1
According to Google, it typically takes between nine and sixteen years to become a medical practitioner in Australia. This assumes full-time study and work, from starting medical school to completing specialist training. The total time taken is dependent on the choice of specialty. The tuition fees involved range between $57,000 and $72,000. This, of course, gets more expensive every year.Question 2
A doctor should have a good bedside manner. If they know everything there is to know about medicine but they can't treat their patients with kindness and understanding then they have no place being a doctor. Is that a bit controversial? Probably. I do think it is of the utmost importance, though.Question 3
I don't have any doctors in my family and I don't have any friends who are doctors. I have taught quite a few doctors in my time teaching in Japan. All of my doctor students, both past and present, seem to enjoy their chosen profession. The reasons vary – they enjoy helping people and they find it to be challenging work are two of the most common reasons I have heard.Question 4
I have seen a few doctors in my lifetime that didn't seem to see me as a person. They either talked to me like I was a child or treated me like an annoyance they wanted to get out of their office as quickly as possible. I understand that doctors are busy people and often under a lot of stress. Nobody, though, is too busy or too stressed to be nice.Question 5
I do not wish I had chosen to become a doctor when I was young. I don't think it is work that I am well-suited for. Sometimes I wish I had studied engineering instead of computer science. I think I would have made a pretty good engineer. That said, I am happy with the choices I have made and with my life in Japan.Question 6
Had I studied medicine, I might have made a half-decent Psychiatrist. I am patient and I'm a good listener. What little I know about mental illness is quite fascinating to me. I have to admit though, it is both interesting and frightening to me in equal measures.Tough Vocabulary
| - English - | - Japanese - |
|---|---|
| medical practitioner | 開業医 |
| tuition fees | 授業料 |
| bedside manner | ベッドサイドマナー |
| utmost | 最大限 |
| one's chosen profession | 自分の選んだ職業 |
| reasons vary | 理由は異なります |
| annoyance | 煩わしさ |
| be well-suited for | にふさわしい |
| half-decent | まともな |
| fascinating | 魅惑的 |
| in equal measures | 平等に |