Licensure/Certification To practice in Florida, a graduate of an accredited medical school must pass an examination given by the National Board of Medical Examiners and complete one year of AMA approved postgraduate training. The American Board of Medical Specialists offers an examination for those seeking board certification in a specialty. Continuing education hours are required every two years for license renewal. Salary The average annual income in 2006 was approximately $158,589 for family practitioners, $173,931 for internists, $179,616 for OB/GYNs, and $150,712 for others. Educational Programs Doctor of Medicine Florida State University University of Florida University of Miami University of South Florida Professional Associations American Medical Association Florida Medical Association

Doctors of Medicine (MDs) are also known as allopathic physicians. They perform physical examinations and diagnose, prevent and treat illnesses, injuries, and other disorders of the human body. They also advise patients on how to improve their health habits.

Doctor of Medicine

Physicians may perform surgery and other highly technical procedures. They often supervise other patient care workers such as nurses, technicians, and assistants. Medical doctors need high intelligence, good business sense, good judgment, and must be able to deal with different types of people. Maturity, integrity, honesty, ability to work under pressure, a sense of service to others, and a sense of responsibility are important characteristics for physicians. Because medical knowledge and technology are constantly advancing, they must continue to study new developments throughout their careers.

Areas of Specialization
Physicians who are specialists tend to limit their practice to one particular area of the body, a particular disease, sex, or age group. There are approximately 35 major specialty fields with over 50 different subspecialty areas. Major specialty areas include anesthesiology, family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, pathology, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology, and surgery. Internal medicine specialists diagnose and treat problems of internal organs such as the liver, heart, and lungs. Family practitioners see patients of all ages and both sexes. They concentrate on primary care for the entire family. When a special need arises the internist or family physician may refer the patient to a doctor who specializes in that problem.

Work Environment
Many physicians work at least 60 hours per week on an irregular schedule and must be available for emergency illnesses. In addition to working in their offices, many physicians will make frequent trips to the hospital to care for their hospitalized patients and may remain on-call to respond to emergency situations. The majority of MDs who provide patient care have office practices either solo or with a group of other physicians. An increasing trend is for physicians to be employed by hospitals, public health departments, government agencies, or health maintenance organizations (HMOs). They may also be in academic settings as teachers and researchers.

Job Outlook
The combined total of family practitioners, internists, OB/GYNs, and other physicians and surgeons employed in Florida in 2006 was 26,560. It is projected that in 2014 there will be 32,247. This represents an annual growth rate of ~2.7, though the rate varies slightly among disciplines. These openings are due to advancements in medical technology which allow physicians to treat conditions that were previously regarded as untreatable. Also, the population continues to grow and age, and health care needs increase significantly with age.

Length of Training/Requirements
After high school, a student can expect to spend at least 11 or more years of education to become a medical doctor. Minimum requirement for entry to medical school is three years of college. Some schools offer a combined BS/MD degree (see academic advisor). Most applicants have at least a bachelor's degree; however, with prerequisite courses. Students must take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Once in medical school, students study the basic medical sciences such as anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, physiology, pharmacology, medical ethics, and law. They also learn how to communicate with patients, to take a history and perform a physical examination, and recognize symptoms of illness. After graduation from medical school, they continue on into graduate medical education (residency) for three years or more, depending on the specialty chosen.