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When people have issues with their physical health, they will require attention and will be managed by healthcare professionals as part of a multidisciplinary team. In the majority of situations, they’re managed by doctors who will use medication, interventional procedures, and other therapies to help diagnose, treat, and manage underlying conditions.
Doctors are the most recognisable role in the healthcare sector, and the career path remains one of the most popular choices for aspiring healthcare professionals. It’s a competitive area that once completed will lead to a challenging but incredibly rewarding career that can save lives and provide care for those who desperately need it.
In the modern healthcare sector, doctors don’t just require an expert knowledge of health - as part of a wider multidisciplinary team consisting of nurses, therapists, pharmacists, and allied health professionals, doctors are expected to work in partnership and communicate with a wider team to function as a cohesive unit, leaning on each other’s expertise and skill set. It’s a role where communication, empathy, and respect are critical.
With years of training, experience and knowledge, the medical team seeks to solve complex problems. Whilst challenging, a career in medicine provides many positives, such as the rewarding nature of supporting patients and their families, working in a team, and learning through new experiences.
When people have issues with their physical health, they will require attention and will be managed by healthcare professionals as part of a multidisciplinary team. In the majority of situations, they’re managed by doctors who will use medication, interventional procedures, and other therapies to help diagnose, treat, and manage underlying conditions.
Doctors are the most recognisable role in the healthcare sector, and the career path remains one of the most popular choices for aspiring healthcare professionals. It’s a competitive area that once completed will lead to a challenging but incredibly rewarding career that can save lives and provide care for those who desperately need it.
In the modern healthcare sector, doctors don’t just require an expert knowledge of health - as part of a wider multidisciplinary team consisting of nurses, therapists, pharmacists, and allied health professionals, doctors are expected to work in partnership and communicate with a wider team to function as a cohesive unit, leaning on each other’s expertise and skill set. It’s a role where communication, empathy, and respect are critical.
With years of training, experience and knowledge, the medical team seeks to solve complex problems. Whilst challenging, a career in medicine provides many positives, such as the rewarding nature of supporting patients and their families, working in a team, and learning through new experiences.
Managing health needs can be complex - there are so many conditions, considerations, and possibilities, that it could be difficult for a doctor to know every single condition. That’s why there are a broad range of medical specialties, all of which have a purpose of focusing on a specific area of interest, such as an organ system. In fact, there are over 60 specialties to choose from! Medical specialities will likely impact the environment and type of patients that doctors see - let’s take a look at some of the most common specialties.
Surgeons will spend lots of time in theatre performing a variety of operations, but that’s not the only environment they’ll work in. Surgeons will also do ward rounds, attend outpatient clinics, and teach other doctors.
Dealing with patients of all ages and often seen as the ‘gate-keeper’ of healthcare services, GPs will have a broad knowledge of health conditions, and will be able to understand when patients require urgent admissions, and when they can manage more ‘minor’ illness.
This involves infants, children and adolescents all the way from birth until the age of 18. Paediatrics is a holistic speciality, meaning that doctors will consider all aspects of a child’s life and health when trying to minimise the effects of the disease - rather than just trying to treat the disease medically.
This includes providing therapies and drug treatment in order to help them improve and prolong their quality of life. They also conduct practical research into cancer, and provide counselling for patients and their families.
Working within A&E departments of hospitals, doctors could support with minor injuries that require immediate attention, or much more life threatening situations such as people who have been in road traffic accidents, substance abusers, or people with fractures.
This is what Foundation training doctors will receive, and with experience, specialisms, and leadership roles, this can rapidly increase to over £80,000 per year. Doctors working in different specialities may earn different salaries - GPs for instance may earn between £60,000 and £90,000 per year, with specialty doctors earning a basic salary of £50,000.
Depending on the specialty, doctors may work a variety of shifts, including nights or weekends. Doctors may spend time on-call, ready to assist when necessary. The European Working Time Directive is a scheme that ensures that doctors are supported with their rota, and that they don’t work for too long.
The NHS, private healthcare providers, and the General Medical Council are passionate about supporting individuals who want to make a difference in medicine. There are plenty of training opportunities and support to help take you far on your career journey.
Healthcare providers will help provide a healthy work/life balance, including part-time opportunities, flexibility, and childcare support. When you care for others, it’s important that the healthcare provider places value in you, meaning that you’re able to focus on providing the best quality care.
The medical team has a great deal of responsibility to manage in order to ensure that patients are assessed, diagnosed, and cared for in the best possible circumstances. Although patients may have different conditions that require different needs, there are a core set of responsibilities within medicine that defines doctors’ working lives. Let’s take a look.
When there’s something wrong with our health, we often look to doctors to help. We’ll discuss what’s wrong, or what we’ve noticed, and they’ll use their expertise and experience to assess our symptoms, and assess what the issue is.
Doctors are always on hand to assist patients by investigating the issues and symptoms they’re experiencing, and using their knowledge to diagnose conditions. This can be crucial for patients - they’re then able to work with healthcare professionals to understand their situation, and work towards recovery or management.
Medical professionals, working together as part of a team, are on hand to provide various types of treatment to patients who require assistance.
One of the most recognisable tasks that a doctor will do is prescribe medicine to patients who need it. Some conditions can only be assisted through the combined efforts of medication, and it’s up to doctors to understand when and where medicine may be important to use, and which medicine should be prescribed.
Some medical roles, such as GPs, will often examine patients who have a medical issue, and they may decide that a patient needs to be referred to a specialist for further examination or care.
Some medical roles - surgery in particular - will need to carry out particular treatments or procedures, to assist the patient as they progress through their recovery journey.
It’s important for the medical team to keep an eye on any observations they make, and keep regular and accurate records to ensure that all the relevant information on the patient is stored correctly.
The medical team are highly trained and knowledgeable - but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more to learn with new techniques. It’s important that the medical team remain connected to their colleagues and peers, and continually strive to be up-to-date with any new developments.
The medical team will work together and with other health and care professionals as part of a multidisciplinary team to provide the best care possible for their patients. By relying on different expertise and opinion, they can play a key role in a team that looks after the complete health needs of a patient, and ensures continuity in the care they receive.
Suffering from an injury or illness can be a difficult and frustrating time - one of the roles of the medical team is to keep patients educated and informed about the situation, and offer advice on how to improve or manage their health.
