If you want to pursue the career of a doctor, you should prepare yourself for a lot of years studying. There are also several different specialist fields you can enter into, so you should also think about some of the choices you have in front of you, and which area of speciality you would like to pursue.
Some of the specialist areas include studying to be a paediatrician, urologist, cardiologist, dermatologist among others.
General practitioners work mostly full time, and their workspace is either a private office or an area in a clinic/hospital.
Those who work from a hospital typically end up working irregular or along hours. Including weekends, nights, and short notice when emergencies happen. Doctors also work alongside other healthcare professionals, like nurses, EMT’s and physical therapists.
Doctor Salary
The next thing people always ask is, how much do doctors make. This question cannot be answered with a single number, we need to look at some of the variables that affect this. Experience, specialty, industry, and geographic location all make an impact on salary.
According to official government’s data the median annual wage of a doctor is approx. .
Some of the states with the highest salaries include Minnesota, South Dakota, New Hampshire and Montana.
Top Paying States for Doctors
| Flag | State | Employment per 1000 Jobs | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Minnesota | 1.438 | $113.05 | $235,150 |
 | South Dakota | 2.518 | $110.04 | $232,530 |
 | New Hampshire | 2.88 | $111.32 | $231,550 |
 | Montana | 0.815 | $111.79 | $228,880 |
 | Wyoming | 1.189 | $108.80 | $226,310 |
Top Paying Industries
| Industry | Percent of industry employment | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offices of Dentists | 0.02 | $115.89 | $241,060 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 0.02 | $111.91 | $232,770 |
| Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories | 2.03 | $111.07 | $231,040 |
| Offices of Physicians | 5.74 | $107.49 | $223,580 |
| Computer System Services | – | $105.39 | $219,200 |
Doctor Job Description
So, what do doctors do? Their duties include diagnosing health problems, and then treating the injuries or illnesses.
When patients arrive at a hospital or a private office, the first thing that the doctor has to do is to find the cause of their health problem. In order to do so, the doctor has to physically examine them, run medical tests, and review their medical history.
After the diagnosis, the doctor then has to apply the most appropriate treatment in order to help the patient manage or recover from their health problem.
The treatment can come in different forms. Depending on the nature of the injury/illness it can be a drug prescription, a surgical operation and/or a reference to another healthcare specialist.
But a doctor’s care of a patient doesn’t stop there. They track the progress of the patient as they recover or deal with the health problem. Responding to a given treatment, and if needed making changes to it.
Doctor’s also have a counselling role. They inform patients of any lifestyle changes they need to make after a procedure. Furthermore they give general health advice in order to improve the quality of the patient’s life.
Another part of a doctor’s routine duties is dealing with emergency situations as they arise. When an ambulance arrives with a patient in a critical condition, the doctor has to coordinate a team of healthcare professionals to attend to the patient. This has to be done in a quick and effective way in order to save the patient’s life. They might also need to apply CPR or an adrenaline injection if the situation calls for it.
Doctor Job Outlook
The continuously aging population, and the growth of the healthcare industry has created a positive outlook for this profession. These factors will increase the demand of high quality healthcare services across the US, creating plenty of job openings.
The growth of 14% between 2016 and 2026 is projected, which is way above the average of .
As new technologies develop they will allow doctors to handle more patients in less time. Another growth slowing factor is the attempt of the healthcare facilities to decrease their costs. A way of doing this is by assigning some of the routine duties of a doctor, delegating them to less expensive healthcare professionals like nurses.
These factors are expected to reduce the growth rate, but will certainly remain far from entering negative figures.
Doctor Salary by State
| Flag | State | Employment per 1000 Jobs | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Alabama | 2.289 | $104.01 | $216,330 |
 | Alaska | 0.85 | $80.70 | $167,850 |
 | Arizona | 1.641 | $97.63 | $203,080 |
 | Arkansas | 2.26 | $81.75 | $170,040 |
 | California | 1.499 | $90.66 | $188,560 |
 | Colorado | 1.029 | $104.33 | $217,000 |
 | Connecticut | 2.42 | $86.56 | $180,050 |
 | Delaware | 3.168 | $98.50 | $204,890 |
 | Florida | 1.772 | $98.80 | $205,510 |
 | Georgia | 2.988 | $99.60 | $207,160 |
 | Hawaii | 1.465 | $99.21 | $206,360 |
 | Idaho | 1.64 | $106.05 | $220,590 |
 | Illinois | 2.704 | $88.45 | $183,970 |
 | Indiana | 2.905 | $106.34 | $221,190 |
 | Iowa | 1.469 | $105.56 | $219,570 |
 | Kansas | 2.629 | $95.22 | $198,060 |
 | Kentucky | 1.913 | $79.02 | $164,360 |
 | Louisiana | 1.517 | $91.33 | $189,960 |
 | Maine | 3.758 | $101.38 | $210,870 |
 | Maryland | 4.324 | $84.59 | $175,940 |
 | Massachusetts | 2.979 | $73.94 | $153,800 |
 | Michigan | 2.828 | $87.52 | $182,030 |
| Minnesota | 1.438 | $113.05 | $235,150 |
 | Mississippi | 1.611 | $81.90 | $170,360 |
 | Missouri | 1.342 | $94.85 | $197,280 |
| Montana | 2.518 | $110.04 | $228,880 |
 | Nebraska | 1.892 | $75.34 | $156,710 |
 | Nevada | 1.105 | $99.27 | $206,480 |
| New Hampshire | 2.88 | $111.32 | $231,550 |
 | New Jersey | 3.477 | $90.03 | $187,250 |
 | New Mexico | 2.005 | $103.06 | $214,360 |
 | New York | 4.561 | $80.39 | $167,210 |
 | North Carolina | 2.534 | $83.80 | $174,310 |
 | North Dakota | 0.589 | $104.33 | $217,010 |
 | Ohio | 3.091 | $87.58 | $182,160 |
 | Oklahoma | 1.883 | $94.73 | $197,040 |
 | Oregon | 3.277 | $96.36 | $200,420 |
 | Pennsylvania | 2.653 | $91.34 | $189,990 |
 | Rhode Island | 5.387 | $75.76 | $157,580 |
 | South Carolina | 1.149 | $90.88 | $189,040 |
| South Dakota | 0.815 | $111.79 | $232,530 |
 | Tennessee | 2.156 | $108.13 | $224,900 |
 | Texas | 1.531 | $97.04 | $201,840 |
 | Utah | 1.252 | $100.69 | $209,430 |
 | Vermont | 1.18 | $87.58 | $182,160 |
 | Virginia | 1.885 | $96.92 | $201,600 |
 | Washington | 1.582 | $101.09 | $210,260 |
 | West Virginia | 3.712 | $90.52 | $188,270 |
 | Wisconsin | 1.511 | $101.83 | $211,810 |
| Wyoming | 1.189 | $108.80 | $226,310 |
