So you want be a doctor?  Well, to get started you need to accomplish two things:

1.     Figure out what kind of doctor you want to be- That is, figure out what kind of work you want to do within the field of medicine.  This might not be the typical, white lab coat-wearing physician commonly associated with a job in medicine. 

2.     Design an education path that matches your interests- Entering into a medical career means first going through a substantial education process.  This process differs in length and intensity depending on your career interests.  Not everybody majors in the sciences and goes straight to medical school right after college.  In fact, taking an alternative path may prove advantageous in helping you stand out.

Accomplishing these two tasks is time-consuming and calls for a lot of research.  This website is designed to help make this process easier.  This website will assist with the first task by offering short descriptions of different careers in medicine, their advantages and disadvantages, and how these careers are changing.  All descriptions will be connected to other media resources to offer recent news and more in-depth breakdowns of the topics discussed.  For the second task, resources like class requirements, extracurricular options, and alternative paths to medicine will be provided.  While these two tasks will remain the same, the actual content that is considered in accomplishing them will change in the future.    

Task 1: Figuring out what kind of doctor you want to be.

            Medicine is a large career field, constantly changing.  An understanding of what direction medicine is changing towards is an important part of accomplishing this first task.  There are three points of interest that will create significant change to medicine in the near future and play an important role in the information the website provides: our nation’s system of healthcare, mapping of the human genome, and stem cells. 

             A strong call for reform of our nation’s healthcare system was apparent throughout the 2008 presidential election.  The United States government estimates the nation will spend $2.5 trillion on healthcare in 2009.  Without any change in federal law, healthcare will account for more than 20 percent of the nation's entire economic output in 2018, up from 17.6 percent in 2009. (1)  With these rising costs amongst a tough economic climate, there will be a continued push for reduction of healthcare costs.  This system will call for physicians who understand how to reduce the costs of medical treatment.  One method physicians will adopt is better use of computer technology in treatments.  This includes keeping patient records on computers and incorporating them with a computer system to ensure proper treatment is administered.  Another way to reduce healthcare costs involves using the Internet to promote preventative care measures using websites.  Medical information that used to be exclusive to doctors is already available to the common public through websites like WebMD.com.  In the future people will grow more comfortable with using the internet to get medical advice.  Physicians concerned with increasing public health will have to take advantage of this medium of communication to ensure accurate advice is given.  This means computer science-based careers will become a more viable option within the medical field in the future.  This also means the role of physicians will require new skill sets like computer science skills to keep themselves a valuable resource.    

            The completion of the Human Genome project in 2003 marked a new age for biotechnology and medicine.  The project identified all the genes in human DNA, a major step towards understanding the role genes play in human health.  It is now possible that in the near future a person’s DNA sequence will be scanned for potential diseases and preventive measures can be given accordingly.  A field known as pharmacogenomics has emerged to put this treatment method into action.  Pharmacogenomics involves tailor-designing drug therapy and treatment strategies based on the genetic profile of a patient.  This will play a crucial role in the drug industry and offer new opportunities those interested in medicine will have to consider.

            Stem cell research will expand to develop a field specializing in regenerative medicine.  Stem cells are immature cells that can grow to produce different types of cells.  Ideally, if a person loses brain cells after a stroke, stem cells could then be inserted and replace the lost brain cells, restoring brain function.  On 9 March 2009 President Obama issued an executive order lifting the prior limits on stem-cell research supported by former President Bush (2).  This move signifies an opportunity for new government funding to enter the field of stem-cell research, which will offer new career opportunities in regenerative medicine. 

            The completion of the Human Genome project in 2003 marked a new age for biotechnology and medicine.  The project identified all the genes in human DNA, a major step towards understanding the role genes play in human health.  It is now possible that in the near future a person’s DNA sequence will be scanned for potential diseases and preventive measures can be given accordingly.  A field known as pharmacogenomics has emerged to put this treatment method into action.  Pharmacogenomics involves tailor-designing drug therapy and treatment strategies based on the genetic profile of a patient.  This will play a crucial role in the drug industry and offer new opportunities those interested in medicine will have to consider.

            Stem cell research will expand to develop a field specializing in regenerative medicine.  Stem cells are immature cells that can grow to produce different types of cells.  Ideally, if a person loses brain cells after a stroke, stem cells could then be inserted and replace the lost brain cells, restoring brain function.  On 9 March 2009 President Obama issued an executive order lifting the prior limits on stem-cell research supported by former President Bush (2).  This move signifies an opportunity for new government funding to enter the field of stem-cell research, which will offer new career opportunities in regenerative medicine. 

Task 2: Designing an education path that matches your interests.

            This website will offer a list of all the basic classes most medical schools require, but these requirements do not set the proper premedical education path.  This website’s approach to task 2 will mostly change the extracurricular opportunities it offers in the future.  Since the medical field is always changing, and education is used to prepare for the medical field, the education path must also change in accordance.  The application process for medical school is also going to keep growing more competitive as more students apply in the future.  This means extracurricular activities like research opportunities will also grow in importance, shaping the education path.  As medicine begins to integrate more computer technology and Internet-use, more opportunities for computer science related experiences to fit within education paths will be encouraged.