Doctor

Doctor

A doctor is a professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining, or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of disease, injury, and other physical and mental impairments. Doctors may focus their practice on certain disease categories, types of patients, and methods of treatment—known as specialties.

Education and training[edit | edit source]

Becoming a doctor often involves a minimum of six years' study at a university. This is generally followed by a period of supervised practice or internship, and/or residency. This can be lengthened by obtaining an optional research degree in medicine: the Doctor of Medicine (MD).

Roles and responsibilities[edit | edit source]

Doctors, like other medical professionals, play a crucial role in society by serving as the main providers of medical care in a variety of settings. At the simplest level, their role involves diagnosing and treating patients who present with medical conditions. This can involve a wide range of activities, from interpreting test results to performing surgical procedures.

Types of doctors[edit | edit source]

There are several types of doctors, including:

General Practitioner (GP): This is a doctor who does not specialize in one particular area of medicine. GPs provide routine health care (e.g., physical examinations, immunizations) and assess and treat many different conditions, including illnesses and injuries.
Specialist: Specialists are doctors who have completed advanced education and clinical training in a specific area of medicine (their specialty area).

See also[edit | edit source]

Doctor Resources
Need Help Finding a Doctor? Need help finding a doctor or specialist anywhere in the world? Explore our world directory. WikiMD's DocFinder can assist you in locating millions of physicians.	Medical Knowledge Access the latest research - Most recent articles Ongoing trials.