Dan Said:

medical career...? please help?

We Answered:

If your boyfriend has any interest in being something like the general doctor you'd go to for checkups and if you feel sick, etc, then being a Physician Assistant in some places might not be too bad. Their duties vary a lot from state to state, and also from city to rural areas. It seems like in bigger areas, Physician Assistants are a lot like nurses, or they just order medical equipment and stuff. But in small rural areas, or in city clinics, Physician Assistants are very close to being a regular doctor, because the actual doctor is only there a couple days per week. The main difference being that they have to always report back to the actual doctor (so they are always supervised) and some other stuff. Of course, to be more specific, here's a quote on their usual job duties: "Working as members of the health care team, they take medical histories, examine and treat patients, order and interpret laboratory tests and x rays, and make diagnoses. They also treat minor injuries, by suturing, splinting, and casting."

Physician Assistants usually take a Physician Assistant education program at a 4 year school, or there are specialized schools where it would take only 2 years, so your boyfriend would probably need to take another 2 years of school at this point.

If your boyfriend wants to be involved more in surgery, the only way to do it is to be a doctor (or a vet for animal surgery, but I've heard vet school is harder than med school to get into). If he only wants to be around surgery, he could perhaps become a Surgical Nurse, or a Nurse Anesthetist. I wouldn't recommend being a regular Anesthesiologist because they require 3 years of residency, which is what your boyfriend is torn on doing. I don't really know what those jobs entail, but these links should have plenty of information on them:
http://www.brighthub.com/science/medical…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurse_anest…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgical_nu… (this link explains job duties for surgical nurses in the UK and Australia, but it's the only one I could find)

I hope this helps! =)

Audrey Said:

medical career...? please read?

We Answered:

I'm re-starting my career as a nurse, not as ambitious as your boyfriend but it did require a lot of research. I found a link maintained by the US government about career definitions and pay scales that would really help with your question.

Physician assistants (PAs) practice medicine under the supervision of physicians and surgeons. They should not be confused with Medical assistants, who perform routine clinical and clerical tasks.

Let me know if you find this useful, please.

Jeffery Said:

Medicine and Technology?

We Answered:

sorry, it was bit hard to follow your query

do you mean what field of medicine would be suited for someone who like technology?
if so, i think this could apply to most but i would think surgery(especially transplant or orthopedics), radiology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology, hem/oncology, anesthesiology

if you want to pursue something outside the practice of medicine, like selling equipment or work in labs, that is also feasible..

try this site: http://www.medicineandtechnology.com/

its run by dr. joseph kim, who sets up the blog for nonclinical careers for docs
good luck to you!