Activities	Physicians and surgeons diagnose illnesses and prescribe and administer treatment for people suffering from injury or disease. Physicians examine patients, obtain medical histories, and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests. They counsel patients on diet, hygiene, and preventive healthcare.
Outlook	Faster-than-average-job growth
Median Income	$166,400+ in 2010
Work Context & Conditions	Many physicians and surgeons work long, irregular hours. Physicians and surgeons travel between office and hospital to care for their patients. While on call, a physician will deal with many patients' concerns over the phone and make emergency visits to hospitals or nursing homes.
Minimum Education Requirements	M.D.
Skills	Monitoring, Management of Personnel Resources, Critical Thinking, Operation and Control, Active Listening, Writing, Service Orientation, Equipment Selection, Time Management, Systems Evaluation, Active Learning, Judgment and Decision Making, Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Science, Systems Analysis
Abilities	Oral Expression, Finger Dexterity, Memorization, Control Precision, Visualization, Category Flexibility, Manual Dexterity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Deductive Reasoning

Job Category		Healthcare Practitioners & Technical
Job Description		According to the American College of Cardiology, "A cardiologist is a doctor with special training and skill in finding, treating and preventing diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Whether the cardiologist sees you in the office or in the hospital, he or she will review your medical history and perform a physical examination which may include checking your blood pressure, weight, heart, lungs, and blood vessels.  Some problems may be diagnosed by your symptoms and the doctor’s findings when you are examined.  You may need additional tests such as an ECG, x-ray, or blood test. Other problems will require more specialized testing.  Your cardiologist may recommend lifestyle changes or medicine.  Each patient’s case is unique. If your general medical doctor feels that you might have a significant heart or related condition, he or she will often call on a cardiologist for help. Symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pains, or dizzy spells often require special testing.  Sometimes heart murmurs or ECG changes need the evaluation of a cardiologist.  Cardiologists help victims of heart disease return to a full and useful life and also counsel patients about the risks and prevention of heart disease.  Most importantly, cardiologists are involved in the treatment of heart attacks, heart failure, and serious heart rhythm disturbances.  Their skills and training are required whenever decisions are made about procedures such as cardiac catheterization, balloon angioplasty, or heart surgery. Many cardiologists are specially trained in this technique, but others specialize in office diagnosis, the performance and interpretation of echocardiograms, ECGs, and exercise tests. Still others have special skill in cholesterol management or cardiac rehabilitation and fitness.  All cardiologists know how and when these tests are needed and how to manage cardiac emergencies. A cardiologist usually serves as a consultant to other doctors.  Your physician may recommend a cardiologist or you may choose one yourself.  As your cardiac care proceeds, your cardiologist will guide your care and plan tests and treatment with the doctors and nurses who are looking after you." Physicians and surgeons diagnose illnesses and prescribe and administer treatment for people suffering from injury or disease. Physicians examine patients, obtain medical histories, and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests. They counsel patients on diet, hygiene, and preventive healthcare. Physicians work in one or more of several specialties, including, but not limited to, anesthesiology, family and general medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and surgery.
Working Conditions		Cardiologists may work in single or group private practices.  Many cardiologists with special teaching interests work in universities where their duties also include research and patient care.  There are cardiologists on staff in the Veterans Administration hospitals and in the Armed Forces. Surgeons and anesthesiologists typically work in well-lighted, sterile environments while performing surgery and often stand for long periods. Most work in hospitals or in surgical outpatient centers. Many physicians and surgeons work long, irregular hours. Almost one-third of physicians worked 50 hours or more a week in 2008. Physicians and surgeons must travel frequently between office and hospital to care for their patients. Those who are on call deal with many patients’ concerns over the phone and may make emergency visits to hospitals or nursing homes.
Salary Range		In 2010, general surgeons with over one year in their specialty earned $166,400+. This amount reflects the amount reported as direct compensation for tax purposes, plus all voluntary salary reductions. Salary, bonus and/or incentive payments, research stipends, honoraria, and distribution of profits were included in total compensation. Self-employed physicians—those who own or are part owners of their medical practice—generally have higher median incomes than salaried physicians. Earnings vary according to number of years in practice, geographic region, hours worked, and skill, personality, and professional reputation. Self-employed physicians and surgeons must provide for their own health insurance and retirement.

Education Required		Cardiologists receive extensive education, including four years of medical school and three years of training in general internal medicine.  After this, a cardiologist spends three or more years in specialized training.  That’s ten or more years of training! In order to become certified, doctors who have completed a minimum of ten years of clinical and educational preparation must pass a rigorous two-day exam given by the American Board of Internal Medicine.  This exam tests not only their knowledge and judgment, but also their ability to provide superior care," according to the American College of Cardiology. It takes many years of education and training to become a physician -- 4 years of undergraduate school, 4 years of medical school, and 3 to 8 years of internship and residency, depending on the specialty selected. A few medical schools offer a combined undergraduate and medical school program that lasts 6 years instead of the customary 8 years. The minimum educational requirement for entry into a medical school is 3 years of college; most applicants, however, have at least a bachelor's degree, and many have advanced degrees. Students spend most of the first 2 years of medical school in laboratories and classrooms. During the last 2 years, students work with patients under the supervision of experienced physicians in hospitals and clinics to learn acute, chronic, preventive, and rehabilitative care. Through rotations in internal medicine, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery, they gain experience in the diagnosis and treatment of illness. Following medical school, almost all M.D.s enter a residency -- graduate medical education in a specialty that takes the form of paid on-the-job training, usually in a hospital. Prospective physicians must be willing to study throughout their career to keep up with medical advances. They also will need to be flexible to respond to the changing demands of a rapidly evolving health care environment.
Recommended High School Courses		Biology, Chemistry
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Administration and Management, Chemistry, Biology, Medicine and Dentistry
Certification and Licensing		All states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories license physicians. To be licensed, physicians must graduate from an accredited medical school, pass a licensing examination, and complete 1 to 7 years of graduate medical education. Although physicians licensed in one state can usually get a license to practice in another without further examination, some states limit reciprocity. Graduates of foreign medical schools usually can qualify for licensure after passing an examination and completing a U.S. residency. M.D.s and D.O.s (Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine) seeking board certification in a specialty may spend up to 7 years -- depending on the specialty -- in residency training. A final examination immediately after residency, or after 1 or 2 years of practice, also is necessary for board certification by the American Board of Medical Specialists or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). There are 24 specialty boards, ranging from allergy and immunology to urology. For certification in a subspecialty, physicians usually need another 1 to 2 years of residency

Interest Area		Investigative Involves working with ideas and requires an extensive amount of thinking.
Work Values		Social Status Looked up to by others in their company and their community. Achievement Get a feeling of accomplishment. Variety Do something different every day. Social Service Do things for other people. Security Have steady employment. Ability Utilization Make use of individual abilities. Co-workers Have co-workers who are easy to get along with. Activity Busy all the time. Autonomy Plan work with little supervision. Recognition Receive recognition for the work you do. Authority Give directions and instructions to others. Compensation Get paid well in comparison with other workers. Responsibility Make decisions on your own.
Skills		Monitoring Assess how well someone is doing when learning or doing something. Management of Personnel Resources Motivate, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job Critical Thinking Use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Operation and Control Control operations of equipment or systems. Active Listening Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. Writing Communicate effectively with others in writing as indicated by the needs of the audience. Service Orientation Actively look for ways to help people. Equipment Selection Determine the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job. Time Management Manage one's own time and the time of others. Systems Evaluation Look at many indicators of system performance, taking into account their accuracy. Active Learning Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. Judgment and Decision Making Be able to weigh the relative costs and benefits of a potential action. Coordination Adjust actions in relation to others' actions. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information. Science Use scientific methods to solve problems. Systems Analysis Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Abilities		Oral Expression Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. Finger Dexterity Able to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. Memorization Remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures. Control Precision Able to quickly and repeatedly make precise adjustments in moving the controls of a machine or vehicle. Visualization Able to imagine how something will look after it's moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. Category Flexibility Generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. Manual Dexterity Able to make quick, coordinated movements of one or two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. Arm-Hand Steadiness Able to keep the hand and arm steady while making an arm movement or while holding the arm and hand in one position. Deductive Reasoning Able to apply general rules to specific problems to come up with logical answers, including deciding whether an answer makes sense.

Related Jobs		Veterinarian, Optometrist, Physician Assistant, Dentist, Chiropractor
Job Outlook		Employment of physicians and surgeons is projected to grow 22 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations. Job growth will occur because of continued expansion of healthcare-related industries. The growing and aging population will drive overall growth in the demand for physician services, as consumers continue to demand high levels of care using the latest technologies, diagnostic tests, and therapies. Many medical schools are increasing their enrollments based on perceived new demand for physicians. Demand for physicians’ services is highly sensitive to changes in consumer preferences, health care reimbursement policies, and legislation. For example, if changes to health coverage result in consumers facing higher out-of-pocket costs, they may demand fewer physician services. Opportunities for individuals interested in becoming physicians and surgeons are expected to be very good. Reports of shortages in some specialties or geographic areas should attract new entrants, encouraging schools to expand programs and hospitals to expand available residency slots. However, because physician training is so lengthy, employment change happens gradually. In the short term, to meet increased demand, experienced physicians may work longer hours, delay retirement, or take measures to increase productivity, such as using more support staff to provide services. Opportunities should be particularly good in rural and low-income areas, because some physicians find these areas unattractive due to lower earnings potential, isolation from medical colleagues, or other reasons. Unlike their predecessors, newly trained physicians face radically different choices of where and how to practice. New physicians are much less likely to enter solo practice and more likely to take salaried jobs in group medical practices, clinics, and health networks. Physicians and surgeons held about 661,400 jobs in 2008; approximately 1 out of 7 was self-employed and not incorporated. About 50 percent of salaried physicians and surgeons were in office of physicians, and 16 percent were employed by private hospitals. Others practiced in Federal, State, and local government; educational services; and outpatient care centers. A growing number of physicians are partners or salaried employees of group practices. Organized as clinics or as associations of physicians, medical groups can afford expensive medical equipment and realize other business advantages. The New England and Middle Atlantic States have the highest ratio of physicians to population; the South Central States have the lowest. D.O.s are more likely than M.D.s to practice in small cities and towns and in rural areas. M.D.s tend to locate in urban areas, close to hospital and education centers.
More Information		American College of Surgeons, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, American Medical Association
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, `Physicians and Surgeons, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos074.htm. O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/29-1069.00 American College of Cardiology, http://www.cardiosmart.org/, What is a Cardiologist?, http://www.cardiosmart.org/CardioSmart/Default.aspx?id=192