Clinician
What's it like to be a Clinician?
A Clinician's primary responsibilities involve diagnosing, treating, and managing their patient's health conditions. They assess symptoms, conduct tests and exams, make diagnoses, and prescribe treatments to support their patient’s journey to recovery. While Clinicians can include a wide range of healthcare practitioners, such as physicians, doctors of medicine (MD), doctors of osteopathy (DO), dentists, nurses, physical therapists, and other licensed healthcare providers, their role is always to deliver quality medical care that ensures good well-being among their patients. With empathy and effective communication skills, Clinicians build trusting relationships with patients.
Tasks and duties
- Conducting patient assessments, including medical history reviews, physical examinations, and symptom evaluations.
- Ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests like laboratory tests, imaging studies or special procedures as necessary for accurate diagnosis.
- Diagnosing medical conditions and developing personalized treatment plans for each patient.
- Prescribing medications, administering treatments, and monitoring patients' progress.
- Providing patients with education and counseling on disease prevention, lifestyle modifications, and medication management.
- Collaborating with healthcare teams to coordinate patient care and ensure comprehensive treatment.
- Maintaining accurate and updated medical records and documentation.
How to become a Clinician
To work as a Clinician, there are different specializations you can pursue. You need to get a pre-medical bachelor degree before pursuing a specialization. You also need to obtain a license in your chosen area of expertise and undergo relevant mandated training.
Complete a bachelor degree. Acquire a four-year undergraduate pre-medical degree such as biology, chemistry, or medical technology to build your scientific foundation and prepare you for further medical education. You may also choose a bachelor degree in the specialization that you want to pursue.
Pursue graduate studies. In some roles, such as Doctors, Dentists, etc. you will be required to pursue further studies. Once you've earned your bachelor degree, enroll in medical school. These four-year programs typically combine classroom learning with clinical rotations for immersive learning experiences.
Obtain a license. After graduating from medical school, you must pass the licensure exam for your area of expertise. For information regarding schedule, requirements, and any important details, visit the PRC website .
Complete other mandated training programs. After passing the licensure examination, undergo the training program required in your specialization. These may be internships, residency programs, and others.
Pursue continuing medical education (CME). Stay informed of medical developments by attending CME programs, conferences, and engaging in research activities.
Skills and experience employers are looking for
