Health Careers
Physician
Professional Activities
The physician’s role involves final responsibility for the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of ill people. This is done directly or in collaboration with other physicians and health care providers.
The Physician’s tasks include conducting a physical examination of the patient, interviewing the patient and others for an accurate personal health history, performing and ordering diagnostic tests such as lab work and x-rays, prescribing medications and treatments, and referring patients to specialists for further evaluation and treatment. Besides providing direct patient care, a physician’s career involves other interesting options such as health systems planning, administration, research, and education.
Physicians may choose to specialize in a field. Examples of specialties include: Pediatrics (care of children), Cardiology (heart disease), Neurology (care of brain, nerves and spinal cord and related diseases), Internal Medicine (non-surgical disease), Surgery, ENT (Ears, Nose, Throat specialist), Ophthalmology (eye disease), and Family Practice (specializing in patients of all ages).
Physicians in Alaska work in communities of all sizes, and in facilities that vary in levels of sophistication.
Educational Requirements
Physician training typically involves at least 11 years of education beyond high school.
- Graduation from high school with coursework in math and science.
- Graduation from a four-year college with high grades and a “pre-med” background. In the past, most medical students were biology or chemistry majors but today other degrees are acceptable as long as good grades are earned and medical school science requirements are met.
- Graduation from a four-year medical school awarding either a Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) or a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree.
- Completion of another three to six years of residency is common and expected in today’s complex medical world.
- Further specialization through additional residencies or fellowships is a common option.
Academic Programs
WWAMI, is Alaska’s medical school. Beginning with the entering class of 2007, twenty Alaska residents are being admitted to the program each year. First-year classes for Alaska’s WWAMI students are held at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Second-year students from all five collaborating states (WY, WA, AK, MT and ID) attend classes at the University of Washington in Seattle. The 4-week to 6-week blocks of clinical experiences, called clerkships, that occupy the 3rd and 4th years can be taken in any of the five states, and an Alaska Track allows most of these to be completed in Alaska. Thus, Alaskans can complete 3 of the 4 years of medical school in Alaska through WWAMI.
WWAMI is a collaborative medical school administered at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. WWAMI is the #1 ranked medical school in the US for Primary Care (15 years), Rural Medicine (17 years) and Family Medicine (17 years), (US New & World Report).
WWAMI Biomedical Program
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99508-8100
Phone: (907) 786-4789
Fax: (907) 786-4700
Email:
Web site: http://biomed.uaa.alaska.edu/
Undergraduate Premed Activities: Undergraduate premed coursework can be complete at UAA, UAF or any major undergraduate university. Premed advising at UAA is provided by the WWAMI Biomedical Program:
Dr. Quentin Reuer
Pre-Health Professions Advisor
Engineering Building Room 307
UAA Biomedical Program/WWAMI
3211 Providence Drive
Anchorage, AK 99508
(907) 786-1747
Email:
Web site: http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/ours/hpa/index.cfm
High School Activities through WWAMI at UAA: A summer enrichment program for high school students interested in health careers is offered through WWAMI at UAA. Della Keats / U-DOC / NIDDK is a 6 week summer enrichment program conducted in partnership with the Anchorage Imaginarium. Participants learn about health careers, shadow health practitioners and/or participate in ongoing biomedical research projects as they learn to live and study on a college campus. For more information, go to the following web site: http://biomed.uaa.alaska.edu/UDOC.htm
Contacts
State Contact:
Alaska State Medical Association
4107 Laurel Street
Anchorage, AK 99508
Contact: Jim Jordan, Executive Director
Phone: (907) 562-0304
Fax: (907) 561-2063
Email:
Web site: http://www.aksma.org/
National Contact:
American Medical Association
515 N. State St.
Chicago, IL 60610
Phone: (800) 621-8335
Web site: http://www.ama-assn.org
Associate of American Medical Colleges
2450 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037-1126
Phone: (202) 828-0400
Fax: (202) 828-1126
Web site: http://www.aamc.org
This page was last updated by Janice Troyer on June 13, 2008
