Aspire to be a Doctor

Audience: 

            There is a lot of prestige and high esteem for the position of doctor—and rightfully so. Numerous years of life and youth are sacrificed to study in order to save the lives of others. Since people recognize the experience required to become a doctor, a doctor immediately holds some innate credibility and rhetorical potential. People who realize that this profession requires a lot of time to gain the title are more prone to accepting what a doctor says because they believe that the doctor knows more than them. Not only does their appearance and title cause an instant persuasion through ethos, but certain doctors also use logos through their attitude and way with words. In addition, a doctor often uses straight facts to convey a sense of intelligence. They recognize the side effects that may occur during certain treatments, but try to persuade that the good effects are worth the risk by comparing what negative effects might take place otherwise. 

            Oftentimes, the average student who wishes to become a doctor enrolls in biology and chemistry classes. When taking these classes, there are often issues with communication that are not explained in the class. Since prospective doctors are often interns for a long period, during their internship, it is necessary to learn how to write resumes, or else never find a position. While fledgling doctors are interning, they practice how to communicate with patients and learn from their superiors in the field. 

Context:

            As it was mentioned above, a doctor commands an extremely high level of respect and prestige. However, those rightfully deserved merits of being a doctor are the result of years and years of hard work. Students desiring to go into the medical field must devote a sizable chunk of their life to studying in college and in medical school, in addition to years after graduation as an intern learning the ropes. This huge sacrifice on the part of the doctor-to-be may seem insurmountable at first; however, sacrificing a portion of your life to save the lives of countless others is worth the cost. A life of dedicated service towards the advancement and benefit of the human race is a noble pursuit, to say the least.

            This brings me to my next point, which is that due to the nature of the profession, there are a few things that one needs to master in addition to just knowledge of medicine. It may not seem like it, but mastery of communication and an expansive knowledge of history are crucial to being a successful doctor. Drawing upon the genius of past doctors coupled with the ability to communicate with the patients—and their acquaintances—will be a recipe for success in helping your current patients but also for making breakthroughs to benefit future patients. Studying the necessary history and communication skills required to be a great doctor will benefit lives for generations upon generations.

Rhetoric:

            There are many principles and factors of communication that will help a doctor be more effective at what he or she does, but one of the more important points is the power of persuasion. When consulting patients, the white coat and stethoscope can be enough to convince many that their medication will benefit them. What's even more important, however, is that the doctor's ability to explain complicated concepts so that even those who haven't studied medicine can understand how their treatment will affect them. The doctor has the ability to save a life, but if the doctor and the patient aren't on the same page, that ability goes to waste. The doctor must possess the skills necessary to not only give the right prescription, but also to convince the patient that their prescription will help them in the intended way. The ability to convey all of that medical knowledge into terms that will help the patient to cooperate with the doctor is a necessary skill indeed.

History:

            The other important area of study is that of history. Especially in the field of medicine, knowledge of things that have passed is essential for success. Knowledge of past medical treatments and those who suffered from illness before will vastly improve a doctor's ability to perform pre-emptive care. Pre-emptive care comes in the form of curing an illness through recognition of symptoms and knowledge of a wide variety of medical remedies before the patient's life is at risk. Through knowledge of past illnesses and their cures, many patient's lives will be saved without them even needing extensive medical attention or a trip to the emergency room. Taking past experience and using it as a basis for the present often speeds up the process, in addition to preventing issues from escalating out of control (should the timing still allow).

Plan:

            This assignment has really helped me organize my thoughts and realize what's important when connecting the field of medicine to the importance of communication and history. I feel like I will need to do some extensive research in order to find evidence to support the relationship between these topics, but this is a good framework to build upon. In regards to the history of medicine, I feel that looking up specific examples of how that history has benefitted the present will be a powerful way to convey the importance of this concept.

            Furthermore, evidence or stories supporting the importance of communication in the medical field will be useful, but I feel like there is something on a more basic level that I can work on before I find those pieces of evidence. As I briefly mentioned in the Rhetoric section on this assignment, the ability for a doctor to convey complicated concepts in a simple way will be very applicable to this paper as well. I will need to convey my points in a simple and powerful way that will allow the evidence presented to the audience to actually make sense and help prove the points that I'll bring up in the paper. Convincing statements alongside solid evidence will be necessary to make a good paper, but I will have to research more things myself first. In addition to the studying on my part, I will really need to put an emphasis on just how relevant history and communication are to the success of a doctor. For those who are wishing to go into the medical field, I will need to create a paper that will help them develop useful skills that will in turn help their future patients.