I Want to Become a Doctor

Grace | future oncologist

When I grow up, I would like to be a cancer doctor. I chose this because I want to help people with this terrible disease. Doctors who treat cancer are called oncologists. I learned about cancer two years ago when my Grandpa developed cancer. After a surgery, he felt better. Last summer his doctor told him he now has colon cancer. He was in the hospital for a long period of time and had another surgery. Thankfully, he is feeling better now.

It takes at least 11 years to become a doctor. First you go to college for four years and then you go to medical school for four more years . When you complete all the classes, the college will send you to a hospital for training. If you want to be a specialist like I do, the training lasts longer. When you are working in the hospital, you are called a "resident." Residents work with a doctor and learn by helping him perform his job. You have to pass some very hard tests to become a doctor and it takes a long time. Right now, I need to study science, math, and English and work on maintaining very good grades because these are the main courses required for medical school. I am currently taking Spanish because doctors must talk to many different people and know how to ask the right questions.

There will be many opportunities for this job in the future. The need for doctors is expected to increase by 24% over the next ten years. Texas currently needs over 37,000 doctors. Specialists, like doctors who treat cancer, are in greater demand. I learned about becoming a doctor from the internet and from talking to my sister who is a nurse.