Doctor

A doctor is a licensed medical practitioner who uses scientific knowledge to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness and injury. They provide preventive care, health counseling, and management of acute and chronic conditions.

Education: Becoming a doctor typically requires undergraduate study, medical school to earn an MD or DO, and residency training in a chosen specialty, often followed by board certification. Licensing exams and continuing medical education requirements vary by country.

Roles and specialties: Doctors work in hospitals, clinics, or private practice. They take medical histories, perform examinations, order and interpret tests, and develop treatment plans. They may prescribe medications, perform procedures, and coordinate care. Specialties include internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and many others, with an emphasis on prevention and health maintenance.

Ethics and practice: Medical ethics emphasize beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice. Informed consent, confidentiality, and patient-centered communication are central. The doctor-patient relationship is professional and confidential, with ongoing responsibility for patient welfare.

Etymology and history: The term doctor comes from Latin docere, meaning to teach. It originally referred to teachers in medieval universities and later to physicians as medical teachers and practitioners, with modern organized medical education developing in the 18th-19th centuries.

Other uses: In everyday language, doctor denotes physicians; in some countries it also refers to dentists or other licensed health professionals. This article focuses on physicians.