k learning, with two years in the classroom and two in the clinical setting. Some of the usual courses are pathology, pharmacology, neuroanatomy, biochemistry, physiology, histology (the anatomy of tissues), and gross anatomy (cadaver class). Clinical study takes place at local hospitals or medical practices. Students are expected to offer diagnoses and suggest courses of treatment in real-life situations, although an MD/instructor makes the final decisions. In standard programs, students enter clinical clerkships in their third year and, in their fourth year, they can choose among various elective subspecialties. Students also spend the fourth year applying for internships. After four years, students sit for the USMLE (the medical boards), and those who pass receive their medical degrees. A three-year internship and residency are next, although many specialties require a longer training commitment. A medical education is never truly complete. New challenges and breakthroughs change the medical landscape at an alarming clip. Nevertheless, those initial years of med school have an enormous impact. One doctor we spoke to could name instructors who still influenced his work, more than thirty years after he earned his degree. Nursing is the clearest alternative to medical practice. Although the educational demands are less rigorous, the responsibilities are just as great. Nurse practitioners prescribe medicines and play a key role in patient care. There are also many opportunities for lab technicians. Others may also be interested in a career in pharmacology, biology, biochemistry, or biophysics. Not even the elimination of disease would eliminate society's need for specialists in the working of the human body. The first physician, Hippocrites, began with this motto: "First do no harm," a credo doctors still live by today (physicians are asked to take the "Hippocratic oath" which affirms this belief among others)...
