A physician who has received either an MD (Medical Doctor) or DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) degree. Most include the MD or DO initials after their name.

Although it varies by specialty, Medical Doctors generally are required to:

	Attend 4 years of college, usually with an emphasis on biology, chemistry and math. They must earn a Bachelor's Degree, often with extremely high grades.
	Pass the comprehensive Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

	Attend 4 years of Medical School, focusing on anatomy, physiology, organic chemistry, disease pathology, genetics and other vital health sciences. The last two years of Medical School include clinical rotations, where they work with actual patients under the supervision of attending physicians.
	Pass Section I of the United States Medical Licensing Examination.
	Perform 1 year of medical internship at a teaching hospital. Here they will work long hours seeing a large number of patients with a variety of medical conditions, injuries and illnesses.
	Pass Section II of the United States Medical Licensing Examination.
	Be certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners.
	Perform 2 to 6 additional years of residency training, working directly with thousands of patients under the supervision of one or more attending physicians.
	Achieve certification by an official board in their chosen medical specialty.
	Be licensed to practice medicine by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

       Only after 11 - 15 years of intense medical education, training
and certification can you be allowed to practice as a fully licensed
Medical Doctor.