An esteemed member of the Medical Profession, Doctors work out of their offices in medical complexes in urban areas or, in sparsely-populated Colonies, travel from place to place as needed. Doctors can be found wherever people are; from the Government & Military, to private practice, research institutions, exploratory missions, etc.
Initial Training: Medicine 5, Chemistry 2, Biology 2, Bureaucracy 1, Computer 1, Interviewing 1, Psychology 1, Physics 1, Sensors 1, Writing 1.
Primary Skills: Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Medicine, Physics, Psychology, Interviewing, Writing, All Intellectual Skills, All Vehicle Skills
Related Skills: All Other Academic Skills, Melee, Imaging, Sensors, All General Skills, All Mercantile Skills.
Notes: MDs will have a Skill Level of Medicine 3, as well as Biology 1, Chemistry 1 and Psychology 0 upon leaving Medical School, whereupon they will conduct an Internship. It is not unusual to encounter Doctors with higher levels of skill, especially if they have been in practice for some time. Doctors from the Core will often have some skill in Robotics (and use Robotic Units in their practices) or even have been trained in Cortescan Operation (if sensitive), while Frontier Doctors will be more likely to have acquired Electronics and Mechanics (in order to keep their high-tech equipment running) and some Vehicle Skill (as in 20th-Century Alaska, many Frontier Doctors are required to fly to their patients). Doctors specializing in Veterinary Science or the treatment of Alien Sophonts will have a Biology Skill Level equal to their Medicine Skill Level. Veterinarians will generally not be trained in Psychology, increasing their Biology Skill Level by one.
Anthropology skill may be useful to Doctors in dealing with cultures other than their own (such as knowing that Moslems are scandalized by standard nursing uniforms, with their bare arms, short skirts, and lack of facial veils for unmarried women). Physics is useful for X-ray and radiation work, and both Imaging & Sensors may apply to MRIs or other scanning techniques. While Melee may seem to be a bit of an odd skill for a Doctor, it is not unusual to find Doctors who box, fence, or even practice some Martial Art to keep in shape. It also represents the Doctor's knowledge of "Black Medicine", or knowing just where to hit an opponent, when need be (In terms of game balance, it also keeps Doctors from being total wimps)! Mercantile Skills represent general Business knowledge such as getting drugs and medical supplies on the best terms.
Benefits: As an Academic Career, Doctors get one language for free, and this will be Latin. Also, as members of Government/Civilian Careers, they will also receive French. Other languages required for their practices may be learned via the Academic Linguistics skill, as usual. Military Doctors will not receive French, and use the Benefits Table for the branch of service that they entered, instead of the one for Doctors. See the Benefits Table.
Also, since Medical school will take a minimum of four years to complete, Doctors rolling less than that for their first term should roll to pass the next turning point. If unsuccesful, they will have to subtract the difference from some skill(s). Otherwise, four points should be subtracted from their first term, as they receive 16 Initial Training points.