why do doctors call their work practice?

Question

personally I wouldnt want someone practicing on me, I want someone who knows what they are doing.

Answer 1

There is more than one meaning for the word Practice:

1.habitual or customary performance; operation: office practice.
2.habit; custom: It is not the practice here for men to wear long hair.
3.repeated performance or systematic exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill or proficiency: Practice makes perfect.
4.condition arrived at by experience or exercise: She refused to play the piano, because she was out of practice.
5.the action or process of performing or doing something: to put a scheme into practice; the shameful practices of a blackmailer.
6.the exercise or pursuit of a profession or occupation, esp. law or medicine: She plans to set up practice in her hometown.
7.the business of a professional person: The doctor wanted his daughter to take over his practice when he retired.
8.Law. the established method of conducting legal proceedings.
9.Archaic. plotting; intrigue; trickery.
10.Usually, practices. Archaic. intrigues; plots.
–verb (used with object)
11.to perform or do habitually or usually: to practice a strict regimen.
12.to follow or observe habitually or customarily: to practice one's religion.
13.to exercise or pursue as a profession, art, or occupation: to practice law.
14.to perform or do repeatedly in order to acquire skill or proficiency: to practice the violin.
15.to train or drill (a person, animal, etc.) in something in order to give proficiency.
–verb (used without object)
16.to do something habitually or as a practice.
17.to pursue a profession, esp. law or medicine.
18.to exercise oneself by repeated performance in order to acquire skill: to practice at shooting.
19.Archaic. to plot or conspire.

Answer 2

practice noun
Do not confuse practice with practise. Practice is a noun meaning 'the action of doing something rather than the theories about it' (putting policy into practice), whereas practise is a verb meaning 'do something repeatedly to improve your skill' (they were practising for the Olympics). In American English, both the noun and the verb are spelled practice.

I'm from the UK where the different spellings help us realise the different meanings more clearly. Like you I don't relish the thought of someone practising on me!

Answer 3

The meaning of the word practice is not that someone doesn't know what they are doing. It's that they are taking what they have learned and using it in a practical application.

Answer 4

Work practice is exactly performing their job at free time at a price to their clientele.

Answer 5

Doctors and Lawyers, everyone makes fun of them until, THEY REALLY NEED ONE, then all of a sudden, IT'S NOT SO FUNNY !

Answer 6

probably cause they haven't perfected it yet!