Dr. Alan Kricsfeld of Council Bluffs is a doctor’s son. He said he didn’t start out to be a doctor. He started studies in English literature, but gravitated to science and then to medical studies. Dr. Kricsfeld is now practicing in internal medicine at Diagnostic and Internal Medicine Associates, PC in partnership with his father. The road to becoming a doctor is a long one, Dr. Kricsfeld noted, as the average age in his medical school classes was 32. After course work some specialty areas such as neurosurgery require as much as 10-yr of residency. After his residency, Dr. Kricsfeld explained his father had the best offer to practice medicine with him in Council Bluffs. It is relatively difficult to attract doctors to practice in Council Bluffs. Dr. Kricsfeld fielded many questions about his work and the state of medical services in general. He noted the popular TV program ER is technically correct in many ways, but the drama, excitement, and speed of treatment is not representative of real ER experience. There is a love-hate relationship between doctors and pharmaceutical representatives, Dr. Kricsfeld explained. While the reps are a bother-perhaps 7 to 20 per day, they bring the latest drugs and drug information and leave samples. How do you know who is going to be a good doctor? Dr. Kricsfeld answered by saying you don’t know until the doctor has been in practice a while.