Final answer:
The professional who practices medicine and requires at least 9 to 10 years of education and training is a physician. Pharmacists, while essential to healthcare, do not practice medicine and their education path differs from that of a physician.
Step-by-step explanation:
A physician practices medicine, which is the science of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, and indeed requires a minimum of nine to ten years of education and training. The correct answer is A) Physician. A physician, after completing a bachelor's degree, attends medical school for four years and then completes a residency program, which can range from three to seven years, depending on the specialty. For example, cardiologists and neurologists complete extensive post-medical school residencies and fellowships as part of their training. In contrast, although pharmacists play a crucial role in healthcare by dispensing drugs and advising on medication use, they do not practice medicine and typically complete four years in a specialized pharmacy school after their undergraduate studies to obtain a PharmD, which is a doctorate in pharmacy.