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How do you get to be a doctor?

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James Constantine’s Answer

Good Day Luna!

How to Become a Doctor: A Step-by-Step Guide

Becoming a doctor is a rigorous and demanding process that requires dedication, education, and training. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the steps involved:

1. Graduate from High School To start your journey toward becoming a doctor, you need to complete high school with strong academic performance. Focus on taking as many science and math classes as possible, along with Advanced Placement (AP) courses if available. Developing analytical and problem-solving skills during this time is crucial.

2. Attend College After high school, you must attend college for four years. You can choose any major; however, it is essential to complete the prerequisite courses required for medical school admission. These typically include biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.

3. Take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) During or after your undergraduate studies, you will need to take the MCAT, which assesses your knowledge in various scientific disciplines and critical thinking skills. Preparing thoroughly for this exam is vital as it plays a significant role in your medical school application.

4. Apply to Medical School Once you have completed your bachelor’s degree and taken the MCAT, you can apply to medical schools. This process involves submitting applications that include transcripts, MCAT scores, letters of recommendation, and personal statements that reflect your passion for medicine.

5. Complete Medical School Medical school typically lasts four years and provides comprehensive training in general medicine. The curriculum includes both classroom instruction and clinical experience where students learn about various medical specialties.

6. Residency Training Program After graduating from medical school, you must enter a residency program in your chosen specialty area (e.g., Family Medicine, Pediatrics). Residency programs vary in length from three to seven years depending on the specialty chosen.

7. Fellowship Training (Optional) If you wish to further specialize within your field after completing residency training, you may pursue fellowship training which usually lasts an additional one to three years.

8. Obtain Licensure To practice medicine legally in the United States, you must pass licensing examinations such as the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) or the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA).

9. Board Certification Finally, after completing residency training and obtaining licensure, you can become board-certified in your specialty by passing additional examinations specific to that field.

Throughout this entire process, it is important to engage in extracurricular activities related to healthcare or community service that demonstrate your commitment to medicine.

In summary:

Complete high school with strong academics
Attend college and earn a bachelor’s degree while completing premed requirements
Take the MCAT
Apply to medical schools
Complete medical school (4 years)
Enter residency training program (3-7 years)
Consider fellowship training (1-3 years) if desired
Obtain licensure through USMLE or COMLEX-USA exams
Achieve board certification in your specialty

The journey to becoming a doctor demands patience, personal sacrifice, and meticulous planning at every step along the way.

Top 3 Authoritative Sources Used:

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Provides comprehensive data on job outlooks and salaries for physicians across various specialties.

Kaplan: Offers resources for pre-health programs including guidance on preparing for medical school applications and understanding the path toward becoming a physician.

University of California—Irvine School of Medicine: A reputable institution that outlines educational pathways for aspiring doctors including necessary prerequisites for medical school admission.

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Marisel Rosa’s Answer

Hi Luna. To begin you must be really sure it is what you want to do. The rigors medical school and residency are very tough, though not impossible. Do some research by looking for books or articles written by physicians about their journey. Perhaps, see if the family doctor or if you still have a pediatrician could give some advice. Volunteer at a hospital, where you will be able to rotate through the different deoipartaments: Medical/Surgical, Maternity, Emergency, Pediatrics, etc.
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Eithne-Marie’s Answer

In order to get into medical school, you have to complete a bachelor's degree which includes pre-med coursework (biology, chemistry, organic chemistry and physics are the basics) and then apply to medical school after taking the entrance exam (MCAT). Medical school is four years followed by an intern year and then at least 2 more years of residency training in a chosen specialty before you are considered a full-fledged physician. There are 2 types of medical school in the US: allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO). Osteopathic medicine is unique to the US. Residency training for MDs and DOs is often combined but the schools remain separate.

Eithne-Marie recommends the following next steps:

https://osteopathic.org/what-is-osteopathic-medicine/what-is-a-do/
https://www.aamc.org/media/36776/download
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Michael’s Answer

Hi Luna:

While in high school, one will need to focus on science and math classes to prepare to be a Physician or a Surgeon. Chemistry and biology will be the core science courses. For math, algebra, calculus and statistics will be needed. Both concentrations will enable you to focus and refine your analytical skills for research; complex problem solving; investigative and innovative critical thinking; attention to detail; etc.

Other skills that will need to be built upon center around team building, team work and communication. In any work culture, collaboration among team members, staff and partner departments occur on a daily basis. As a Physician or a Surgeon, communication is essential and critical when dealing with hospital staff and patients. A college course in Public Speaking, Communication and English will help with one's communication and writing skills.

Physicians and Surgeons are similar in their responsibilities and duties in taking care of patients and in dealing with hospital staff and medical personnel. The main difference between the two professionals is that Surgeons operate on patients whereas Physicians do not. Physicians diagnose patients and treat their medical conditions. Operations performed by Surgeons can be treating injuries like broken bones, removal of diseases like tumors and cancers, deformities, etc.

To become a Physician or a Surgeon, a Bachelor Degree in Biology, pre-med or another science related field has to be earned at a college or university. Afterwards, a doctorate degree from an accredited medical school has to be obtained. The next phase will be training through a medical residency as well as medical certification and licensing.

For education and training, it will take up to 14 years to become a Physician or a Surgeon. The Bachelor Degree will be between 4-5 years. Medical school will be another 4-5 years. Medical residency, medical certification and licensing can take up to 3-4 years.

Being a Physician or a Surgeon can be a demanding and rewarding profession, especially depending if there is a specialized field or concentration. Remember, as a Physician or a Surgeon, you are the professional who saves lives. Your patients are impacted by you.

While in college, here are some undergraduate degrees to major in order to become a Physician or a Surgeon:

- Organic Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Chemistry

It will be best to seek advice from your high school guidance counselor as well as teachers to help you focus your interests for a specific major in college.

According to U.S. News & World Report, here is an overview of pursuing medical school:

https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools

According to U.S. News & World Report, here are the top colleges and universities to consider for Medical School:

- Harvard University
- John Hopkins University
- University of Pennsylvania (Perelman)
- Columbia University
- Duke University
- Stanford University
- University of California (San Francisco)
- Vanderbilt University
- Washington University (St. Louis)
- Cornell University (Weill)
- New York University (Grossman)
- Yale University

https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/research-rankings

When reviewing colleges and universities, it is best to check the following:

- In-State vs Out of State Tuition
- Internships
- Scholarships
- Career Placement upon graduation
- Course work and offered classes
- Post-Graduate Degrees - Master and Doctoral

There will be a application fee to pay for when submitting college applications. The amount of application fee will depend on the college that you are applying to. If there are questions about the college application process, please reach out to the college's Registrar Office.

There are scholarships based on need, academic performance, school activities, sports involvement and community service. So, it will be to your advantage to seek out these types of scholarships. All of the academic staff at your high school that you interact with can write letters of recommendations for you based on what was just stated above. These recommendations can greatly help when filling out college and scholarship applications.

College and scholarship applications can start to be submitted during your Junior year and will continue throughout your Senior year in high school. It is best to ask your Academic Advisor/School Counselor on the timeline process as well. College and scholarship applications will have specific deadlines and requirements to meet in order to be submitted for review and consideration.

You may want to start to compile your resume/portfolio since a majority of college and scholarship applications will require academic grade point average (GPA), academic accomplishments, school activities (clubs, sports, etc.), community involvement (volunteer, church, etc.), academic and personal recommendations, etc. There may be essay requirements on why you are a qualified candidate to receive the scholarship and gain entry to the college of your choice, what your future goals are academically and professionally and other questions centering around who you are, your beliefs, etc.

Here are a couple of links for College Scholarships:

https://www.mometrix.com/blog/scholarships-for-college/

https://www.nchchonors.org/students/awards-scholarships/national-scholarships

Also, it will be best to check with the colleges and universities that you will be applying to. You can check with the School/Department of your desired major, the Campus Career Center and the Register's Office for additional information for college scholarships and grants and specific requirements for qualifications.

There should be no limit on the amount of scholarships that one can apply to. It will take time to fill out the scholarship applications and provide all of the necessary required information. Also, there should no fee and no cost to fill out and submit scholarship applications. If there is a fee or cost that is associated with a scholarship application, then please do not send this particular scholarship application in. It will be a scam and money will be lost.

Best wishes for your education and medical career!
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