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Serene
Student
Yuma, Arizona
1
Question
Asked
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I would like to know what specific courses or classes I should focus on in high school to prepare for medical school.?
Hi, my name is a student at Crane Middle School and I am heading into high school soon. I am very interested in becoming a Pediatrician because I love helping people get well and I really enjoy working with little kids. In my free time, I often help take care of my younger relatives, which is why this career stood out to me. I would like to know what specific courses or classes I should focus on in high school to prepare for medical school. Also, what is a smart way to get a head start on this career path while I am still a teenager? Finally, what is the most challenging but rewarding part of a typical day in your clinic?
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1 answer
Suzanne Sorkin
Retired family physician and medical educator
164
Answers
Traverse City, Michigan
Updated
Suzanne’s Answer
That's great, Serene, that you are already thinking about your career and asking good questions.
In high school, be sure to let your guidance counselor and teachers know what your career goals are so you can take the right courses for a
pre-med track once you get to college. You want to take as much math and science as you can in high school. If your school offers AP or advanced science courses, that is great -- especially in biology. You may want to look into dual enrollment with your local community college as a high school junior or senior to get some exposure to college-level studying before you graduate high school. Be sure, at a minimum, you take biology, chemistry and math classes, as well as English and a second language. If you are able to take physics, statistics, psychology classes, great!
While still in high school, try to get either volunteer or paid work with children, since you are interested in pediatrics. Baby-sitting and camp jobs are good ideas. If you can take a baby-sitting course and a CPR class from your local Red Cross or other community organization, do so.
Call or visit your local hospital volunteer office and ask at what age you can begin to volunteer there. Good luck. Wishing you all the best!
check out this website on things a high school student can do to prepare for a career in medicine: https://students-residents.aamc.org/resources-k-12-students/four-things-high-school-student-can-do-prepare-medical-school
In high school, be sure to let your guidance counselor and teachers know what your career goals are so you can take the right courses for a
pre-med track once you get to college. You want to take as much math and science as you can in high school. If your school offers AP or advanced science courses, that is great -- especially in biology. You may want to look into dual enrollment with your local community college as a high school junior or senior to get some exposure to college-level studying before you graduate high school. Be sure, at a minimum, you take biology, chemistry and math classes, as well as English and a second language. If you are able to take physics, statistics, psychology classes, great!
While still in high school, try to get either volunteer or paid work with children, since you are interested in pediatrics. Baby-sitting and camp jobs are good ideas. If you can take a baby-sitting course and a CPR class from your local Red Cross or other community organization, do so.
Call or visit your local hospital volunteer office and ask at what age you can begin to volunteer there. Good luck. Wishing you all the best!
Suzanne recommends the following next steps:
I appreciate you taking the time to answer this. A thing you said that is really helpful for me is that you said to let my guidance counselor and teachers know what your career goals are so I can take the right courses for a pre-med track once you get to college. What I plan to do next is once I enter high school is to take biology, chemistry and math classes, as well as English classes. With this information you gave me i have one more question, Is there any classes in need to focus on a lot for medical school?
Serene
Serena, glad to help! If you have not already taken Algebra I, it is a good idea to take it freshman year if you can, so that you can get in as many math classes as your school offers before heading off to college. In college you will need to take specific pre-med classes in order to apply to medical school. Those will be biology, chemistry, physics, math classes primarily. They will help you prepare for medical school.
Suzanne Sorkin