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Grady
Student
Welch, OK
1
Question
Updated
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What specifically do you have to do to be an anesthesiologist?
If you want to be an anesthesiologist, what would I have to do if I became one.
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2 answers
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach, Mentor
1220
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Grady,
It's great that you found an interest in a medical career. If you want to be an anesthesiologist, you need to go to medical school to become a medical doctor and then specialize in anesthesiology.
In order to become a doctor, you first need to earn a bachelors degree (4 years) in any field. Next you take the MCAT before you can apply to medical school. Medical school is another 4 years and you'll earn your MD/DO. You then decide on a residency where you specialize and ultimately take the board exam for that specialty. So, it's a long journey, and each step is competitive. You'll need excellent grades and a high MCAT score as well as medical experience and volunteer hours.
If you are still in high-school and contemplating your course choices, you should take all the science and math classes you can get (biology, chemistry, physics, math) to be well prepared for college. If your high-school offers classes related to health such as psychology or anatomy, you should take those as well. It's good that you are taking on challenging classes like AP to boost your GPA. You can also consider a dual enrollment program to earn college credits if it is available.
In order to get into a good undergraduate program and later into medical school, you also need to start getting experience in medical settings and volunteering in the community. People get medical experience in a variety of ways. You can look for shadowing opportunities if you want to consider different medical specialties. You can look for internships, volunteer opportunities or small jobs in e.g. hospitals or with doctors (even if it is just as a receptionist). There are also certifications that would allow you to work medical jobs while you are in school.
You can major in any field for your bachelors degree. Consider your interests, your career goals but also look at your undergraduate degree as a backup plan in case medical school doesn't happen (because life happens). Many students opt for a biology, chemistry or biochemistry major because it would cover most if not all of the science pre-requisites. Just be aware what the pre-requisites are and that, should you opt for a non-science major, you might need longer to graduate because you might need to take extra classes. Look up medical schools that you would consider and check their admission criteria and pre-requisites so you have the correct information. I left a link for Harvard medical school as an example below.
During your undergraduate studies, you should also get in more medical experience and (if possible) research experience. It doesn't have to be medical research, but being in any science department certainly helps to get involved in meaningful projects.
Before you can apply to medical school, you need to study for and take the MCAT. You can take the test during your junior or senior year. Many students also take a gap year after their bachelors to study for the MCAT and get some more work experience, either clinical or in research. If you opted for a non-science major, a postbac program to complete the science pre-requisites is an option.
If you get admitted to medical school, you'll study general medicine for 4 years. There is no need to know from the start which specialty you want to go for. The first 2 years are mostly classroom learning while the last 2 years are clinical and include rotations through different specialties. You'll then decide on a specialty that you want to pursue and apply for residency in that specialty hoping to "match". The residency for anesthesiology is 4 years.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
https://hms.harvard.edu/education-admissions/md-program/admissions/preparing-apply/eligibility
https://hms.harvard.edu/education-admissions/md-program/admissions/preparing-apply/prerequisite-courses
It's great that you found an interest in a medical career. If you want to be an anesthesiologist, you need to go to medical school to become a medical doctor and then specialize in anesthesiology.
In order to become a doctor, you first need to earn a bachelors degree (4 years) in any field. Next you take the MCAT before you can apply to medical school. Medical school is another 4 years and you'll earn your MD/DO. You then decide on a residency where you specialize and ultimately take the board exam for that specialty. So, it's a long journey, and each step is competitive. You'll need excellent grades and a high MCAT score as well as medical experience and volunteer hours.
If you are still in high-school and contemplating your course choices, you should take all the science and math classes you can get (biology, chemistry, physics, math) to be well prepared for college. If your high-school offers classes related to health such as psychology or anatomy, you should take those as well. It's good that you are taking on challenging classes like AP to boost your GPA. You can also consider a dual enrollment program to earn college credits if it is available.
In order to get into a good undergraduate program and later into medical school, you also need to start getting experience in medical settings and volunteering in the community. People get medical experience in a variety of ways. You can look for shadowing opportunities if you want to consider different medical specialties. You can look for internships, volunteer opportunities or small jobs in e.g. hospitals or with doctors (even if it is just as a receptionist). There are also certifications that would allow you to work medical jobs while you are in school.
You can major in any field for your bachelors degree. Consider your interests, your career goals but also look at your undergraduate degree as a backup plan in case medical school doesn't happen (because life happens). Many students opt for a biology, chemistry or biochemistry major because it would cover most if not all of the science pre-requisites. Just be aware what the pre-requisites are and that, should you opt for a non-science major, you might need longer to graduate because you might need to take extra classes. Look up medical schools that you would consider and check their admission criteria and pre-requisites so you have the correct information. I left a link for Harvard medical school as an example below.
During your undergraduate studies, you should also get in more medical experience and (if possible) research experience. It doesn't have to be medical research, but being in any science department certainly helps to get involved in meaningful projects.
Before you can apply to medical school, you need to study for and take the MCAT. You can take the test during your junior or senior year. Many students also take a gap year after their bachelors to study for the MCAT and get some more work experience, either clinical or in research. If you opted for a non-science major, a postbac program to complete the science pre-requisites is an option.
If you get admitted to medical school, you'll study general medicine for 4 years. There is no need to know from the start which specialty you want to go for. The first 2 years are mostly classroom learning while the last 2 years are clinical and include rotations through different specialties. You'll then decide on a specialty that you want to pursue and apply for residency in that specialty hoping to "match". The residency for anesthesiology is 4 years.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
Karin recommends the following next steps:
James Hanson
Pediatric Intensive Care Physician; Consultant
266
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
James’s Answer
An anesthesiologist begins by getting into, and completing, medical school (like all physicians). during the last year or so of medical school, after one has experienced multiple specialties, one decides that Anesthesiology is the right path for them. They then apply for anesthesiology residencies. They complete 4 years of residency training before being able to say they are an anesthesiologist. Many anesthesiologists decide they want further training, so they do a fellowship (pediatric anesthesia, cardiac anesthesia, pain medicine, etc.) before taking a job somewhere as an anesthesiologist.
It is a long journey, but a rewarding one.
It is a long journey, but a rewarding one.