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How did you become a surgeon and what are some pathways to get there?

#medicine #surgery #surgeon

surgeon surgery
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Richard’s Answer

In the US, to apply to medical school, you need a bachelor's degree. Any 4-year university should suffice.

Pick a major that interests you so you don't mind devoting a majority of your hours to studying. You will need to get good grades in college in order to apply for medical school. At the medical school I attended, the average GPA is reported to be 3.85, so even one or two B's can hurt your chances of acceptance.

Aside from this, any major is acceptable as long as you complete the prerequisite courses.

Typical medical school prerequisites include:
Biology: Lecture – 4 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
General Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Organic Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Biochemistry: Lecture – 1 semester
General Physics: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Math: Statistics – 1 semester
English: Rhetoric (Composition) and Literature – 2 semesters

Try to find opportunities to pursue research.

Volunteer at your local hospital or low-income clinic. Ask physicians, PAs or other clinical providers if you can shadow them.


During college study for and complete the MCAT. Devote an entire summer to studying for the MCAT and consider paying for a prep course if you can afford it.

My son used MCAT Complete 7-Book Subject Review 2019-2020: Online + Book + 3 Practice Tests (Kaplan Test Prep) Kaplan Test Prep
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It was about $140 and he achieved his goal score.



Apply to medical schools during your last year of college.

Medical school lasts 4 years. During medical school, apply for surgery residency. Surgery residency lasts 5 years.
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Rana’s Answer

I am not a surgeon but I can tell you the path. First you must spooky to medical school at you have obtained a Bachelor's degree. It should be a degree in science. Medical school is a 4yr school. In your 3rd year you must make the decision on what type of surgeon you want to be. By your 4th yr you should start applying to a residency program. Depending on your specialty, this will be different additional years of training. Now they also require 1 yr of research, winch can make your training longer.
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Rachel’s Answer

General surgery is a great field requiring a medical doctorate. This means that you will have to complete college with a bachelor’s degree as well as all of the Pre-med requirements (1 year biology, 1 year inorganic chemistry, 1 year organic chemistry + labs, physics, calculus, and biochemistry). GPA should probably be 3.5 or better (preferably >3.8). You will also have to score well on the MCAT. Once accepted to medical school, as long as you pass your classes and perform reasonably well during your four years of medical training, you can apply for a general surgery 5 year residency. Following that, you will likely apply for a 1-3 year fellowship. This career path requires 14+ years of school after high school but is very fulfilling and challenging work.

I completed a residency in general surgery followed by a 1 year fellowship in colon and rectal surgery.
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