3 answers
Matthew
Student
Pelham Manor, NY
1
Question
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what do i need to become a doctor
i attend Iona college #doctor
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3 answers
Mary Jane Shroyer
Director of Health Professions Career Community
102
Answers
Grinnell, Iowa
Updated
Mary Jane’s Answer
Hi Matthew! Did you know that there is a prehealth adviser on your campus? This adviser can help you understand which courses at your institution fulfill prerequisites for medical school and they may also have suggestions on how to get shadowing and volunteering opportunities in the community to help you confirm your career choice. When it comes time to apply, your adviser can help you understand the process, explain any quirks specific to your school, and may also be involved with creating a letter of support for your application. They likely also have opportunities to hear from speakers who are physicians or who work in med school admissions. Hop on Iona's website and search "Health Professions Adviser" to find the contact info and reach out to see if you can meet with them to learn more about being a premed student at Iona.
Chris Poblete
Firmware Engineer
2
Answers
Austin, Texas
Updated
Chris’s Answer
I'm not a doctor but I did consider in my collegiate years. Your question is pretty general so I'll answer in general terms. In general, you'll be taking science-related courses such as Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Organic Chemistry and so on. You may pick any science-related bachelors degree such as Biology, Psychology, Chemistry, Biomedical engineering and so on. Then you'll be taking the MCAT entrance exam. There is a minimum MCAT score to apply to Medical schools. As a plus, volunteer on hospitals or clinics and shadow a doctor or even nurse to get some experience that you can use in your application. Another plus is having a solid set of recommendation letters so have a good rapport with your professors and even doctors or nurses you shadowed. Hope this help and good luck in your journey to becoming a doctor.
Vickie X
Internal Medicine Resident
16
Answers
East Lansing, Michigan
Updated
Vickie’s Answer
Hi Matthew,
I'm currently a 4th year medical student so hopefully I can help you out!
In college, you'll need to receive a bachelor degree. During this time, you will need to complete what are called pre-medical requirements. This is a set of courses (chemistry, math, physics, biology, psychology, etc.) that you need to take in order to be eligible to apply to medical school. Because many of the pre-medical courses tend to over lap with courses required for science majors, many physicians have bachelor's degrees in the sciences like biology, biochemistry, physiology, etc.. However, it is not required of you to choose a science major as long as you complete the pre-medical coursework in addition to your major. For example, I know many medical students who music majors or computer engineers so choose whatever you'd like to study in college. During college, you should also try to get some volunteer and work experience in your community. Try to shadow physicians as well to get any idea of what different specialties are like. I'd also recommend getting into some research projects as well if those are available to you.
Another requirement of medical school is the completion of a standardized exam called the Medical College Admissions Test, the MCAT. This is a 8 hour exam that you will need to complete in order to apply to medical school. You can take this exam during college if you wish to attend medical school as soon as you graduate college. It is also very common for people to wait to take this exam if they plan on taking gap years to work or gain life experience for a few years before deciding to attend medical school. Each medical school will have their own requirements on how high your MCAT score needs to be in order to be considered for admission.
Once you are in medical school, you have 4 years to learn about diseases processes, how to recognize and treat disease, and how to interact and take care of patients. The most common model of medical school is the first 2 years being "classroom years" where you take classes to build a foundation of basic sciences, pathophysiology of disease and basic clinical knowledge. Your last 2 years are the "clerkship years" where you are in the hospital or doctor's offices seeing patients under the supervision of attending physicians and resident physicians.
During your last year of medical school, you will have to apply to a residency program. A residency program is where you train to be a specific type of physician (family physician, emergency physician, surgeon, pediatrician, etc. the list goes on and on!). Residency training typically takes 3-7 years. After residency you may decide to becoming a fully licensed and board certified physician, where you are finally able to practice on your own. Some choose to continue more training and complete a fellowship, this is where people can get even more specialized and become an expert in a very specific area of their field - these can take anywhere from 1-3 years.
I know this process is overwhelming but I hope I cleared up some confusion. It is definitely a big decision to make to commit to this path however, it is very rewarding and one I would choose to do again and again.
https://www.aamc.org/system/files/2020-11/aamc-road-to-becoming-doctor-2020.pdf
I'm currently a 4th year medical student so hopefully I can help you out!
In college, you'll need to receive a bachelor degree. During this time, you will need to complete what are called pre-medical requirements. This is a set of courses (chemistry, math, physics, biology, psychology, etc.) that you need to take in order to be eligible to apply to medical school. Because many of the pre-medical courses tend to over lap with courses required for science majors, many physicians have bachelor's degrees in the sciences like biology, biochemistry, physiology, etc.. However, it is not required of you to choose a science major as long as you complete the pre-medical coursework in addition to your major. For example, I know many medical students who music majors or computer engineers so choose whatever you'd like to study in college. During college, you should also try to get some volunteer and work experience in your community. Try to shadow physicians as well to get any idea of what different specialties are like. I'd also recommend getting into some research projects as well if those are available to you.
Another requirement of medical school is the completion of a standardized exam called the Medical College Admissions Test, the MCAT. This is a 8 hour exam that you will need to complete in order to apply to medical school. You can take this exam during college if you wish to attend medical school as soon as you graduate college. It is also very common for people to wait to take this exam if they plan on taking gap years to work or gain life experience for a few years before deciding to attend medical school. Each medical school will have their own requirements on how high your MCAT score needs to be in order to be considered for admission.
Once you are in medical school, you have 4 years to learn about diseases processes, how to recognize and treat disease, and how to interact and take care of patients. The most common model of medical school is the first 2 years being "classroom years" where you take classes to build a foundation of basic sciences, pathophysiology of disease and basic clinical knowledge. Your last 2 years are the "clerkship years" where you are in the hospital or doctor's offices seeing patients under the supervision of attending physicians and resident physicians.
During your last year of medical school, you will have to apply to a residency program. A residency program is where you train to be a specific type of physician (family physician, emergency physician, surgeon, pediatrician, etc. the list goes on and on!). Residency training typically takes 3-7 years. After residency you may decide to becoming a fully licensed and board certified physician, where you are finally able to practice on your own. Some choose to continue more training and complete a fellowship, this is where people can get even more specialized and become an expert in a very specific area of their field - these can take anywhere from 1-3 years.
I know this process is overwhelming but I hope I cleared up some confusion. It is definitely a big decision to make to commit to this path however, it is very rewarding and one I would choose to do again and again.
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