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Becoming a Medical Doctor
Related Topics: Physician Career Zone
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Many children dream of growing up and becoming doctors – however, the reality of making this dream a reality can be so intimidating that many never make it.
A student who's interested in becoming a doctor must first complete a bachelor’s program as a premed student. During this preliminary four year period the student must attend classes in a wide range of subjects, from the physical sciences like physics, biology, and chemistry, to the social sciences like English, history, and the humanities. |
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Training to be a Physician
In addition to the standard classroom work mentioned above, most premed students choose to beef up their resume for medical school by volunteering to work at hospitals, shelters, and nursing homes. The schedule for a standard premed student during this time can be extremely daunting.
However, after graduating with a bachelor's degree, the prospective physician must then apply to and be accepted into a medical school. Acceptance to these programs is very competitive, and students rarely get into a program based on scholastic merit alone.
First, they must pass and earn a good score on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). The student will need to submit their test results, along with their applications, essays, letters of recommendations, list of accomplishments, and transcripts from college to the medical school where they're seeking admission. If accepted into the program, they'll have to go through another rigorous four years of school before graduating as a doctor.
The four years of medical school are split into two segments. During the first half of the degree program, students do their work primarily in a laboratory setting with classes in anatomy, bacteria, and disease. In addition, they'll study clinical trials and diseases from a book to familiarize themselves with basic diseases and symptoms. The final two years of medical school will be spent going over patients records and studying patients under the supervision of a licensed and practicing physician. The handling of patients in a real-life situation is an important part of the process of learning to become a doctor, which is why an additional three to eight years of residency is required.
Most residencies take place in a hospital and allow medical school graduates to learn more about their chosen field of study and its real world applications, while at the same time being compensated for their work. These years of study are also commonly referred to as graduate medical education. During the first year directly out of medical school, most aspiring doctors participate in a twelve month rotating internship before beginning their residency. This helps to prepare them for the exhaustive hours and work regime that's often required of doctors. Following this period, students pursue residencies in their chosen fields, which may last an additional two to seven years.
Once a student has completed their graduate medical education, they must then take a license exam conducted by the state in which they live and practice. If they want to practice a specialized medicine, they'll also have to take a test administrated by the American Board of Medical Specialists (ABMS) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). For some doctors, the added specialization will be their primary field of practice – like plastic surgery, for example – while others may seek specializations in order to bolster their primary area of expertise. As an example, a practicing general medicine physician may wish to add a sports medicine certification in order to appeal to a more targeted clientele.
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