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Everyone knows that becoming a physician is no easy task, but few realize just how much education is truly needed to become an M.D. or O.D.
In fact, it’s not just education – hours and hours of practical training are also required before you can become a full doctor and practice medicine.
Medical School and Educational Opportunities for Physicians
| Most doctors must go through four years of an undergraduate degree, then four more years of medical school, followed by three to eight years of internships and residencies where you're actually working in a hospital under the direction of licensed doctors. |
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While most medical schools require you to complete a bachelor’s degree first, there are some that combine their undergraduate and medical school degrees into one six-year program.
As an undergrad, you’ll want to major in one of the pre-medical tracks.
If your school doesn't offer a specific pre-med degree, you may also pursue biology, chemistry, or biochemistry degrees. However, physics, English, and even math majors may go on to medical school. Really, it all depends on what exactly you want to focus on once you complete your medical degree. However, no matter what your major, you need at least three years of college before you can begin a medical program.
In the US, there are close to 150 medical schools. Most of them offer the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree. Twenty schools, however, offer a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree, which focuses mainly on bones and skeletal diseases. However, both types of programs are very competitive. You’ll have to take the Medical College Admission Test – or MCAT – have excellent grades, and be ready to be evaluated on your extracurricular activities, leadership qualities, and more.
You’ll start your medical education with basic classes in anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, medical ethics, and more. While you may have taken some of these classes for your undergraduate degree, these will be much more detailed. Your last two years of medical school will include much more supervised work with actual patients. You’ll learn how to identify specific illnesses and how to diagnose them. You’ll also be rotated through the various departments of a hospital, learning about all of them and gaining a well-rounded basis for the rest of your training.
After medical school, you’ll enter a residency program depending on the area you want to specialize in. The first year of this program is called the "internship" and is more or less paid training, since you’ll actually be working in a hospital. You’ll start out this phase of your career working long hours and doing only the most basic tasks. As you progress, you’ll be given more and more duties and responsibilities.
Upon completion of your internship year, you'll enter into a residency program to gain experience in the specific field you plan to work in. This could last anywhere from one to seven additional years, depending on your field of specialty. As you might expect, family medicine doctors will have a shorter residency than cardiologists or anesthesiologists. After completing your residency, you’ll have to pass a licensing exam. Generally, once licensed in one state, you’ll be able to practice medicine in any state, although there are some restrictions.
In addition to your education qualifications, you’ll need to demonstrate that you have a good bedside manner, are motivated to help people, and can handle the pressure you’ll be under as a medical professional. You’ll also need to be ready to learn your entire life – physicians constantly have to learn about new techniques and diseases in order to stay up-to-date in their fields.
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