Alexandria
in school what classes do you need to worry about if you want to become a pediatrician
I would like to go into the medical field and work with babies . #doctor #medicine #pediatrics #pediatric-nursing
4 answers
Estelle Archer
Estelle’s Answer
Pick a college that suits your personality and a major that interests you. 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
During college study for and complete the MCAT. Apply to medical schools during your last year of college.
Medical school takes 4 years to complete.
After medical school physicians complete a residency for additional training. Pediatrics is a 3 year residency.
Michael DePietro
Michael’s Answer
If you are interested in going to medical school and becoming a pediatrician, the most important thing for you to do in high school is to take more difficult courses and do well in them. This means the honors and AP type courses. It is not necessary if you start with the very hardest courses either. It may make more sense to take an course of moderate difficulty and "work up" to an AP type course as you become a better student, it depends on how prepare you feel now, whether you start slow and work up or dive right in. It is not necessary that these be all in science and math either, as you will get plenty of science and math as you move through the long schooling that you will need. Medical schools do require specific science courses be taken in college before applying to medical school, but You can actually major in anything you like in college. Still many folks do choose to major in a science like biology or chemistry, for the simple reason that medicine is very dependent on these subjects, so individuals who like medicine are often interested in the sciences, so its a good idea to get a solid science prep in high school, but it does not have to be the only thing you focus on.
Overall physicians need to be able to communicate well, understand people, and increasingly understand subjects that affect health care policy like business and politics, so a broad general education is a good idea, and high grades are a must.
Beth Garrett, RN
Beth’s Answer
If you are speaking about high school, I recommend that you study very diligently in the math and sciences. Take every possible science course you can l, as you will need a strong knowledge of science in college. You will need a high comfort level with math, as you will be calculating medication dosages for your entire career.
Best of luck!
Catherine Castillo
Catherine’s Answer
Hi Alexandria,
I think you would find this previously answered question helpful:
https://careervillage.org/questions/2211/what-classes-should-you-take-generally-to-get-ready-for-med-school?page=1#2213