What is the procedure for being a pediatrician in New York City?
I want to set my medical career and I'm trying to lay my future out. Right now, I'm a high school junior so I'm deciding on majors and colleges to apply to next fall. Thank you! #college #doctor #medicine #health #pre-med #pediatrician #counselor #college-minor
5 answers
Ken’s Answer
Hi Fatema!
Congratulations on being interested in such an interesting and important field!
Here is some general information about becoming a pediatrician:
http://www2.aap.org/sections/ypn/yp/work_life_balance/wip.html
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/careers/health-diagnosis-treatment-pediatricians
http://www.yourpediatrician.com/BecomingAPed.htm
Here is a site that rates medical schools in New York. This will help you evaluate which might be best for you. You can contact the head of alumni relations at these schools to find graduates of these schools working in your area, so that you could talk to them to learn more about their school and what it is like to become a pediatrician. Every school has its own personality. It is important to find one that matches your own personality.
http://medical-schools.startclass.com/d/a/New-York
You can start to get some information by talking to your own doctor to see if there might be pediatricians that you can visit.
Send thank you notes to those help you. Please keep me informed. I would like to follow your progress!
Thank you for reaching out! My counselor suggested spending this summer volunteering at my local hospital to get a feel of the environment so I applied and hopefully will get in! The med schools website was really useful, especially because I want to stay in New York with my studies.
Fatema
You are welcome! Best of luck! Please let me know how you are doing! I would like to follow your progress! Don't wait too long to follow up with a phone call. If you call a few days after applying, they will know you a serious candidate. Also, apply to other organizations so you are not depending on only one application.
Ken Simmons
Rachel’s Answer
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 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
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.
Apply to medical schools during your last year of college.
Medical school takes 4 years to complete.
After medical school pediatricians complete a 3 year residency for additional training. These are sometimes followed by additional fellowship subspecialty training.
Nehdia’s Answer
In the US, to apply to medical school, you need a bachelor's degree. Any 4-year university should suffice.
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
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.
Apply to medical schools during your last year of college.
Medical school takes 4 years to complete.
After medical school pediatricians complete a 3 year residency for additional training. These are sometimes followed by additional fellowship subspecialty training.
Nancy’s Answer
Fatema,
You said that you are a high school junior. Start with researching your undergraduate college first! You can go almost anywhere that is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education if you live in the New York area. There is a similar regional accrediting body for New England schools, or for the midwest. These are in contrast to nationally accredited, online programs that are not as well regarded for applying to graduate school in many cases. You can major in anything you want as long as you take a year of inorganic chemistry with laboratory and organic chemistry, as well as physics and English. Talk to the health careers advisor at the college you choose. Regarding choosing an undergraduate college, besides accreditation, consider the majors that are offered and weather you will be comfortable in the location, as well as tuition, room, and board. The Association of American Medical Colleges website for students below has great advice for pre-med students. They even have advisors available. Meet with or talk to a health careers advisor right away.
Nancy recommends the following next steps: