3 answers
Eli
Student
Memphis, Tennessee
4
Questions
Asked
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What Things i need to know to be a doctor
#medicine #doctor #life saver
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3 answers
Richard A.
physician
2150
Answers
Updated
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 major that interests you so you don't mind devoting a majority of your hours to studying. 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. I chose to major in biochemistry because there was overlap with the premed requirements and I wanted to complete my degree in 3 years.
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.
My son used MCAT Complete 7-Book Subject Review 2019-2020: Online + Book + 3 Practice Tests (Kaplan Test Prep) Kaplan Test Prep
It was about $140 and he achieved his goal score.
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. These can last 3-6 years and are sometimes followed by an additional year or two of fellowship subspecialty training.
Pick a major that interests you so you don't mind devoting a majority of your hours to studying. 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. I chose to major in biochemistry because there was overlap with the premed requirements and I wanted to complete my degree in 3 years.
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.
My son used MCAT Complete 7-Book Subject Review 2019-2020: Online + Book + 3 Practice Tests (Kaplan Test Prep) Kaplan Test Prep
It was about $140 and he achieved his goal score.
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. These can last 3-6 years and are sometimes followed by an additional year or two of fellowship subspecialty training.
Anum Khalid
Doctor
13
Answers
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Updated
Anum’s Answer
Well Eli, first you need to make sure that you have explored everything else there is as well that you might find more interesting as you go and keep your mind open about everything and broaden your focus (this is preferable if being a doctor is something you have started liking recently and has not been a life long passion). Then you need to know all the good things and the bad things there are about choosing this profession. The good things include the things that made you consider this field in the first place and a lot more that you will find out by research and some I will try to summarize.
The good things are numerous. Generally it means things like the things you learn, the knowledge that will help you save lives-which can sometimes be no less than a miracle and give you a feeling like nothing you have ever experienced before-the ability to help people in so many amazing ways, the new and so much intriguing things that you learn everyday, to know what your body is made of and what is it that actually goes on in every system, the experience to see magic happen in the operating room and numerous things like these.
The bad (non-ideal to be precise) things include the very hectic routine, the very very hard study process, long hours, extreme focus, a lot of energy, managing life with work, the pain of seeing things that would not resolve no matter what you do, the helplessness and other things like these.
I tried to keep it as understandable as I could, I hope this adds a little bit of perspective.
I am giving a few tips below that might help clear things up more for you. God bless you and best of luck!
Do research.
Make a pros and cons list.
Sit and think about the life changes and if you are willing to adjust to them.
Discuss your concerns with a career counselor.
Make an informed decision at the time based on where life leads you in the years that lead up to the time when you have to make this decision.
The good things are numerous. Generally it means things like the things you learn, the knowledge that will help you save lives-which can sometimes be no less than a miracle and give you a feeling like nothing you have ever experienced before-the ability to help people in so many amazing ways, the new and so much intriguing things that you learn everyday, to know what your body is made of and what is it that actually goes on in every system, the experience to see magic happen in the operating room and numerous things like these.
The bad (non-ideal to be precise) things include the very hectic routine, the very very hard study process, long hours, extreme focus, a lot of energy, managing life with work, the pain of seeing things that would not resolve no matter what you do, the helplessness and other things like these.
I tried to keep it as understandable as I could, I hope this adds a little bit of perspective.
I am giving a few tips below that might help clear things up more for you. God bless you and best of luck!
Anum recommends the following next steps:
Estelle Archer
Gynecologist
1321
Answers
United States
Updated
Estelle’s Answer
Know that the road to becoming a physician is long and require dedication, but it is worth the time and effort. Try shadowing some physicians to see if it interests you.