1 answer
Keili
Student
Gallup, New Mexico
1
Question
1 answer
Yasemin G.
Aspiring physician
635
Answers
Updated
Yasemin’s Answer
Hi Keili! So to be a surgeon you must go to medical school however before medical school you must first obtain a Bachelor's degree from a 4 year university. Some individuals do go to community college first and then transfer their credits to a university as well; this is usually done to save money or if they are not sure of their major/path. During college you will be a premed student but remember that this is not a major but more of a cohort, because you will be taking certain prerequisites for medical school. You will be required to complete biology 1 year, chemistry (both inorganic and organic, 1 year of each), physics 1 year, English 1 year, math 1 year, (calculus/statistics), Biochemistry ( this class is not required for some medical schools as organic chemistry II will replace however I highly recommend it for the MCAT and for the other medical schools that may require it) and all the labs that go with it. You will also be required to take the Medical College Admissions Exam (MCAT) before applying to medical school.
*Note: For Biochemistry lab is not required and for studying for the MCAT be sure to check out Kahn academy to supplement your studies. There are many free resources.
During college as a premed student you should showcase your commitment to the medical field; it is highly advised and even required by some medical schools, to shadow a physician, volunteer in a clinical as well as nonclinical setting and get some research experience as well. Essentially, this is so because it is important to not only "talk the talk" but "walk the walk" , you want to show you are serious about medicine and volunteering and being involved in the medical field and creating a communication with others will help in defining this. After college, there is 4 years medical school (2 years of book work where you go to class and labs and learn and the rest of the 2 years are clinicals where you rotate in different areas- surgery being one). If you enjoy surgery you begin to branch off in your fourth year to a more specific clinical rotation tailored to surgery since that will be your speciality. You will have licensing exams, Step 1-2-3 Exams, to complete and pass to obtain your license to practice medicine. Afterwards you will be in residency, this is where you are a doctor in training and are paid; each specialty has a different commitment for how long residency is and surgery will be 5 years.
As a last piece of advice check out AAMC.org, this is the site where one applies to medical school and also plans for residency, there is much information there to help in guiding the path for premed students as well as study materials for the actual MCAT exam!
I hope this has helped and I wish you the best!
Check out AAMC.org
*Note: For Biochemistry lab is not required and for studying for the MCAT be sure to check out Kahn academy to supplement your studies. There are many free resources.
During college as a premed student you should showcase your commitment to the medical field; it is highly advised and even required by some medical schools, to shadow a physician, volunteer in a clinical as well as nonclinical setting and get some research experience as well. Essentially, this is so because it is important to not only "talk the talk" but "walk the walk" , you want to show you are serious about medicine and volunteering and being involved in the medical field and creating a communication with others will help in defining this. After college, there is 4 years medical school (2 years of book work where you go to class and labs and learn and the rest of the 2 years are clinicals where you rotate in different areas- surgery being one). If you enjoy surgery you begin to branch off in your fourth year to a more specific clinical rotation tailored to surgery since that will be your speciality. You will have licensing exams, Step 1-2-3 Exams, to complete and pass to obtain your license to practice medicine. Afterwards you will be in residency, this is where you are a doctor in training and are paid; each specialty has a different commitment for how long residency is and surgery will be 5 years.
As a last piece of advice check out AAMC.org, this is the site where one applies to medical school and also plans for residency, there is much information there to help in guiding the path for premed students as well as study materials for the actual MCAT exam!
I hope this has helped and I wish you the best!
Yasemin recommends the following next steps: