Rebecca
What's the education requirements to become a pediatrician?
I would like to become a pediatrician and I need to know. #pediatrics #pediatric #medicine #healthcare #hospital-and-health-care
3 answers
John Jones
John’s Answer
A 4 year degree in something, 4 years of medical school, another 3-4 years of residency. Most people find their passion in residency so I wouldn't be glued to one specialty. Keep an open mind. I thought I wanted to be an OR nurse until I did an OR rotation and it was boring as hell. Emergency medicine and pre-hospital medicine is my passion.
John recommends the following next steps:
Richard A.
Richard’s Answer
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 pediatricians complete a 3-year residency.
Abby Lupi
CareerVillage.org TeamAbby’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team
Hi Rebecca! I’m sorry no one’s answered your question yet. We're working hard to get it answered by Professionals with the best insights, but in the meantime I've included a link to a relevant Q&A here on CareerVillage.org that should be super helpful for you to read through.
Jacqueline asked: How many years does it take to become a pediatrician?, and one of the Pros who answered it said:
If you are seriously interested in medicine you will need to go to a four year university or college and take certain courses. You do not have to major in premed but you will have to have a number of science courses including organic chemistry. You may also want to do research to become more competitive for medical school. Near the end of college you take an exam called the MCAT and apply to medical schools. It can be difficult to get in and many kids have to apply for several years.
Medical school is four years long and includes both courses and clinical work where you go into the hospital or doctor's offices and learn. You then apply to residency programs in your chosen field. This is done through a match process where you list your choices and they list you and you are matched to a program. For pediatrics the residency is three years long. This involves working in the hospital and in doctors offices. You do get paid at this point but it is not much and you work long and hard hours...
Click the question to read more of what this Pro and others had to say!
Good luck!
Abby
Community Management Intern at CareerVillage.org