How many years do you have to go to school to become a pediatrician?

After four years of college, you will go to medical school for four years. Next is residency which is 3 years. You can become a general pediatrician after 3 years of residency, but if you want to specialize in the training of newborns (neonatology) you would have to spend another 3 years in fellowship training.

Hi Kaitlyn! 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...

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Good luck! 

Abby 

Community Management Intern at CareerVillage.org