4 answers
Anita
Student
North Haven, Connecticut
21
Questions
Asked
723 views
What should I look for in a Medical School?
Just a sophomore (High School) wondering about the Medical School process- specifically whether or not there are some specifics I should look out for.
Login to comment
4 answers
Christina H
Emergency Physician
9
Answers
Worcester, Massachusetts
Updated
Christina’s Answer
Emergency Physician here. You asked a question that I bet a lot of high school students are interested in. First, I'll review the order of the path to becoming a physician and then I'll start at the end of the process and then work backwards to tell you what you can do as a high school sophomore.
To become a physician, you must:
Complete high school or earn a GED (in the US).
Complete college.
During college, complete pre-medical prerequisite courses. (If you did not do this during college, you can take additional classes after graduating to complete them.
Take the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) and get a competitive score. (This can be taken more than once, if necessary.)
Get into a 4-year medical school (in the US; other countries have different education).
Compete 4-years of medical school.
During med school, take and pass the Step 1 USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exam)
Complete and pass med school.
At the end of med school, take and pass the Step 2 USMLE.
The last year of med school, apply to, interview for, and match into a residency training program (this is where you choose a field, such as Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Dermatology, Psychiatry, etc...)
Graduate medical school! Congratulations, you have earned your MD! (or DO!)
Start residency, which is 3-7 years long, depending on what field/specialty you pick.
During residency, you are called a "resident physician", but the very first year, you are called an "intern", no matter what field you pick. Saying "intern" is like saying "freshman"...the first year.
After one year of residency, take and pass the Step 3 USMLE.
Complete residency.
(During residency, you get paid approximately $55,000-60,000 (in 2022) per year and work about 60-80 hour per week on average. You learn TONS on a daily basis and you have INCREDIBLE amounts of responsibility in caring for patients. Accountability is critically important. You will use your brain and your hands to take care of patients. You work so hard that you have to put patients first a lot of the time. You will be tired, but it is still a great experience overall. You are working as a physician, since you are an MD or DO, but you are in a training program, so you are a physician trainee.)
As residency is ending, you will decide if you are going to apply for jobs as a physician OR if you are going to do a Fellowship. Fellowship is sort of like residency, usually 1-3 more years, and is subspecialty training. For example: Cardiology, Toxicology, Neuro-ophthalmology, Pediatric Critical Care, etc.
After all your training, you will complete a Board Certification exam in your field, so that you can be a "Board Certified physician".
Then, at the end of all this, you will be working as a physician, paying back med school loans if you have them, and doing all the things doctors do.
Part of maintaining a physician license is paying for and taking continuing education courses, recertification exams, and such things. Education and learning continues to some extent forever.
SOooooo, as you can see it is an arduous process, but do not let that stop you if it is your dream. It is very challenging on this end of things, as an Emergency Physician, who worked through a pandemic, who feels the pressures of the industry of medicine which is run like a business (again, in the US), BUT, I am still glad that I did it. It is an incredible job that can be very rewarding.
The things that help you at each step of the process are: intelligence, hard-working, not-giving-up, integrity and accountability, caring for other people, demonstrating passion and perseverance, patient care and medical knowledge and skills.
So, as a high school sophomore, you should:
Take the hardest classes that you can be successful at, and work really hard in them.
Do ANY kind of extracurricular activities, to demonstrate that you can prioritize your time to achieve good academic scores AND build other skills that make you relatable and well-balances. These non-academic things are also the sort of thing that help you get through medical school, by not losing yourself in the books.
When facing a big exam, definitely put the work in to try to get the best score you can.
Build your study and note-taking skills. If you have trouble with this, SEEK HELP from your school to build studying skills.
Develop a method of keeping track of tasks and homework and your schedule in a way that you have good accountability and don't miss important deadlines. No matter where you are in this process, hold on to your dreams, and *surround yourself with people who want you to succeed*. Good luck! I'm cheering you on!
To become a physician, you must:
Complete high school or earn a GED (in the US).
Complete college.
During college, complete pre-medical prerequisite courses. (If you did not do this during college, you can take additional classes after graduating to complete them.
Take the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) and get a competitive score. (This can be taken more than once, if necessary.)
Get into a 4-year medical school (in the US; other countries have different education).
Compete 4-years of medical school.
During med school, take and pass the Step 1 USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exam)
Complete and pass med school.
At the end of med school, take and pass the Step 2 USMLE.
The last year of med school, apply to, interview for, and match into a residency training program (this is where you choose a field, such as Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Dermatology, Psychiatry, etc...)
Graduate medical school! Congratulations, you have earned your MD! (or DO!)
Start residency, which is 3-7 years long, depending on what field/specialty you pick.
During residency, you are called a "resident physician", but the very first year, you are called an "intern", no matter what field you pick. Saying "intern" is like saying "freshman"...the first year.
After one year of residency, take and pass the Step 3 USMLE.
Complete residency.
(During residency, you get paid approximately $55,000-60,000 (in 2022) per year and work about 60-80 hour per week on average. You learn TONS on a daily basis and you have INCREDIBLE amounts of responsibility in caring for patients. Accountability is critically important. You will use your brain and your hands to take care of patients. You work so hard that you have to put patients first a lot of the time. You will be tired, but it is still a great experience overall. You are working as a physician, since you are an MD or DO, but you are in a training program, so you are a physician trainee.)
As residency is ending, you will decide if you are going to apply for jobs as a physician OR if you are going to do a Fellowship. Fellowship is sort of like residency, usually 1-3 more years, and is subspecialty training. For example: Cardiology, Toxicology, Neuro-ophthalmology, Pediatric Critical Care, etc.
After all your training, you will complete a Board Certification exam in your field, so that you can be a "Board Certified physician".
Then, at the end of all this, you will be working as a physician, paying back med school loans if you have them, and doing all the things doctors do.
Part of maintaining a physician license is paying for and taking continuing education courses, recertification exams, and such things. Education and learning continues to some extent forever.
SOooooo, as you can see it is an arduous process, but do not let that stop you if it is your dream. It is very challenging on this end of things, as an Emergency Physician, who worked through a pandemic, who feels the pressures of the industry of medicine which is run like a business (again, in the US), BUT, I am still glad that I did it. It is an incredible job that can be very rewarding.
The things that help you at each step of the process are: intelligence, hard-working, not-giving-up, integrity and accountability, caring for other people, demonstrating passion and perseverance, patient care and medical knowledge and skills.
So, as a high school sophomore, you should:
Christina recommends the following next steps:
This is perfect! Thank you so much! :)
Anita
Yasemin G.
Aspiring physician
635
Answers
Updated
Yasemin’s Answer
Hi Anita ! Definitely still early but a good approach to thinking about medical school! I think it's important to do well in college when applying to medical school. Some things I personally would consider is MCAT score/GPA averages for the medical school (you want to be able to apply and be competitive stat wise) in state or out of state (tuition does vary but of course many medical students come from out of state as well but being an in state applicant can at times give you a competitive advantage at that medical school you are applying for), match rate for residency, passing your board exams, the student environment, student support, clinical rotations, etc. These are just some things to consider but as a high schooler I would first focus on getting into college, doing well in your classes and MCAT exam, and getting experience for your application cycle such as shadowing a physician, volunteering and finding yourself in a clinical setting. I would like to leave you with some helpful websites to check out below as these can be a great start to planning!
I wish you the best!
Please let me know if you have further questions!
MedicalSchool HQ (Dr.Gray's Youtube videos and Podcasts)
AAMC/AACOMAS website for MD/DO applicants respectively
Kaplan for MCAT and prerequisites required
Khan Academy for MCAT and other prerequisite topic help
I wish you the best!
Please let me know if you have further questions!
Yasemin recommends the following next steps:
Thanks, can't wait to put this advice into action!
Anita
You're welcome!
Yasemin G.
Tamera K
Physician Assistant Student
4
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Tamera’s Answer
Hi Anita, thanks for posting this question on the forum. I'm currently a PA student graduating in December, just to put another perspective on things. I originally wanted to go to medical school, but once I researched more about this profession I realized that the PA route would be better for me. The fact that you are able to move laterally between specialities is what drew me most to this profession. It's also less schooling compared to medical school. I chose to apply to programs after graduated undergrad and programs range between 2-3 years, but you can also apply to direct entry PA programs right out of high school as you are applying to undergrad programs. These programs are using 5-5 1/2 year programs depending on the school.
During high school, I volunteered at a local hospital and this experience truly sparked my interest in the medical field. I worked as an EMT before PA school and I highly recommend looking into EMT programs during your high school summer breaks. It is a great exposure to medicine as a student and the pre-hospital setting. I also worked in a lab one summer during undergrad and realized that environment was not for me. However, with this experience I realized that I wanted to be more in the clinical setting. Therefore, as a student you should try all the opportunities available to you and go from there.
During high school, I volunteered at a local hospital and this experience truly sparked my interest in the medical field. I worked as an EMT before PA school and I highly recommend looking into EMT programs during your high school summer breaks. It is a great exposure to medicine as a student and the pre-hospital setting. I also worked in a lab one summer during undergrad and realized that environment was not for me. However, with this experience I realized that I wanted to be more in the clinical setting. Therefore, as a student you should try all the opportunities available to you and go from there.
Ahh I see, thank you!
Anita
Vijay Patel
Technical Sales
1
Answer
Cumming, Georgia
Updated
Vijay’s Answer
Anita: Thank you for your question. You have received valuable advice from others here already so I will not repeat it. My perspective is from a parent of two in the medical field.
(1) Make sure you are interested in the medical field - that is the key to being successful.
(2) Since you are in High School - participate in HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) club in your school.
(3) Seek volunteering and shadowing opportunities at local Hospitals and with EMTs now and when doing your undergraduate program.
(4) Prepare for the best score on MCAT and get the best GPA in College.
(1) Make sure you are interested in the medical field - that is the key to being successful.
(2) Since you are in High School - participate in HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) club in your school.
(3) Seek volunteering and shadowing opportunities at local Hospitals and with EMTs now and when doing your undergraduate program.
(4) Prepare for the best score on MCAT and get the best GPA in College.
I see, thank you!
Anita