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How many years of schooling does it take to become a pediatrician?

I want to be a pediatrician but I dont know if all the schooling is worth it.

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Sunil’s Answer

Hi Addie.
If you are considering to be a Pediatrician, after high school you need to attend
-Undergraduate college for bachelor’s degree for 4 years ( Take MCAT between 2nd and third year)
-Get admission to Medical school
-Complete 4 years of Medical school
-complete 3 years of Pediatrics residency and take Board exam to get Board certified in Pediatrics.
-Although you can practice as a pediatrician even if you are not board certified as long as you have state medical license.
All these are worth going through in my experience.
Good Luck.
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Garrett’s Answer

To become a Pediatrician you need to go to college (4 years usually) medical school for 4 years and then a residency in pediatrics which also includes your first-year internship and that's 3 years. Then if you would want to specialize further you can do a fellowship that can be 1 year or more depending on the area of specialty. So the total for a general pediatrician is 11 years after high school. You could alternatively choose to become a physician's assistant or nurse practitioner and it would be less time.
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quintavius’s Answer

The most i have heard is around 18 months to complete required courses to become one. So thats one and a half years which is not bad at all and will be worth it in the future. Some courses you can try to get a diploma which sometimes take only 9 months to get. The pay is good and you will be helping out a lot of people trust me, its worth it. BEST OF LUCK.
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Sheila’s Answer

Hi Addie:

The journey to become a Pediatrician is a long and expensive one but, it is achievable. My son is currently a Pediatrician in a "fellowship program" (specializing). In observing his journey from a Mom's perspective here are some key steps to consider on your path:

1) Make high scores on the SAT & ACT exams
2) Select a college/university that offers at least "Biological Science" (you don't have to major in Pre-Med, Math, etc.). Degree = 4 years
3) Score well on the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) the "first time. Retake the exam if necessary
4) Apply to "all" the Medical Schools of your interest
5) Medical School = 4 years
5 a) Find an Internship Program (paid or volunteer) over a summer
5 b) DO NOT limit yourself to where you would like to get residency Matched (simply because you may get put on a "wait-list" and then you're competing all over again with the newest college graduates)
6) Residency = average is 3 to 4 years (this comes after Medical School)
6 a) Fellowship = average is 3 to 4 years (this is where you Specialize in, which is after Residency)

My son got into Med School immediately after completing college and enjoy being a Pediatrician. Below is a recap on the timeline it took him to get to where he is today. . . . . .

• Get your Bachelor's Degree (4 years)
• Take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT Exam) and score well. Retake it if necessary
• Medical School (4 years)
• Begin the Licensure process
• Residency in Pediatrics (3 years)
• Become Board Certified
• Fellowship Program (3 years)

Best of luck to you on your journey. You can do it! 😉

Sheila recommends the following next steps:

Score high on SAT & ACT exams
Obtain a Bachelor's Degree
Score well on the MCAT test • https://students-residents.aamc.org/taking-mcat-exam/taking-mcat-exam
Find a summer Internship Program (paid or volunteer)
Apply to all medical schools of your interest. Rank them from top to lowest
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