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Vocational Inquiry

I got heart surgery about 2 years ago and since then I have stuck to the idea of being in the health field. I KNOW I want to be a Cardiologist. However, I don't know if I want to be a surgeon or physician. I had asked my cardiologist what classes they thought I should take and they said AP Math and/or Intro Physics. I took AP Statistics last year and I am currently taking AP English Language and Macroeconomics. I wanted to take AP Biology next year and get a job so I don't think I can do both.

I wanted to ask:

-Which one of the two classes should I take?
-Are there any common classes for both surgeons and physicians?
-What classes should I take if I choose to be a surgeon? a physician?
-What major do I have to choose to become a cardiologist? Is there a best choice?
-Do colleges want to see some sort of job experience or internship on resumes? If so, is there a minimum?
-Would college care if I pass an AP class but fail the exam? Would it look bad on me?
-What does a day as a cardiologist look like? For surgeons? Physicians?
-Who do I go to if I want an internship? Do I have to find one on my own?
-On average, how many years does it take to get my Masters and MD for Cardiology?

surgeon physician fall22 cardiologist
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Raquel’s Answer

It’s great that you’re looking into this now! Fred did a good job of explaining that a surgeon is a specialty you go into in residency once you graduate medical school, so whether or not you do surgery you’re still a physician. Getting to that point is a long road and takes a lot of hard work. Taking a variety of biology, chemistry, and physics classes in high school is beneficial, but the classes you take in college are what will matter for medical school. Undergraduate schools don’t care if you don’t pass the AP exam, you just don’t get the credit and have to take the class. However it is important to note that a lot of medical schools do not accept AP credit for their prerequisite requirements.
To get into medical school you need 1 year biology with lab, 1 year general chemistry with lab, 1 year organic chemistry with lab, and 1 year physics with lab. There are also often requirements for psychology, sociology, statistics, calculus, and biochemistry. But it varies school to school. You will need to take the MCAT which is the entrance exam. Your score will play a large role in what medical schools you apply to. You will so need a variety of extra curricular activities including volunteering, research, leadership, and shadowing physicians. You can pick any major to get into medical school, so long as you take all the prerequisite classes. It’s very common for people to major in biology or chemistry. It will take at least 4 years of undergraduate school, 4 years of medical school, and 5-8 years of residency to become a cardiologist or surgeon. Within the field of cardiology you could be a cardiothoracic surgeon, performing full surgery (open heart) or you could be an interventional cardiologist placing stents and doing valve replacements, or a noninterventional cardiologist managing patients conditions.
There aren’t internships you can get, but shadowing is excellent, or you could get a job working in the medical field such as being an ER scribe. That would give you exposure to the field and working with doctors.
Thank you comment icon I will use this advice as I prepare for my career. Nana
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Fred’s Answer

This is not my field, so i may not have all the answers...but a surgeon IS A physician...at least in the U.S.

A physician is someone who is authorized to perform medicine. A surgeon is a physician who has had advanced training in the specialty of surgery. You can even sub-specialize, and be a specific kind of surgeon. Heart, plastic, vascular...i'm sure there are plenty more. I believe i once heard you can even specialize down to operating on people's right hand (as opposed to the left). I'm not sure how many of these are official sub-specialties and which are just "I can do A or B, but strongly prefer B" types.

My understanding of school is :
high school diploma (preferred) or GED (4 years)
undergraduate degree (BA or BS) (4 years)
Medical school (4 years)
then you do residencies, internships, and other trainings. (varies, depending on your specialities)

I think AP Bio would be good.

Colleges don't care if you fail the AP exam. If you pass, you get to skip a class or two in college, otherwise you still have to take them.

I think even though med school, there'd be little difference in what classes you'd take.

Note: a cardiologist is not a surgeon, as I understand it. You could be a cardio-thoracic surgeon, if you want to do surgery on hearts (I think that's correct).

I hope this helps.
Thank you comment icon I appreciate this, thank you for the advice. Nana
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Janet’s Answer

Dear Nana,

Congratulations on your career aspirations! We are all pulling for you.

I agree with Fred [except about the right hand versus left hand thing]. You don't need a master's degree to become a cardiologist or a surgeon.

Your first hurdle is to get into college/university. You want to travel a well-worn path; that is, make sure the graduates of the college you choose regularly get into medical school.

If you can manage it, choose only jobs that enhance your career or career options. Are you fluent in more than one language? Get certified as a medical translator. Becoming a medical scribe is an excellent suggestion.

Find a mentor. Contact your local medical society and see if they can pair you with a woman who is a cardiologist or a surgeon. Take her to lunch.

Best of luck!
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