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What courses should I take to become a general surgeon? #EOY22
Hello! I am interested in becoming a general surgeon but I just wanted to see what courses I should take in highschool to get prepared for it in college. Thank you so much in advance!
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Michael’s Answer
Hi Diya:
Physicians and Surgeons are similar in their responsibilities and duties in taking care of patients and in dealing with hospital staff and medical personnel. The main difference between the two professionals is that Surgeons operate on patients whereas Physicians do not. Physicians diagnose patients and treat their medical conditions. Operations performed by Surgeons can be treating injuries like broken bones, removal of diseases like tumors and cancers, deformities, etc.
While in high school, one will need to focus on science and math classes to prepare to be a Physician or a Surgeon. Chemistry and biology will be the core science courses. For math, algebra, calculus and statistics will be needed. Both concentrations will enable you to focus and refine your analytical skills for research; complex problem solving; investigative and innovative critical thinking; attention to detail; etc.
Other skills that will need to be built upon center around team building, team work and communication. In any work culture, collaboration among team members, staff and partner departments occur on a daily basis. As a Physician or a Surgeon, communication is essential and critical when dealing with hospital staff and patients. A college course in Public Speaking, Communication and English will help with one's communication and writing skills.
To become a Physician or a Surgeon, a Bachelor Degree in Biology, pre-med or another science related field has to be earned at a college or university. Afterwards, a doctorate degree from an accredited medical school has to be obtained. The next phase will be training through a medical residency as well as medical certification and licensing.
For education and training, it will take up to 14 years to become a Physician or a Surgeon. The Bachelor Degree will be between 4-5 years. Medical school will be another 4-5 years. Medical residency, medical certification and licensing can take up to 3-4 years.
Being a Physician or a Surgeon can be a demanding and rewarding profession, especially depending if there is a specialized field or concentration. Remember, as a Physician or a Surgeon, you are the professional who saves lives. Your patients are impacted by you.
While in college, here are some undergraduate degrees to major in order to become a Physician or a Surgeon:
- Organic Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Chemistry
It will be best to seek advice from your high school guidance counselor as well as teachers to help you focus your interests for a specific major in college.
According to U.S. News & World Report, here is an overview of pursuing medical school:
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools
According to U.S. News & World Report, here are the top colleges and universities to consider for Medical School:
- Harvard University
- John Hopkins University
- University of Pennsylvania (Perelman)
- Columbia University
- Duke University
- Stanford University
- University of California (San Francisco)
- Vanderbilt University
- Washington University (St. Louis)
- Cornell University (Weill)
- New York University (Grossman)
- Yale University
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/research-rankings
When reviewing colleges and universities, it is best to check the following:
- In-State vs Out of State Tuition
- Internships
- Scholarships
- Career Placement upon graduation
- Course work and offered classes
- Post-Graduate Degrees - Master and Doctoral
There are scholarships based on need, academic performance, school activities, sports involvement and community service. So, it will be to your advantage to seek out these types of scholarships. All of the academic staff at your high school that you interact with can write letters of recommendations for you based on what was just stated above. These recommendations can greatly help when filling out college and scholarship applications.
Scholarship applications can start to be submitted during your Junior year and will continue throughout your Senior year in high school. It is best to ask your Academic Advisor/School Counselor on the timeline process as well. Scholarship applications will have specific deadlines and requirements to meet in order to be submitted for review and consideration.
You may want to start to compile your resume/portfolio since a majority of scholarship applications will require academic grade point average (GPA), academic accomplishments, school activities (clubs, sports, etc.), community involvement (volunteer, church, etc.), academic and personal recommendations, etc. There may be essay requirements on why you are a qualified candidate to receive the scholarship, what your future goals are academically and professionally and other questions centering around who you are, your beliefs, etc.
Here are a couple of links for College Scholarships:
https://www.mometrix.com/blog/scholarships-for-college/
https://www.nchchonors.org/students/awards-scholarships/national-scholarships
Also, it will be best to check with the colleges and universities that you will be applying to. You can check with the School/Department of your desired major, the Campus Career Center and the Register's Office for additional information for college scholarships and grants and specific requirements for qualifications.
Best wishes for your education and career path as a Physician or a Surgeon!
Physicians and Surgeons are similar in their responsibilities and duties in taking care of patients and in dealing with hospital staff and medical personnel. The main difference between the two professionals is that Surgeons operate on patients whereas Physicians do not. Physicians diagnose patients and treat their medical conditions. Operations performed by Surgeons can be treating injuries like broken bones, removal of diseases like tumors and cancers, deformities, etc.
While in high school, one will need to focus on science and math classes to prepare to be a Physician or a Surgeon. Chemistry and biology will be the core science courses. For math, algebra, calculus and statistics will be needed. Both concentrations will enable you to focus and refine your analytical skills for research; complex problem solving; investigative and innovative critical thinking; attention to detail; etc.
Other skills that will need to be built upon center around team building, team work and communication. In any work culture, collaboration among team members, staff and partner departments occur on a daily basis. As a Physician or a Surgeon, communication is essential and critical when dealing with hospital staff and patients. A college course in Public Speaking, Communication and English will help with one's communication and writing skills.
To become a Physician or a Surgeon, a Bachelor Degree in Biology, pre-med or another science related field has to be earned at a college or university. Afterwards, a doctorate degree from an accredited medical school has to be obtained. The next phase will be training through a medical residency as well as medical certification and licensing.
For education and training, it will take up to 14 years to become a Physician or a Surgeon. The Bachelor Degree will be between 4-5 years. Medical school will be another 4-5 years. Medical residency, medical certification and licensing can take up to 3-4 years.
Being a Physician or a Surgeon can be a demanding and rewarding profession, especially depending if there is a specialized field or concentration. Remember, as a Physician or a Surgeon, you are the professional who saves lives. Your patients are impacted by you.
While in college, here are some undergraduate degrees to major in order to become a Physician or a Surgeon:
- Organic Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Chemistry
It will be best to seek advice from your high school guidance counselor as well as teachers to help you focus your interests for a specific major in college.
According to U.S. News & World Report, here is an overview of pursuing medical school:
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools
According to U.S. News & World Report, here are the top colleges and universities to consider for Medical School:
- Harvard University
- John Hopkins University
- University of Pennsylvania (Perelman)
- Columbia University
- Duke University
- Stanford University
- University of California (San Francisco)
- Vanderbilt University
- Washington University (St. Louis)
- Cornell University (Weill)
- New York University (Grossman)
- Yale University
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/research-rankings
When reviewing colleges and universities, it is best to check the following:
- In-State vs Out of State Tuition
- Internships
- Scholarships
- Career Placement upon graduation
- Course work and offered classes
- Post-Graduate Degrees - Master and Doctoral
There are scholarships based on need, academic performance, school activities, sports involvement and community service. So, it will be to your advantage to seek out these types of scholarships. All of the academic staff at your high school that you interact with can write letters of recommendations for you based on what was just stated above. These recommendations can greatly help when filling out college and scholarship applications.
Scholarship applications can start to be submitted during your Junior year and will continue throughout your Senior year in high school. It is best to ask your Academic Advisor/School Counselor on the timeline process as well. Scholarship applications will have specific deadlines and requirements to meet in order to be submitted for review and consideration.
You may want to start to compile your resume/portfolio since a majority of scholarship applications will require academic grade point average (GPA), academic accomplishments, school activities (clubs, sports, etc.), community involvement (volunteer, church, etc.), academic and personal recommendations, etc. There may be essay requirements on why you are a qualified candidate to receive the scholarship, what your future goals are academically and professionally and other questions centering around who you are, your beliefs, etc.
Here are a couple of links for College Scholarships:
https://www.mometrix.com/blog/scholarships-for-college/
https://www.nchchonors.org/students/awards-scholarships/national-scholarships
Also, it will be best to check with the colleges and universities that you will be applying to. You can check with the School/Department of your desired major, the Campus Career Center and the Register's Office for additional information for college scholarships and grants and specific requirements for qualifications.
Best wishes for your education and career path as a Physician or a Surgeon!
Updated
Ebere’s Answer
Your college courses better aligns with you future choice of becoming a surgeon
Updated
Rita’s Answer
As a surgeon, you will need to go to medical school so there are certain courses in college that you will be required to take such as Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Physics. You can major in whatever field interests you. Most premed students major in a science but that is not a requirement.
Updated
Kate’s Answer
I would focus on enjoying high school! The classes you take in high school won't matter on a medical school application, so if you're looking at it from that standpoint I would take classes you enjoy. If you want to take classes that are related to the medical field in college, I would take all biology courses you can, as well as chemistry and anatomy courses. For electives, try signing up for courses like sports medicine which sometimes allow you to be a student athletic trainer for your schools sports teams. You are still very early on in your academic career, so my advice would be to enjoy the most of it before it gets harder!
Updated
Courtney’s Answer
Diya,
Good on you to be looking forward to becoming a general surgeon while in high school!!!
My advice will be unique, but I hope helpful:
I would think of the journey as a pyramid. You need the foundation to be as wide and strong as it can be. Then the structure is built on that incrementally until the peak is reached. Make your caseload as broad and diverse you can in high school. This is when you should start getting study habits and time management up to speed, not necessarily focusing on specific classes. There will be more than enough time to do that after high school. Be well rounded. Read and partake in as many activities as you can.
The academic journey tapers like the pyramid does and pretty soon all you will feel like you have time to do is to study medicine/surgery. Enjoy your "now".
Hope this helps.
Good on you to be looking forward to becoming a general surgeon while in high school!!!
My advice will be unique, but I hope helpful:
I would think of the journey as a pyramid. You need the foundation to be as wide and strong as it can be. Then the structure is built on that incrementally until the peak is reached. Make your caseload as broad and diverse you can in high school. This is when you should start getting study habits and time management up to speed, not necessarily focusing on specific classes. There will be more than enough time to do that after high school. Be well rounded. Read and partake in as many activities as you can.
The academic journey tapers like the pyramid does and pretty soon all you will feel like you have time to do is to study medicine/surgery. Enjoy your "now".
Hope this helps.