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What are the steps to become a pediatrician? And how many years? #CV23
I’ve always wanted to become a pediatrician because, I love helping people and I’m good at working with kids. But, before pursing a career in the medical field I want to know the steps and, how many years will it take from now?
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Michel’s Answer
Like others have said it is a very long time 4 for undergrad may need a gap year before medical school depending. Then 4 more years for medical school. After that another 3-4 depending on residency. So on the short end it would be 11 and on the long end it would be 13 which is a huge decision to make. I think before you dive in and make that decision enjoy college a little bit. Ask doctors in your community if you can shadow them. If you love what you see that time frame will mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. Doctors work extremely hard to become a physician and there is no doubt about that, but many peds doctors really enjoy what they do. I think it is important to shadow and understand what you are getting into and that can help you make a much more informed decision. It is a lot easier to do this schooling when you know what lies at the end of all of the training. Once you are in the third year of your medical school you will start getting a lot more exposure to treating patients and you will start helping with treatment plans so it is not like you are going to go 11 years then finally start helping patients. You will be helping patients a lot earlier than that and you will be making a difference even if it is just listening to someone when they are having a really hard time.
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Hieu’s Answer
4 years for bachelor, the degree is not so important. I assume you are bright enough to study and pass all exams.
During that time or after, you will need research experience, clinical experience (volunteer or shadow a Dr.) and travel or sports or teaching would be helpful.
4 years of medical school with extracurricular and volunteering is pediatric focused. Find a pediatric mentor.
3 years of Pediatric residency. Find mentor in subspecialty of interest.
3 years for any Pediatric specialty.
I did my training at Wayne State and Children's Hospital of Michigan. Amazing place to get your experience. Just call the front office.
During that time or after, you will need research experience, clinical experience (volunteer or shadow a Dr.) and travel or sports or teaching would be helpful.
4 years of medical school with extracurricular and volunteering is pediatric focused. Find a pediatric mentor.
3 years of Pediatric residency. Find mentor in subspecialty of interest.
3 years for any Pediatric specialty.
I did my training at Wayne State and Children's Hospital of Michigan. Amazing place to get your experience. Just call the front office.
Updated
Christine’s Answer
Nice summary Darian.
Malak, if 11 years seems daunting consider getting stackable credentials. As you go through your schooling you can get smaller credentials and work to make money from the medical field while gaining experience and possibly forming an incredible network (knowing the right people to get the job you want later on down the road).
Malak, if 11 years seems daunting consider getting stackable credentials. As you go through your schooling you can get smaller credentials and work to make money from the medical field while gaining experience and possibly forming an incredible network (knowing the right people to get the job you want later on down the road).
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Pamela’s Answer
Malak, the previous answers are excellent so I won’t repeat them. Do keep in mind as you read them that the education and training that is necessary to become a doctor is challenging and the number of years sounds daunting, but the journey is very exciting for the most part. Of course, taking exams is not fun, but the time you spend doing the clinical part of your training is fascinating and the time will fly by. It’s not easy, but you will be privileged to help people. Its rewarding and worth the effort.
If you decide that clinical pediatrics is not necessarily the right path, I can tell you that my husband (who was once a pediatric oncologist) now works for a company that makes cancer immunotherapy drugs that mostly benefit children. So there are many ways to help kids that are not necessarily through the clinical medicine route.
Hope this was helpful!
If you decide that clinical pediatrics is not necessarily the right path, I can tell you that my husband (who was once a pediatric oncologist) now works for a company that makes cancer immunotherapy drugs that mostly benefit children. So there are many ways to help kids that are not necessarily through the clinical medicine route.
Hope this was helpful!
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Darian’s Answer
Malak,
I am going to put this as simply as possible. It is important to note that during many steps of this process you may need to take a gap year to gather experience before being able to move on to the next step.
The first step to becoming a pediatrician is graduating high school and getting into college.
You will need four/five years to complete a bachelor's degree.
From there's you will need to pass the MCAT (medical college admissions test) and apply to medical school.
Medical school is then another four years. You will obtain your MD here.
During this process, you will take the USMLE step 1 & 2. You will use this to apply to a pediatric residency position.
Once in, you will take the USMLE 3 and boards for the pediatric specialty. Residency for pediatricians is roughly three years.
So, if you get into everything on your first try and take no gap years you are looking at 11 years after highschool. If you graduate when you're 18, you will be 29 at the very earliest when you are a fully licensed practicing physician.
Good luck and remember to look into each of these steps individually. There are many requirements to get into medical school and residency which sometimes take years to accomplish.
I am going to put this as simply as possible. It is important to note that during many steps of this process you may need to take a gap year to gather experience before being able to move on to the next step.
The first step to becoming a pediatrician is graduating high school and getting into college.
You will need four/five years to complete a bachelor's degree.
From there's you will need to pass the MCAT (medical college admissions test) and apply to medical school.
Medical school is then another four years. You will obtain your MD here.
During this process, you will take the USMLE step 1 & 2. You will use this to apply to a pediatric residency position.
Once in, you will take the USMLE 3 and boards for the pediatric specialty. Residency for pediatricians is roughly three years.
So, if you get into everything on your first try and take no gap years you are looking at 11 years after highschool. If you graduate when you're 18, you will be 29 at the very earliest when you are a fully licensed practicing physician.
Good luck and remember to look into each of these steps individually. There are many requirements to get into medical school and residency which sometimes take years to accomplish.
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Annie’s Answer
In addition to the other answers here, I wanted to mention that there are many ways you can help/work with kids in the medical field besides becoming a pediatrician. Pediatric nurses or nurse practitioners, physician assistants specializing and pediatrics, speech and language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, pediatric talk therapists etc. There are so many different medical professions out there that I never even knew about when I was applying to college. Some of these professions require fewer years of schooling and can feel more attainable to people. I also know pediatricians who got through all the schooling and love their jobs. It's always good to look at all your options!
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James Constantine’s Answer
Start your journey by exploring Google to discover professional organizations, societies, or associations for pediatricians throughout the United States. Familiarize yourself with their requirements for earning the prestigious title of "pediatrician". Next, delve into research on accredited universities that offer medical programs. Remember, securing a PhD can be challenging, but it's not impossible. The competition may be tough, but don't let that deter you. Once you've achieved that, your path to specializing in Pediatrics should become significantly smoother. Keep going, you're capable of achieving great things!