How many years of college did you need to go through to be an OBGYN? ?
Hello! My name is Vy, and I am a highschool students.
I am a current high school student. I'm conducting an interview with any professional in the OBGYN field for a Foundations in Health Science Class project about careers! I have createda total of 13 questions. Comment on this post, answering all 13 questions
to be apart of my assignment!
1. What profession did you choose? Why?
2. How many years of college did you need to go through?
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional
job?
4. How can I decide if I should earn a Ph.D. in this field?
5. Were you in a college program?
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date
7. Did you shadow another
professional in the field?
8. Did you join any school clubs
related to your current profession?
9. Was there a particular subject you
struggled with during your school
years?
10. What skill sets did you learn or
gain while pursuing your career?
11. What is the salary or pay like?
12. What is the work environment like?
13. What tasks do you perform on a day to day basis as an OBGYN?
2 answers
Megan’s Answer
2) You don’t “need” a certain number of years of college. However long it takes you to complete a bachelor’s degree. If you do AP classes in high school that can give you college credit, or take classes in the summer you can finish it as early as 3 years. I decided to get two majors which took me 5 years.
3) I worked during high school, college and my master’s program. I did not work a job during medical school. After medical school an ObGyn residency is not only training it is paid work. I have been working as an ObGyn since I completed residency.
4) I don’t have a PhD but an MD. If there is a field of interest that you would like to get a PhD in, several medical schools MD/PhD path - typical takes 7 years to complete all the coursework for both and defend your PhD thesis. To get accepted to one of these programs typically students found something they want to study and have already done research projects, and possibly already been published in scientific journals while in college as well as exceptional college grades.
5) You need a college degree to apply to medical school.
6) Many students stop college, return later, graduate and work in a different field and then go back to college to get the pre requisites to apply to medical school. I always wanted to go medical school.
7) My father was a doctor and I worked I his office in high school and college. I have 4 brothers and sisters who did not become doctors, and one brother who became a doctor.
8) You can join a lot of different clubs in college or medical school. I would say join those clubs you are patient about, actually want to be active in, volunteer, be a leader in -showing commitment and consistency is more important than the type of club.
9) Organic chemistry - I got a C on my first test and thought my life was over, Turns out it wasn’t!
10) Working in my father’s office taught me you have to work hard, be prepared to work long hours, be able analyze situations quickly, talk and more importantly how to listen to patients to get to the diagnosis.
11) How much you make depends on how hard you are willing to work, the type of practice model you work in and how you are paid in that practice model. You can be an employee of the hospital and get a salary or work in a private practice whereby what you make depends on how much money is collected after you submit the bill to the insurance companies. Once you have the money if you are in private practice you have to pay all your bills (rent, equipment, your employees salaries and malpractice insurance) before you pay yourself.
12) Depends on where you work! most doctors and nurses enjoy working with women. It all depends if everyone gets along as to how happy or toxic the work environment is - just like anywhere else. Though there are long hours and hard work burnt rewarding which is why we do it.
13) Depends on the day. Some days in clinic, or the operating room or labor and delivery. There is no typical day which keeps it interesting.
Thank you, this is amazing! I really needed it.
Vy
Fred’s Answer
Bachelors degree - 4 years
Medical school - 4 years
Residency - this varies depending on specialty, but I believe OB/GYN is 4 years. And if there are sub-specialties (i do not know), that could be another 3 or so years.
Now, it is possible to shorten some of this. If you have AP credits from high school, you may be able to get through your undergraduate a bit faster. Some schools (like UMKC) offer a combined bachelor/med school program that takes six years, but if you decide it's not for you, very little transfers to some other kind of undergraduate degree.