3 answers
Manuela
Student
Puyallup, Washington
1
Question
Asked
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What's the path to becoming a Pediatric surgeon/ General surgeon Any recommended schools??
Detailed pathway and what to expect, prior experiences, what classes did you take in high school? Recommended majors?
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3 answers
Jonathan Wells MD, FAAFP
Family Physician
7
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Jonathan’s Answer
The prior answer gave me anxiety reading through it for the exact ways you need to be.
It is great you are thinking about the exact pathway you want to work in at this point even in high school.
There will be required courses that will be needed to satisfy any pre-medical pathways in the sciences (organic chemistry, biology/anatomy, etc.) that show you have the problem solving, logistics, and memorization skills that will be useful to make it into medical school. This does NOT mean that you have to major only in biology or chemistry - as an advisor once told me, you will be thinking about topics in these areas for the rest of your life so it is more important to find topic areas and passions that will supplement/add to how you view the world (I went into family medicine and use my cultural anthropology major learnings to think about how individuals learn/function in their larger settings; I could imagine taking courses in engineering helping understand biomechanics at play in surgery field, etc.)
There will also be a requirement to show that you know what you are getting into and that you express your passion in - if you want to become a pediatric surgeon what experiences and interactions have you had with children, their families, and their caregivers who would be in those fields (e.g.. volunteering affiliated with a hospital like Mary's Bridge or Seattle Children's).
The final element I will add is that while it is great to do the required things, you also have to be able to synthesize it in a way that helps you come across as a candidate from afar and shows a sense of a person who has thought about what they are getting into. Not everyone is great at writing about themselves so taking steps to learn how to write about your goals (or having a good friend/family to help edit) will be helpful as will any work/lived experience where are are coordinating a task as a team towards a goal (e.g.. outdoor backpacking trips, building tiny-homes, etc.).
It is great you are thinking about the exact pathway you want to work in at this point even in high school.
There will be required courses that will be needed to satisfy any pre-medical pathways in the sciences (organic chemistry, biology/anatomy, etc.) that show you have the problem solving, logistics, and memorization skills that will be useful to make it into medical school. This does NOT mean that you have to major only in biology or chemistry - as an advisor once told me, you will be thinking about topics in these areas for the rest of your life so it is more important to find topic areas and passions that will supplement/add to how you view the world (I went into family medicine and use my cultural anthropology major learnings to think about how individuals learn/function in their larger settings; I could imagine taking courses in engineering helping understand biomechanics at play in surgery field, etc.)
There will also be a requirement to show that you know what you are getting into and that you express your passion in - if you want to become a pediatric surgeon what experiences and interactions have you had with children, their families, and their caregivers who would be in those fields (e.g.. volunteering affiliated with a hospital like Mary's Bridge or Seattle Children's).
The final element I will add is that while it is great to do the required things, you also have to be able to synthesize it in a way that helps you come across as a candidate from afar and shows a sense of a person who has thought about what they are getting into. Not everyone is great at writing about themselves so taking steps to learn how to write about your goals (or having a good friend/family to help edit) will be helpful as will any work/lived experience where are are coordinating a task as a team towards a goal (e.g.. outdoor backpacking trips, building tiny-homes, etc.).
This was super helpful, thank you!
Manuela
Michael Torio
Consultant - Data Reporting & Analysis (HQ Finance)
342
Answers
Alpharetta, Georgia
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Hi Manuela:
While in high school, one will need to focus on science and math classes to prepare to be a Pediatric/General 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 Pediatric/General 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 Pediatric/General 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 Pediatric/General 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 Pediatric/General Surgeon can be a demanding and rewarding profession, especially depending if there is a specialized field or concentration. Remember, as a Pediatric/General 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 Pediatric/General 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 Pediatric/General Surgeon!
While in high school, one will need to focus on science and math classes to prepare to be a Pediatric/General 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 Pediatric/General 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 Pediatric/General 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 Pediatric/General 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 Pediatric/General Surgeon can be a demanding and rewarding profession, especially depending if there is a specialized field or concentration. Remember, as a Pediatric/General 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 Pediatric/General 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 Pediatric/General Surgeon!
I appreciate your support, Michael! Thank you so much, God Bless!
Manuela
Waseem Jafri
Consultant ophthalmologist
36
Answers
Las Vegas, Nevada
Updated
Waseem’s Answer
Hi
First you have to complete the education in medical school followed by the residency training in surgery.
First you have to complete the education in medical school followed by the residency training in surgery.
Thank you!
Manuela