4 answers
Mike
Student
California City, California
1
Question
4 answers
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1590
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Mike your high school coursework will provide you with a great foundation for your pre-med classes and beyond. While your high school grades won’t count for your medical school prerequisites, getting a feel for the content you’ll be diving into as a pre-med and medical student will help you decide if a career in medicine is right for you.
SCIENCE CLASSES
This might seem obvious, but take lots of science classes, and take them seriously. Some high schools only require students to take 2 years of science, but you should take more than that to get comfortable with the topics you’ll be diving into as a pre-med and medical student. Biology, chemistry, and physics are three nearly universal medical school prerequisites that most high school students have access to. Take them in high school to get a head start on the material.
CALCULUS/STATISTICS
One or both of these advanced mathematics courses is usually required for medical school. Again, taking them in high school will help familiarize you with the material so that when you take them in college you’ll be confident and prepared.
ENGLISH
Communication–both written and verbal–is key to being a good doctor. Whether you’re writing notes about a patient or working on a research paper, presenting patients for rounds or explaining a diagnosis to a patient and his/her family, you need to be able to communicate your ideas clearly and succinctly. English classes will teach you to formulate ideas and present them in a concise, direct way.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
The medical field requires doctors to be good leaders. Whether a doctor is the attending physician at a teaching hospital, the owner of a small practice, or just managing their own careers, opportunities for leadership pop up regularly in medical careers. In an effort to prepare future doctors for these roles, many medical schools have programs dedicated to fostering leadership skills and providing leadership opportunities to medical students. Participating in high school student government, whether as an elected officer or a committee member, will give you a running start. You’ll learn how to communicate with others, understand the needs of the people you’re serving, and confidently make decisions that will impact others.
GET SOME MEDICAL TRAINING
Ok, I'm not saying go out and learn how to do surgery, but there are some basic medical training classes that teens can sign up for. The big one is CPR certification. Getting CPR certified will help you learn about medical emergencies and procedures. Many high schools offer these certification classes, but if yours doesn’t check your local Community Centers and YMCAs.
Good luck Mike
SCIENCE CLASSES
This might seem obvious, but take lots of science classes, and take them seriously. Some high schools only require students to take 2 years of science, but you should take more than that to get comfortable with the topics you’ll be diving into as a pre-med and medical student. Biology, chemistry, and physics are three nearly universal medical school prerequisites that most high school students have access to. Take them in high school to get a head start on the material.
CALCULUS/STATISTICS
One or both of these advanced mathematics courses is usually required for medical school. Again, taking them in high school will help familiarize you with the material so that when you take them in college you’ll be confident and prepared.
ENGLISH
Communication–both written and verbal–is key to being a good doctor. Whether you’re writing notes about a patient or working on a research paper, presenting patients for rounds or explaining a diagnosis to a patient and his/her family, you need to be able to communicate your ideas clearly and succinctly. English classes will teach you to formulate ideas and present them in a concise, direct way.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
The medical field requires doctors to be good leaders. Whether a doctor is the attending physician at a teaching hospital, the owner of a small practice, or just managing their own careers, opportunities for leadership pop up regularly in medical careers. In an effort to prepare future doctors for these roles, many medical schools have programs dedicated to fostering leadership skills and providing leadership opportunities to medical students. Participating in high school student government, whether as an elected officer or a committee member, will give you a running start. You’ll learn how to communicate with others, understand the needs of the people you’re serving, and confidently make decisions that will impact others.
GET SOME MEDICAL TRAINING
Ok, I'm not saying go out and learn how to do surgery, but there are some basic medical training classes that teens can sign up for. The big one is CPR certification. Getting CPR certified will help you learn about medical emergencies and procedures. Many high schools offer these certification classes, but if yours doesn’t check your local Community Centers and YMCAs.
Good luck Mike
Hwal Lee
DMSc, PA-C
227
Answers
Albany, New York
Updated
Hwal’s Answer
Mike,
Other posters have provided useful information and other advice, including courses to take. Let me share my perspective as an early-career primary care PA. When I moved to the U.S. from Australia where the PA profession doesn't yet exist as we know it, my focus was solely on going to medical school to be able to practice medicine - then I learned about the PA profession and here I am.
As in many corners of modern medicine, I have practiced as a member of multi-disciplinary healthcare teams that frequently consist of physicians (DO or MD), PAs, and nurse practitioners. Courses you need to take at graduate level are not vastly different between medical school and PA school. For your bachelor's degree, which is a requirement for admission to both medical and PA programs, you can major in anything as long as you meet prerequisite coursework before application, so I would encourage you to study what you enjoy.
Feel free to take a look at steps to become a PA if you like:
https://www.aapa.org/career-central/become-a-pa/
Let me know if you have any specific questions I can help with.
Good luck!
Hwal
Other posters have provided useful information and other advice, including courses to take. Let me share my perspective as an early-career primary care PA. When I moved to the U.S. from Australia where the PA profession doesn't yet exist as we know it, my focus was solely on going to medical school to be able to practice medicine - then I learned about the PA profession and here I am.
As in many corners of modern medicine, I have practiced as a member of multi-disciplinary healthcare teams that frequently consist of physicians (DO or MD), PAs, and nurse practitioners. Courses you need to take at graduate level are not vastly different between medical school and PA school. For your bachelor's degree, which is a requirement for admission to both medical and PA programs, you can major in anything as long as you meet prerequisite coursework before application, so I would encourage you to study what you enjoy.
Feel free to take a look at steps to become a PA if you like:
https://www.aapa.org/career-central/become-a-pa/
Let me know if you have any specific questions I can help with.
Good luck!
Hwal
Giacomo Paini
Dental hygienist
37
Answers
Vicenza, Veneto, Italy
Updated
Giacomo’s Answer
Scientific and bio medical course on high school.
Faculty of medicine at university
Faculty of medicine at university
ian villebrun
Correctional specialist
115
Answers
Mountain Iron, Minnesota
Updated
ian’s Answer
To become a doctor, you need to1234:
Complete coursework in biology, general chemistry (including organic chemistry), and physics.
Finish year 12 and graduate from a bachelor’s degree.
Complete a four-year postgraduate medical program.
Pass the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
Take courses in psychology, sociology, microbiology, epidemiology, pharmacology, genetics, human anatomy, and psychophysiology to prepare for the MCAT.
Complete an intern year to be fully registered.
Complete coursework in biology, general chemistry (including organic chemistry), and physics.
Finish year 12 and graduate from a bachelor’s degree.
Complete a four-year postgraduate medical program.
Pass the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
Take courses in psychology, sociology, microbiology, epidemiology, pharmacology, genetics, human anatomy, and psychophysiology to prepare for the MCAT.
Complete an intern year to be fully registered.
I would add just a few thoughts to the information already provided. If you can, try to find a mentor who works in medicine. Your family doctor would be a good choice if willing to advise you. Then, recognize that being a doctor is a career to be absolutely proud of. Doing it well will take all the time and energy you can give it, especially at the beginning. On the other hand, there is no career you can be more proud of. It takes a 100% commitment, and it is worth everything you put into it. It will award you greatly in terms of self satisfaction, and you will make a good living along the way.
Paul S. Treuhaft, MD,MA
Paul Treuhaft, MD, MA
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