How to Become a Doctor: Timeline
Is Medicine the right career for you?
Interesting Facts
Common Inspirations:
- To leave the world a better place
- Drs. Salk and Sabian discovered polio vaccine
- Dr. Christian Bernard performed the first heart transplant
- To have a tangible, positive affect on people's lives
- Family members are doctors
- However, do not be disheartened if you don't have a doctor in the family
- Important to understand what you're getting yourself into
- In high school, it's vital to spend time working/volunteering in the healthcare field
- Students who make successful doctors are hardworking individuals who have an immense desire to learn
- Set priorities in high school and pick an undergraduate school that offers pre-med advisers and research opportunities
Source: interview with Dr. Stephen Mitchell, Dean of Medical Education at Georgetown University Medical School
- Biochemistry is not required for medical school, but is recommended
- Grades are very important - average GPA of 3.63
- Average MCAT for 2013 accepted class: 10.2 to 10.7
- Interview holds a lot of weight
- Extracurricular activities are considered and it's important to express your reasons for pursuing a medical career during the interview
- The average accumulated debt of med school graduate was $135,000 in 2013
Introduction
Overview of Medical School
FREIDA
HIGH SCHOOL
Applying for Medical School & the MCAT Exam
Focus: Career Interest
- Steps to become a doctor and the details that are associated
I spent my time...
- reading On Becoming a Doctor: Everything You Need to Know About Medical School, Residency, Specialization, and Practice by Tania Heller, M.D.
- Using an online database (American Medical Association) to compare/contrast different medical schools and residency programs
- Important time to figure out what your passion is
- If it is medicine you need to ask yourself these questions:
- Why medicine?
- What inspires you to go into medicine?
- Are you willing to make sacrifices?
University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center Program
- UAB is ranked #35 nationally, right under Wake Forest
UAB Specialty Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (PD)
-FREIDA database provides...
- Program director's contact information
- General info (application process, interview period, amt of positions available)
- Work schedule/average hours:
- Avg. hrs/wk on duty during first year (excluding beeper call) = 75
- Maximum consecutive hours on duty during first year (excluding beeper call) = 24
- Average number of 24-hour off duty periods per week during first year = 2.0
- Compensation and leave:
- Year 1 -- $54,590 -- 10 vacation days -- 15 sick days
- Year 2 -- $55,273 -- 10 vacation days -- 15 sick days
- Year 3 -- $57,173 -- 12 vacation days -- 18 sick days
- Year 4 -- $60,007 -- 13 vacation days -- 18 sick days
- 4 years of Medical School = 2 years of preclinical and 2 years of clinical
- Preclinical
- students study a core curriculum (ex: Anatomy & Histology)
- basic skills of practicing medicine
- Clinical
- Clinical rotations (most likely in a hospital) through the basic specialties
- 1 or 2 exams to obtain your medical license (National Board Examination and Federal Licensing Examination)
- Dr. Marc Silverberg - "The actual material in medical school is not very hard to learn, it is the sheer volume that makes it impossible"
- Financing your studies:
- According to AAMC, the 2010-2011 average cost of tuition for a first year medical student = $18,748 (public) and $37,865 (private)
- Tuition does not include students fees, living expenses, and health insurance
- The Association of American Medicine Colleges administers about 80,000 Medical College Admission Tests (MCAT) per year
- 5.5 hour standardized, computer based exam that tests physical and biological sciences, verbal reasoning, and writing skills
- Graded on a scale of 0 to 15
- Take the MCAT no later than the year you are applying for med school -- most likely take it the spring of your junior year of college
- Review books, study groups, and courses are very helpful
- The application for med school can be very costly/lengthy and interviews are normally conducted
- Important to research the school before attending an interview and present yourself with confidence & humility
High School
Choosing a Medical School
College
Residency
- 3 to 7 years of formal teaching, study, and supervision in a specific area of medicine (ex: Surgery, Pediatrics, Dermatology)
- While residents are paid a salary, training is demanding and they're required to work long hours
- Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database Access (FREIDA) is an online directory of residency programs published by the American Medical Association
- Strong focus on research?
- In-state vs. out-of-state?
- Private vs. Public?
- What electives are offered?
- Strong in your particular specialty of interest?
- Tuition?
- Average class size?
- Location?
- Scholarship programs?
- Most medical schools require completion of 4 year undergraduate school
- In the past, pre-med students were required to major in science, but now prospective medical students have more choices available to them
- Need to complete at least 120 hours of course credits prior to entering medical school
- 1 year of general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, and physics = prerequisites
- Find a mentor (older medical student or doctor) that can guide you - SciMentorNet is a good resource
- Be thinking about letters of recommendations from professors for medical school as early as freshman year of college