How to Become a Doctor
For many people, medicine is one of the world’s most noble and important professions. Saving lives and curing people from diseases and illnesses is something that all human beings need to live full and productive lives. The path to becoming a doctor is a long one that demands education, practical knowledge, and the sympathy and empathy necessary to care for the sick and the dying. If you’re out to fulfill your lifelong dream of becoming a doctor, here are the steps you need to take.
Qualifications
Before you can apply for admission to medical school, you need to satisfy the requirements of your chosen university or school where you wish to pursue medicine. Requirements and qualifications vary for different medical schools, but here are some of the common qualifications required by medical schools:
Clean bill of physical and mental health. As a doctor, you’re expected to be healthy in order to care for your patients properly. Physical exams and psychological assessments are often required before students can enter medical school.
Graduation from a four-year course. Aside from your college degree, a medical school may also require units and coursework in science courses like physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics. The number of units you need to take vary among schools, although all pre-medical courses require laboratory work as part of the syllabus or course outline. It doesn’t mean that you have to take up pre-medical courses to take up medicine, as long as you have the required units and coursework as part of your course electives.
Excellent grades. Medical school is not a place for you to slack off in your academic life. To enter medical school, you need to have excellent grades. Having no failing marks can also work to your advantage, especially in undergraduate science courses that are tackled at an advanced level in medical school.
Admission
The name of the medical school may not account for much, but enrolling in a top-notch medical school can give you an advantage by the time you become a full-fledged doctor. Take a look at all the available options you have for enrollment, and enroll in the best possible school you can afford. (You can also look into the option of student loans.)
The Medical College Admission Test, or the MCAT, is a standardized examination used to evaluate an applicant’s knowledge of the core concepts of medicine. The MCAT is composed of four tests:
52 questions on the physical sciences, with a one hour and ten minute time limit.
52 questions on the biological sciences, with a one hour and ten minute time limit
40 questions on verbal reasoning, with a one hour time limit.
Two essay questions written within one hour.
Scholarships
Medical school can get really expensive, and may put a tremendous strain on your personal and family finances. If you enter medical school with high grades and keep your grades up, then you may be eligible for scholarships. Some companies may also offer scholarships for deserving students who put themselves up through medical school, provided that they pay off their scholarship by working for their company after they have finished medical school.
Medical School
Medical school in the United States is guided by the United States Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE), which is a series of tests administered throughout the course of medical education. Medicine typically takes four years of graduate instruction and practical training, with time allotted for residency programs.
General medical education courses are taken up for the first two years of the course, and include the fundamental concepts of medicine, medical care, community healthcare, diagnosis, and medical histories.
USMLE Step 1 tests the knowledge and aptitude of a student on general medical education. Step 1 must be passed before the student can move up to his or her third year of medical school.
Overview of medical specializations are tackled on the third year of medical school. For one to two months each, the student learns about the general fields of medicine. The third year of medical school is crucial, because it is here that the student decides on a field of specialization.
USMLE Step 2 tests the knowledge and aptitude of a student on the fields of medical practice. Step 2 is taken on the fourth year of medical school. USMLE Step 2 is a basis for a student to graduate from medical school.
Residency is hospital internship, where under the supervision of a doctor, you are trained by senior residents, physicians and surgeons. Residency is a very important and grueling part of medical school, because it involves long hours in hospital situations.
USMLE Step 3 is the final part of the USMLE, and must be passed for a student to become a full-fledged doctor.
The best doctors continue their education well into their careers as healthcare professionals. Like the profession and practice of medicine, learning is a lifelong commitment when you become a doctor. With these tips to help you in your chosen career path, a career as a doctor is well within your grasp.