Imagine for a moment meeting a “Mr. Smith.” Now imagine meeting a “Dr. Smith.” If you’re like most, your ears perked up a bit more at the title “Dr.” and despite this person being hypothetical, you probably felt a moment of instant admiration and respect. But why in a hypothetical situation would that happen?
The truth is, there are many factors that contribute to the respect most people feel for doctors. Doctors deal with life and death situations—including ones that would overwhelm the average person. The very nature of a doctor’s work can have a high physical and emotional toll, a factor that is understood at the earliest stages of their training. And, of course, the training itself adds to why the title “Dr.” elicits admiration. The saying “If it were easy, everyone would do it,” is extremely applicable to what education is needed to become a doctor.
In this article we answer the following questions: 1º Requirements to Become a Doctor in the U.S. 2º Steps to Becoming a Doctor. 3º Which degree do you need to become a doctor? 4º what education is needed to become a surgeon? 5º How to become a doctor?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ website has a piece entitled “From premed to physician: Pursuing a medical career,” which talks about the educational steps to becoming a doctor in the United States.
Before we get into the basics of the requirements to become a doctor in the U.S., let us talk about some specialty areas of medicine.
For aspiring physicians and surgeons, there is a three-part series of required licensing exams, and according to the piece: “Students usually must pass the first two parts of these tests before graduating from medical school.” In addition, students looking to become these specific types of doctors must train in a residency program after their clerkship, which can range from three to seven years.
According to The American Board of Plastic Surgery’s website (www.abplsurg.org) there are prerequisite and requisite requirements to practice plastic surgery in the United States. These include an additional 5 years of training at the residency level and specifically in the area of clinical general surgery and 3 years (minimum) of Plastic Surgery Training for Independent programs.
Similarly to the requirements to become a plastic surgeon, The American Pediatric Surgical Association’s website (https://eapsa.org/parents/what-is-a-pediatric-surgeon/) says there is specific training needed to become a pediatric surgeon, including a two-year fellowship program, as well as a special written exam and oral exam.
UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine’s website has an article by Marijke Vroomen Durning entitled, “Trauma surgeons vs. ER doctors: What's the difference?” that explains that in addition to a special fellowship, trauma surgeons must the latest methods for managing injuries of all types. This, the article explains, is different than the role of the physicians who work in emergency rooms where the focus is on the initial stabilization of the patient (https://medschool.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=1158&action=detail&ref=937).
The Duke Orthopaedic Surgery part of Duke University’s School of Medicine’s website (https://ortho.duke.edu/education-and-training/overview) explains that fellowships to become an orthopedic surgeon can be in a number of subspecialties, including Adult Reconstruction, Adult Spine, Foot and Ankle, Hand, Hip Preservation, and Sports Medicine. The university also do a four-week subinternship.
Now that we have talked about some of the specialty fields of the medical profession, let’s talk about what it takes become a doctor.
Starting with premed, the piece states “Medical schools generally require students to have core knowledge of the life and physical sciences—including chemistry, physics, and biology—along with subjects such as English and calculus.”
The piece also explains that science majors often need additional laboratory time and recommends those students explore summer programs to accomplish this. In addition, the piece recommends students “shadowing a doctor at work.”
After this premed phase is completed, students in the United States reach the medical school part of their training. According to the piece: “There are two types of medical degrees in the United States: Medical Doctor (M.D.) and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.).
Both degrees require 4 years of medical school in addition to a bachelor’s degree.” The piece goes on to explain that both of these degrees require “preclinical education” and often students are mentored by a practicing physician during this part of their education.
Following the preclinical education phase, students have clerkships at places like hospitals where they are part of a team and assume “a number of responsibilities that increase over time.” This is where the student truly begins to take a more active hand in the field of medicine.
As discussed previously, the clerkship is followed by a residency after which one can apply for their unrestricted medical license and begin practicing.
To read the entire piece from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, visit https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2017/article/premed.htm
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