Before you attend Medical School you'll have to graduate from a college with either Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Sciences. The majority of applicants have majors in Biology or others related to the medicine. However, many students have chosen different majors. Medical schools do have some prerequisites that must be fulfilled in order to gain admission. Most medical schools require 1 year of each: Organic Chemistry with lab, Inorganic Chemistry with lab, Physics with lab, Calculus, Biology with lab, English. Due to the competitiveness of the medical school , students often enhanced their credentials by obtaining Master degree in natural sciences, gaining hands-on experience as research technicians, volunteering or getting part-time job in medicine related field.
The Medical Doctor degree usually takes around four years after college to obtain. The curriculum has changed at many medical schools over the past years. There are, however, some classes that nearly all medical schools will require. The first two years require that you take anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology, pharmacology, pathology, and behavioral sciences. You will also begin the practice of examining patients. Following this, you will shadow experienced doctors while learning how to take care of patients. Here, you will begin exploring career paths: family practice, surgery, internal medicine, psychiatry, gynecology, pediatrics, and obstetrics. In your final years, you will continue your doctor/patient contact in a clinic and take elective courses as well. Next, you choose a medical specialty in which you will spend three or more years as a resident physician in a teaching hospital. Here you will train for certification in the specialty of your choice and receive pay for patient care.
After medical school you will spend three to seven years in a residency, where
you will gain further experience and training in the specialty you have chosen.
Check out our interviews with Dr. Jenkins and Dr.
Suarez.
