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Making the Decision to Study Medicine
Am I the right kind of person for a medical
career?
Ask yourself some questions:
- Do I care deeply about other people, their problems, and their
pain?
- Do I enjoy helping people with my skills and knowledge?
- Do I enjoy learning, gaining new understanding? Do I often dig
deeper into a subject than my teacher requires? Do I understand
the value of learning beyond just making good grades?
- Am I interested in how the human body functions? Am I intrigued
by the ways medicine can be used to improve life?
If you answered "Yes" to most of these questions, chances
are you have the right kind of personality for a medical career.
What is medical school really like? I hear
it's long and tough. How long? How tough?
One of the important truths is "things that come easily usually
aren't worth much." Medical school is challenging. If you want
to take responsibility for people's health and well-being, you've
got to be serious about learning. Once you've been accepted, the
medical school faculty and staff will do everything they can to
help you succeed. In fact, more than 96 percent of entering medical
students obtain their M.D. degrees.
The curriculum at many medical schools has changed in recent years.
However, here's a general, quick look at what you can expect during
four years of medical school.
During the first two years you will study the basic sciences—anatomy,
biochemistry, physiology, microbiology, pathology, and pharmacology—as
well as behaviorial sciences. You'll also begin learning the fundamental
techniques of taking a medical history and examining patients.
Next, you'll go into the hospital and various clinics to observe
and work with experienced doctors and begin to learn how to take
care of patients. At this time you'll begin to explore the wide
variety of career paths within medicine, such as family practice,
internal medicine, surgery, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology,
and pediatrics.
Your final years are spent continuing your contact with patients
and doctors in a clinical setting while taking elective courses.
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. You already may have an idea of which specialties
interest you; however, it's good to keep an open mind until your
third year of medical school.
Medical school usually lasts four years. In general, during the first
two years, you study the sciences basic to medicine: anatomy, biochemistry,
physiology, microbiology, pathology, and pharmacology, as well as behavioral
sciences; introductory patient interviewing and examination techniques;
and an introduction to health care. In the third year, you gain experience
with patients in hospital, clinic, and office settings in the fields of
internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology,
surgery, and psychiatry. The fourth year is a mix of required and elective
courses where you gain additional experience caring for patients. Each
medical school differs in how it organizes its educational program. The
Medical
School Admission Requirements (MSAR™) has specific details.
Medical school is tough. A lot will be demanded of you both in
the volume of information you will be expected to master and the
rate at which you will be expected to learn. You will need good
study habits and time management skills as well as a strong academic
background. You also will need to be aware of and tap into the tremendous
support, guidance, and mentorship that medical school faculty and
staff provide to help you succeed. Medical schools are committed
to their students and their education. In general, more than 96
percent of all students enrolled succeed in earning their M.D. degree.
Toward the end of medical school you will choose a specialty; after
graduation you will spend at least thee years in a graduate medical
education (residency) program. During that period you must obtain
a license to practice.
How do I select the right school for premedical
education?
Here are some questions to ask while you consider a college or
university. Your career guidance counselor or science teacher can
help you find the answers. You also should consult the many college
guidebooks found in your school's guidance office, local libraries,
and bookstores.
- Does the school have a good faculty and a reputation for high
academic standards? Is it accredited?
- Does it offer a broad range of courses in the humanities and
in the social, behavioral, and natural sciences?
- Does it have strong science departments with good laboratory
facilities?
- Does it offer all of the required courses I need for acceptance
to medical school?
- Does the college have a designated advisor specifically trained
to help students interested in the health professions?
- Does it have a good track record for having its students accepted
to medical school?
- Does it offer extracurricular activities that appeal to me?
Are there programs to do volunteer work at local hospitals or
clinics?
- Are there programs where I can demonstrate leadership and compassion?
- Does it feel right for me? Am I comfortable with
its size, location, social life, and general atmosphere?
- Is it affordable for me and my family?
As you select a college remember that just as in high school, a
good liberal arts education is a key ingredient to becoming a physician.
You'll need a strong foundation in mathematics and the sciences
that relate most to medicine: biology, general chemistry, organic
chemistry, and physics. But it's important for your college experience
to be broad. Taking courses in the humanities or liberal arts will
help you prepare for the "people" side of medicine.
How long does it take to get a medical education?
Most would say a lifetime. Doctors are always learning as new discoveries
are made and new technologies develop. However, it usually takes four
years after college to obtain the M.D. degree. After that, you will choose
a medical specialty and spend three years or more as a resident physician
in a teaching hospital, where you train for certification in a specialty
and will be paid, usually about $30,000 a year, to care for patients.
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