By Laura Villarreal
When people think about becoming a doctor, they think about the time, money, and schooling needed to become one. They may also think about the potential income they could have. The input of effort determines the amount of output someone will receive. Becoming a doctor requires a lot of hard work and dedication.
First off, the path of becoming a doctor starts with high school. In high school, you should start with the basic science classes, biology, chemistry, and physics. These classes are important for learning the concepts of the classes you will take later in life. Extracurricular activities and other classes like foreign languages are important to take also. Good colleges not only look for a good grade point average (GPA) but also a rigorous course load and a well-balanced schedule. In high school, you should be focused on the requirements of the college you are aiming for. The better you do in harder classes, the better chance you have of getting into the college of your choice.
Then, once you get into the college of your choice, you need to follow the “pre-med” track right away. This includes many years of chemistry, biology, math, and physics. You will spend about $40,000-$160,000 for college tuition. My current schedule of my first semester of my freshman year of college is pre-calculus, chemistry 1, a writing class, and a seminar class. Next semester I will be in calculus 1, chemistry 2, chemistry lab 1, intro to psychology, and an integrated social studies class. As the years increase, my class load and difficulty will also. In college, you should be focused on your GPA. Also, you should be joining medical related groups and doing volunteer work at hospitals. The goal after college is to get into medical school. Just like in high school, knowing the requirements of the medical school you want to go to will help you guide your pathway through college. College is also the time to really absorb the subjects being taught. You will need to know everything you learned in college to make it in the real world as a doctor. At michigan state, they recommend at least two hours of studying for every hour you are in class. This is a minimum recommendation. College is not easy. Working hard in college will get you into a good medical school.
After college comes medical school. Medical school is normally four years. You will spend about $120,000-$200,000 in a four year medical school. In the first two years, the basic science classes are taught. This gives you the real in-depth knowledge and learning of the subject. The next two years are spent learning the clinical sciences. This is where you get the opportunity to really learn how your actual career will be. In the third or fourth year, you will specialize into the specific pathway you want your medical career to go. Med school is the time to fully embrace yourself in your future. This is almost the end of your pathway. After this you are officially a doctor.
Finally, it is time for your residency. A residency will be the absolute hardest test of your pathway. In a residency is real world training. You will work 60-100 hours a week treating sick patients for three years. This is also the time where you will make back what you spent in schooling. You will make about $45,000-$55,000 per year in your residency. After your residency, you are ready to start practicing medicine.
All in all, becoming a doctor is a lot of hard work. It costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time. In my opinion, the ultimate reward will be when I help my first patient. I think you have to be extremely committed follow through all 11 years of this pathway. I believe I am ready, are you?
all information found on:
http://www.yourpediatrician.com/BecomingAPed.htm
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