I am a high school junior and I don't know what to do.

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>I am totally confused by the system. Here are my questions.</p>

<p>1) Many universities say Pre-Med is not a Major. So what should I fill in the application? Write down "Pre-Med" on the Major decision, or "Undecided", or I will have to fill in another form?</p>

<p>2) If I choose other major, like Biochemistry, when will I take the MCAT?</p>

<p>3) How long does the Pre-Med last? 2years or 4 years?</p>

<p>4) Will I receive a BS degree? Then where will I receive? The undergrad college or the medical school?</p>

<p>5) Do I only have to take the necessary courses, like biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, etc., then I can apply to the medical school?</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

2

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>1.) Premed is almost never a "major" - it is a set of courses, which we'll talk about later. As for what to fill in, it depends. You will have to pick a major at some point, but there is no need yet. If you have a strong idea - say, if you really like history - then go ahead and fill that in. If you don't, "Undeclared" is fine, too. At least at my school, there is a different box you check if you are interested in premedical courses. If they don't ask, no need to worry.</p>

<p>2.) It is hard to know exactly when you should take the MCAT, since it is unknown the exact timing of it in the future. Your premedical advisor there will help a lot, but it will not be for another three to four years for you, so don't worry about it yet. It will be somewhere between the end of your sophomore year and late in your junior year, most likely.</p>

<p>3.) Premed is simply a set of courses you take while you're in college. It's not a program, it's not a separate college, it is simply a set of courses you take. Just as every college offers English, History, Art, Political Science, etc., it also offers Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. If you take courses like that, you will be a premed. It is the same as any other type of courses (except harder). If you were to take nothing else, and if you were to take four classes per semester for two semesters, it would take you about a year and a half. But that's a really really bad idea - you should spread them out over your first two or even three years of college.</p>

<p>4.) Assuming you finish the premedical track, you will receive a BS or AB or whatever degree it is your undergraduate institution gives you. You then go on to a completely unrelated four years of school, after which you receive an MD. Going premed is just going to college - you just have some specific courses to take. That's all.</p>

<p>5.) You will apply to medical school either during or a little bit after college. You should be on track to graduate from college, as well as finish the premedical courseload, and then you can apply to as many medical schools as you like.</p>

3

<p>bluedevilmike does a very good job of explaining. I just want to add on to the answer for question 5.</p>

<p>Some medical schools require the applicant to have a Bachelor's degree before entering medical school. Others, however, will allow you to apply after only completing the pre-med courses (the basics are: Biology, Inorganic and Organic chemistry, Physics, Calculus/other advanced math, English. Some medical school may require additional courses). So technically, at least for some medical schools, you could apply after only 2, or 3 years of college. I would imagine though that the number of people actually accepted with only the pre-med requirements completed is fairly small.</p>

4

<p>Thanks so much for the explanation.</p>

<p>So is completing a Bachelor's degree recommended to get into good med school?</p>

<p>One more question. How long does the med school take? 4 years?</p>

5

<p>Completing a bachelor's degree is both recommended and necessary to get into any medical school.</p>

<p>Med school lasts 4 years.</p>

<p>Residency will last 4+ years.</p>

6

<p>Most schools will require a Bachelor's degree. All of the other schools really, really recommend it, and require three years of college anyway.</p>

<p>Medical school is four years long.</p>

<p>After that, you have a residency. The first year of your residency is called an "internship". How long your residency takes depends on what kind of doctor you want to become. Some kinds of doctors, like Family Practitioners, have residencies that are three years long. Some advanced surgical subspecialties can run as many as seven years.</p>

<p>After that might come a fellowship, or you might enter private practice, or you might become an attending physician at a teaching hospital. It varies a lot.</p>

7

<p>
[quote]
Some kinds of doctors, like Family Practitioners, have residencies that are three years long. Some advanced surgical subspecialties can run as many as seven years.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>so if I want to be that kind of "surgical subspecialties", then I have to study for 4+4+7=15 years before I can start my work?</p>

<p>And how about the MD degree? Do I still need to have some residencies to achieve a MD degree? Or just graduating from the Med School is okay?</p>

8

<p>To your first question, yes.</p>

<p>To answer your second question, you get your MD after graduating from medical school. But you will not be able to practice unless you enter a residency AFTER medical school. Simply graduating from med school will not give you the license to practice.</p>

9

<p>I'm going to repeat exactly what ImpactAngel has just said.</p>

<p>Yes, being, say, a neurosurgeon requires at LEAST 15 years of training after high school. After that, you might want a fellowship or other positions, which would make the time MORE THAN 15 years.</p>

<p>Second, yes, they will provisionally give you the MD diploma to hang on your wall without a residency, but you are not allowed to take care of sick people until you have completed that residency.</p>

10

<p>During the residency, will I earn any money by being a "intern"?</p>

<p>And compared to the accelerated programs, why does this path last so much longer?</p>

11

<p>It doesn't. Accelerated programs usually only shave a year off premed + med school, so it's 7 years.</p>

12

<p>Yes. Interns and residents generally earn some money, but not much (according to a television show - so take it with a grain of salt - they usually earn about as much as a waiter or janitor).</p>

<p>I don't know what accelerated programs you are referring to. There is no way around this process. At the absolute most, some programs might reduce the time by one year, because they reduce the amount of time you spend in undergrad.</p>

13

<p>You may be able to shave off 2 years at most with a BA/Md program.</p>

<p>Salaries are around $35K as an intern. They will increase each year but usually only by a couple thousand.</p>

14

<p>I'm sorry that I come up so many questions.</p>

<p>Do you have to study anything, as you are in the college, during the residency?
Do you have an examination after the residency and get a cert.?
Then after you have finished all the residency stuff, what degree are you in?</p>

15

<p>
[quote]
Do you have to study anything, as you are in the college, during the residency?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Think of it as a really long apprenticeship. You do your residency AFTER you have your MD or DO.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Do you have an examination after the residency and get a cert.?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>It leads to board certification in a certain field.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Then after you have finished all the residency stuff, what degree are you in?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Same as before. Either MD or DO.</p>

16

<p>During residency, you are expected to continue studying some, but most of your learning will come from your clinical experience. You are not taking classes, and you are not getting grades.</p>

<p>I'm not sure whether there is an exam at the end of a residency. For me, that is still 14 years off.</p>

<p>You do not get any extra "degrees" upon finishing your residency. You are, however, now allowed to use your MD, which is useful.</p>

17

<p>Or DO. Remember that not all doctors are MDs. :p</p>

18

<p>Your point is well taken, with my apologies. :)</p>

19

<p>Thanks you very much. You guys' suggestions and explanations are extremely useful.</p>

20

<p>My husband is finishing med school - so here's my 2 cents -</p>

<p>Good points thus far. Intern salaries are inching up - the lowest we've seen right now is $39K for first year, and then small raises each year. While it isn't "doctor" money, it isn't anything to sneeze at, either - you can live very comfortably off of it. You can get your loans deferred until the end of your residency as well. During med school, you will take two national tests (one your 2nd year and one your 3rd/4th year), generally referred to as the Step I and Step II. During your first year as an intern, you will take the Step III, which leads to your licensure for that state. However, you will not be board certified until you finish your residency. Technically speaking, you can practice as soon as you get your license, but realistically, no one will hire you until you are board certified.</p>

<p>There are certain classes you need to take before you enter med school. While you can major in anything you want, you must take those classes before being admitted to med school. They can and will reject you if you have not completed them. Almost all med schools require you to have an undergrad degree before coming to med school.</p>

<p>Residencies range, as has been stated. I promise you, you do NOT know what medical field you want to enter until you have done your 3rd year of medical school. That's when you rotate through the major departments. My husband was very interested in peds until he did his rotation. Some love surgery until they do it. Just be prepared for a long time training if you want to be a doctor.</p>

<p>Final note: your residency is more like a job than school. You will have occasional tests, but mostly what you do is be a doctor and learn on the job. You have the responsibilities of a doctor, just with some oversight.</p>