<p>So i want to be a general surgeon. </p>
<p>4 years undergrad
4 years med school
3-8 year residency</p>
<p>Is this right? </p>
<p>And also, what decides how long your residency ends up being? If you work harder and produce more results, does that mean you'll be done quicker? Also, is it true you can stop interest from mounting up on med school debts during a residency? </p>
<p>Thanks...</p>
<p>Gensurg is a 5-7 year residency. It depends on which program you select. Some are 5; the more famous ones include two research years and are 7.</p>
<p>Man…5-7 years. Ill be done by the time im like 31? Sigh…</p>
<p>The average time is 2 years in between undergrad and medical school.</p>
<p>What? So your saying after my undergrad ill be waiting two years to go to Med school?</p>
<p>On average, yes. Some go straight through, some take longer. But the average is 2.</p>
<p>There is no way to speed up the length of the residencies - the guidelines are established by each specialties’ section of the ACGME (American Council of Graduate Medical Education). There are certainly ways to make it longer though. Research is one, doing part time (rare) is another. With the push towards lower work hour limits than the current 80 hour/week rules, there is real discussion of extending residencies beyond their current lengths - particularly in surgical specialties where trainees need time to gain proficiency in a wide variety of procedures. Residency is not about producing “results”, and this is most true in surgical specialties where all available data shows that the more times you’ve performed a procedure the better the patient outcomes.</p>
<p>And it’s not true that you can avoid the accumulation of interest on your loans…you are guaranteed deferments while in residency, but student loan interest starts accruing while you’re STILL in med school…</p>
<p>^^No, there usually isn’t. Med school is right after undergrad; you can begin applying as early as during your junior year of college (though you have to finish your senior year in college, obv).</p>
<p>And in all honesty, if you’re not prepared to go through the 5-7 years of residency and whatnot, it’s just a bad when you’re a doctor. The hours are long, the rewards are fine from the outside but when one factors in malpractice insurance and the hours put it’s not as nearly as good as it looks. </p>
<p>TBH, carefully consider your decision – from your posts I don’t think a doctor is the best career for you (though, of course, you know yourself better than anyone over here).</p>
<p>PS - Check SDN for an invaluable resource.</p>
<p>Residency is mandated by the Boards to be five years of training. As noted, some require an addional year or two doing research (most only one). But, the days of a “general surgeon” are numbered. Most kids now do an additional 2 years of fellowship afterwards.</p>
<p>Depends on your loan. Some do not have payback during your residency/fellowship.</p>
<p>As an aside, in all reviews of “happiness” of residents, surgeons are the most happy during residency. Perhaps because they get to cut.</p>