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This is a work in progress. Comments are welcome and needed!
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Q: How do you become a doctor?
A: To become a doctor you have to go to medical school. The usual way to get into medical school is to graduate from high school, go to college and do well enough in your college classes that you get accepted to a medical school. That means that you will spend 4 years in college getting your Bachelor's degree. That's the degree you get from graduating from a 4 year college or university such as a Bachelor of Science (BS) or a Bachelor of Arts (BA). You will then spend 4 years in medical school to earn your medical degree.
Q: What is a "Pre med?"
A: A "pre med" is a college student who is planning on going to med schools. Most pre meds major in sciences such as biology or chemistry. It's certainly not required that you do so. You can major in anything. You do have to take certain courses that are required for med school and the MCAT such as biology, chemistry and physics.
Q: What is the MCAT?
A: It's the Medical College Admissions Test. Here's some info: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/
You are probably familiar with the SAT or the ACT. Those are standardized tests that you take and colleges use them as one part of your application to decide if they want to offer you admission. Professional and graduate schools, the schools you go to after college to be a doctor, lawyer or professor also use standardized tests to rank applicants. Medical schools use the MCAT.
Q: How many medical schools are there?
A: There are 129 medical schools in the US that offer the MD degree and 22 that offer the DO degree.
http://www.aamc.org/medicalschools.htm
http://www.aacom.org/Pages/default.aspx
Q: What is an "MD?"
A: The MD degree is a professional degree that once earned entitles the recipient to be a physician. It stands for "Medical Doctor" or "Doctor of Medicine" depending on which school is granting the degree (the distinction is meaningless). MDs are also called allopathic physicians.
Q: What is a "DO?"
A: The DO degree is a professional degree that once earned entitles the recipient to be a physician. It stands for "Doctor of Osteopathy." DOs, or osteopaths (MDs are called allopaths), have some segments of their education aimed at musculoskeletal physiology and manipulation and a more patient centered approach to healthcare. The DO degree is slightly less familiar to some people but it entitles the holder to all the same rights and privileges as the MD degree. DOs have parallel boards and certification procedures but they can practice all of the same specialties as any other physician.
Q: What is residency?
A: After medical school the new physician will train in a chosen specialty for several years. Once they have completed this training they are eligible for board certification in that specialty and they are finally done with their education and can independently practice medicine.
Residencies range from 3 to 7 years in length. Some programs incorporate research years which add to the overall length.
As a resident you do get paid. The salaries for most residencies are between $30,000 and $50,000 annually.
Here's a site where you can search for residencies by place and specialty:
http://www.ama-assn.org/vapp/freida/srch/
Q: What is a specialty?
A: A specialty is the type of medicine a physician practices. Some examples are:
Internal Medicine
Family Medicine
Surgery
Pediatrics
Emergency Medicine
To practice a particular specialty the medical school graduate completes a residency in that specialty (see "What is a residency?").
Q: What is a fellowship?
A: Some specialties require additional training beyond residency. That training is called a fellowship. Most fellowships are 2 to 3 years in length and allow the graduate to take a specialty board exam. Examples are:
Gastroenterology = Internal Medicine + Fellowship
Cardiology = Internal Medicine + Fellowship
Cardiothoracic surgery = Surgery + Fellowship
Q: Does medical school cost a lot?
A: Yes. Most medical students graduate with debt that can reach into the $200,000 range. It is fairly easy to borrow money for medical school. This debt can be deferred (that means you don't have to start paying it back) through your residency while you are making a meager salary. Once you graduate residency and start working as a doctor you do have to pay those loans back. Payments frequently reach into the thousands of dollars per month.
Q: What is an "attending?"
A: A doctor who is practicing independently and is no longer in training is an attending.
Q: What is a "non-traditional" student?
A: A growing number of students are going to medical school without going through the traditional high school, college, medical school path one after the other. Many students are going to medical school after perusing other careers. These students who tend to be older and, in theory, wiser do tend to bring additional experiences and insights to their practice of medicine. Because they have found medicine through non-traditional pathways they are called "non-traditional" students.
Q: How important are my college grades to getting into medical school?
A: Very important. You will need to make good grades and do well on the MCAT to be a competitive applicant to medical school. Extra curricular activities like volunteering at hospitals, doing research, joining clubs and so forth help but will not overcome poor grades or scores.
Q: What is a "pre-acceptance" program.
A: There are some programs that provide provisional early acceptance to medical school. These programs accept students high school seniors similar to traditional colleges. In these programs you are required to maintain certain grades and meet other criteria and if you do you are guaranteed a spot in med school.
Here is a link to a section of Aspire with more info:
Q: What is a "combined program."
A: There are some programs that give you your bachelor's degree and your medical degree in an expedited program. These programs usually graduate doctors after 6 or 7 years as opposed to the traditional 8. The up side of these programs is that if you know that you want to practice medicine you will be a doctor sooner. The primary down side is that you are committing to a long program with less flexibility than a traditional undergraduate term.
Note that this "combined program" refers to the combination of college and medical school. The "combined degree" programs mentioned below are very different. They combine medical school and graduate school and are for college graduates, not high school students.
Here is a link to a section of Aspire with more info:
Q: What is a "combined degree" program?
A: Generally speaking, a combined–degree program or a dual–degree program in the context of medical school is one that allows you to get a second degree concurrently while you get your MD, DO. These programs are for students who have already (or will have already) graduated from college with a bachelor's degree and for various reasons wish to pursue medicine and an academic discipline. There are plenty of official combined degree programs out there. The most common second degrees are PhD, MPH, MBA, JD, and MEd. Many schools have formal dual–degree programs that may require additional components for your application, so it is important to be prepared if you are considering applying to any of those programs.
For more information on specific schools or programs, check this website:
AAMC directory of combined degree programs
Q: What is 'shadowing' and how is it different than volunteering? What are you allowed to see and do?
A: Physician shadowing is an important activity for pre-med students. When shadowing you follow a doctor around and observe their interactions with patients in a variety of settings to give you the best picture of what medicine is really like. Unlike volunteering, there are no physical expectations of you. Your sole responsibilities are to observe and follow the instructions of the physician.
Every shadowing experience is unique. Most physicians will let you see most everything they do, as long as the patient is comfortable with it. There are however some exams that are personal and the physician or patient may not be comfortable with your presence. It is important to remember that patient care always comes first. The activities you partake in are also unique with each experience. Some doctors will pull you in to see closer, and may let you listen to interesting heart sounds, some may have you simply observe.
_________________________________
Q: How do you become a doctor?
A: To become a doctor you have to go to medical school. The usual way to get into medical school is to graduate from high school, go to college and do well enough in your college classes that you get accepted to a medical school. That means that you will spend 4 years in college getting your Bachelor's degree. That's the degree you get from graduating from a 4 year college or university such as a Bachelor of Science (BS) or a Bachelor of Arts (BA). You will then spend 4 years in medical school to earn your medical degree.
Q: What is a "Pre med?"
A: A "pre med" is a college student who is planning on going to med schools. Most pre meds major in sciences such as biology or chemistry. It's certainly not required that you do so. You can major in anything. You do have to take certain courses that are required for med school and the MCAT such as biology, chemistry and physics.
Q: What is the MCAT?
A: It's the Medical College Admissions Test. Here's some info: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/
You are probably familiar with the SAT or the ACT. Those are standardized tests that you take and colleges use them as one part of your application to decide if they want to offer you admission. Professional and graduate schools, the schools you go to after college to be a doctor, lawyer or professor also use standardized tests to rank applicants. Medical schools use the MCAT.
Q: How many medical schools are there?
A: There are 129 medical schools in the US that offer the MD degree and 22 that offer the DO degree.
http://www.aamc.org/medicalschools.htm
http://www.aacom.org/Pages/default.aspx
Q: What is an "MD?"
A: The MD degree is a professional degree that once earned entitles the recipient to be a physician. It stands for "Medical Doctor" or "Doctor of Medicine" depending on which school is granting the degree (the distinction is meaningless). MDs are also called allopathic physicians.
Q: What is a "DO?"
A: The DO degree is a professional degree that once earned entitles the recipient to be a physician. It stands for "Doctor of Osteopathy." DOs, or osteopaths (MDs are called allopaths), have some segments of their education aimed at musculoskeletal physiology and manipulation and a more patient centered approach to healthcare. The DO degree is slightly less familiar to some people but it entitles the holder to all the same rights and privileges as the MD degree. DOs have parallel boards and certification procedures but they can practice all of the same specialties as any other physician.
Q: What is residency?
A: After medical school the new physician will train in a chosen specialty for several years. Once they have completed this training they are eligible for board certification in that specialty and they are finally done with their education and can independently practice medicine.
Residencies range from 3 to 7 years in length. Some programs incorporate research years which add to the overall length.
As a resident you do get paid. The salaries for most residencies are between $30,000 and $50,000 annually.
Here's a site where you can search for residencies by place and specialty:
http://www.ama-assn.org/vapp/freida/srch/
Q: What is a specialty?
A: A specialty is the type of medicine a physician practices. Some examples are:
Internal Medicine
Family Medicine
Surgery
Pediatrics
Emergency Medicine
To practice a particular specialty the medical school graduate completes a residency in that specialty (see "What is a residency?").
Q: What is a fellowship?
A: Some specialties require additional training beyond residency. That training is called a fellowship. Most fellowships are 2 to 3 years in length and allow the graduate to take a specialty board exam. Examples are:
Gastroenterology = Internal Medicine + Fellowship
Cardiology = Internal Medicine + Fellowship
Cardiothoracic surgery = Surgery + Fellowship
Q: Does medical school cost a lot?
A: Yes. Most medical students graduate with debt that can reach into the $200,000 range. It is fairly easy to borrow money for medical school. This debt can be deferred (that means you don't have to start paying it back) through your residency while you are making a meager salary. Once you graduate residency and start working as a doctor you do have to pay those loans back. Payments frequently reach into the thousands of dollars per month.
Q: What is an "attending?"
A: A doctor who is practicing independently and is no longer in training is an attending.
Q: What is a "non-traditional" student?
A: A growing number of students are going to medical school without going through the traditional high school, college, medical school path one after the other. Many students are going to medical school after perusing other careers. These students who tend to be older and, in theory, wiser do tend to bring additional experiences and insights to their practice of medicine. Because they have found medicine through non-traditional pathways they are called "non-traditional" students.
Q: How important are my college grades to getting into medical school?
A: Very important. You will need to make good grades and do well on the MCAT to be a competitive applicant to medical school. Extra curricular activities like volunteering at hospitals, doing research, joining clubs and so forth help but will not overcome poor grades or scores.
Q: What is a "pre-acceptance" program.
A: There are some programs that provide provisional early acceptance to medical school. These programs accept students high school seniors similar to traditional colleges. In these programs you are required to maintain certain grades and meet other criteria and if you do you are guaranteed a spot in med school.
Here is a link to a section of Aspire with more info:
Q: What is a "combined program."
A: There are some programs that give you your bachelor's degree and your medical degree in an expedited program. These programs usually graduate doctors after 6 or 7 years as opposed to the traditional 8. The up side of these programs is that if you know that you want to practice medicine you will be a doctor sooner. The primary down side is that you are committing to a long program with less flexibility than a traditional undergraduate term.
Note that this "combined program" refers to the combination of college and medical school. The "combined degree" programs mentioned below are very different. They combine medical school and graduate school and are for college graduates, not high school students.
Here is a link to a section of Aspire with more info:
Q: What is a "combined degree" program?
A: Generally speaking, a combined–degree program or a dual–degree program in the context of medical school is one that allows you to get a second degree concurrently while you get your MD, DO. These programs are for students who have already (or will have already) graduated from college with a bachelor's degree and for various reasons wish to pursue medicine and an academic discipline. There are plenty of official combined degree programs out there. The most common second degrees are PhD, MPH, MBA, JD, and MEd. Many schools have formal dual–degree programs that may require additional components for your application, so it is important to be prepared if you are considering applying to any of those programs.
For more information on specific schools or programs, check this website:
AAMC directory of combined degree programs
Q: What is 'shadowing' and how is it different than volunteering? What are you allowed to see and do?
A: Physician shadowing is an important activity for pre-med students. When shadowing you follow a doctor around and observe their interactions with patients in a variety of settings to give you the best picture of what medicine is really like. Unlike volunteering, there are no physical expectations of you. Your sole responsibilities are to observe and follow the instructions of the physician.
Every shadowing experience is unique. Most physicians will let you see most everything they do, as long as the patient is comfortable with it. There are however some exams that are personal and the physician or patient may not be comfortable with your presence. It is important to remember that patient care always comes first. The activities you partake in are also unique with each experience. Some doctors will pull you in to see closer, and may let you listen to interesting heart sounds, some may have you simply observe.
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Thanks!
