Are there more years in med school for surgeon as opposed to regular specialist?

[jeff25]

Does it take more time in medical school to be a surgeon than a regular specialist?
If not, why do they get paid so much more?

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[toofache32]

Medical school is a generic education required of all physicians. It's the same length for virtually everyone. Residency (where you learn your specialty) ranges from 3-7 years and more for fellowships.

Salary has very little to do with the time spent in training. It has to do with many other things such as demand and what insurance companies are willing to pay.

 

[jeff25]

Do you have to do a fellowship?
Also, when is residency 3 years and when is it 7?
Is it possible to become a gastroenterologist and only still learn in the hospital[residency] for 3 years after the 4 years of med school?

 

[RS6]

You don't have to do a fellowship if you don't want to. People do them for various reasons. If you wanted to go out into private practice and do the bread and butter ENT cases, like T+A's, Tubes, and other uncomplicated head and neck cases, you don't need a fellowship. However, if you wanted to stay in academics and become an "expert" in a particular area of ENT you should do a fellowship. They are done after the 5 years of regular ENT residency. There are many options in ENT...

Facial Plastics
Head and Neck Surgery
Otology/Neurotology/Skull Base Surgery
Pediatrics
Rhinology/Sinsus
Laryngology

Most of these fellowships are 1 year in length, except for some Otology/Skull Base Surgery, which can be 2 years. So after medical school, you are looking at around 5 to 7 years, not including research years, of training.

Most surgical residencies are around 5 years, not including fellowship. Urology is 5 years, General surgery is 5 years, Orthopedics is 5 years, Opthomology is 4 years, Plastics is 5 or 7 years depending on whether you go to an integrated program or not, OB/GYN is 5 years. The nonsurgical residencies can range from 3 years to 4 years. Pediatrics is 3 years, Medicine is 3 years, Dermatology is 3 years, Radiology is 3 or 4 years, Psych is 3 years, Family is 3 years. All of these have various fellowships that range from 1 to 3 years...ie Gastroenterology is 3 years of a Medicine residency plus an additional 3 years of GI fellowhship. So to answer your question, you cannot be a GI doctor with only 3 years of post medical school training.

Hope this helps...

 

[jeff25]

How many years after the 4 years of medical school does a cardiologist have to be in residency and fellowship[does it have to do a fellowship?]
Thanks.

 

[Dunce]

How many years after the 4 years of medical school does a cardiologist have to be in residency and fellowship[does it have to do a fellowship?]
Thanks.

look here
http://residency.wustl.edu/medadmin/resweb.nsf/WV/62353A93C5C35CB186256F850071BD86?OpenDocument

 

[yeahmaybe80]

Who told you surgeons make more than medical specialists? look at the pay schedules, gastroenterologists, cardiologists, dermatologists.......make more than most other fields of medicine not to mention general surgeons, otolaryngologists.....the list goes on.

 

[TheThroat]

Who told you surgeons make more than medical specialists? look at the pay schedules, gastroenterologists, cardiologists, dermatologists.......make more than most other fields of medicine not to mention general surgeons, otolaryngologists.....the list goes on.

By and large, proceduralists (whether surgeon, cards, GI) have the potential to make more than non-proceduralists. How much you make in the field of medicine has more to do with your ability as a business person than your ability as a physician.