confused on how college and med school work

[statesideuser]

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im going into college and, not wanting to go in not knowing a goal, i chose to aim for something in radiology, preferably radiation oncology
problem is i have how medical works

in college, do i major in an area like bio,chem, or physics then after graduating and going to med school is where i start working on radiology?
should my college already offer radiology classes if there is such thing?
who could i talk to get a perspective/ clear things up about this? i.e. go to kaiser, school counselors?

any explanation on any of this would be a big help since i pretty much know nothing.

 

[echolalia16]

Go to college, major and minor in whatever you want, so long as you have the prerequisites for the medschools you're applying (typically general chemistry 1, 2, organic chemistry 1, 2, two semesters of physics, biochem, a couple more semesters of biology, maybe statistics or english). Because all these prereqs are present in premed majors, that's often what folks go into, but is not required.
In med school, you spend the first two years doing book work, learning as much as your mind can digest about medicine, and in the second two years of school you have the opportunity to start applying what you learned in rounds through a variety of different clinics.
After medschool you commit to a specialty and start resedency, where you practice in said specialty for a few years pretty much nonstop (see: 80 hour weeks).
After residency you're done.

 

[Undecided94]

If it's your first year and you want to go into health care, start your basic science classes right away (bio, chm, phy), talk to an advisor or counselor about your plans, and also take general classes like eng and math.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

BA / BS in anything, as long as you complete the required classes to apply to medical school.
MD Attend medical school.
Rads Onc is competitive, so you better do well on your exams.
Apply to a speciality.
.....
.....
Success!

 

[loveoforganic]

im going into college and, not wanting to go in not knowing a goal, i chose to aim for something in radiology, preferably radiation oncology
problem is i have how medical works

in college, do i major in an area like bio,chem, or physics then after graduating and going to med school is where i start working on radiology?
should my college already offer radiology classes if there is such thing?
who could i talk to get a perspective/ clear things up about this? i.e. go to kaiser, school counselors?

any explanation on any of this would be a big help since i pretty much know nothing.

Rad onc is its own residency. It's not a subspecialty of rads. Also, it's pretty much as competitive as residencies get.

Focus on getting into med school. Like T4C said - it doesn't matter what you major in. Major in what you like, explore your interests. That said, it sounds like you really need to talk with a premed advisor from your college. Run whatever info you get from them back by SDN.

 

[statesideuser]

okay thanks for all the info, its a big help
ill see what the advisors tell me and post
another question about getting into a med school,

would getting accepted into a med school in the U.S. be more difficult if i went to college in a different country (specifically Philippines)

 

[orthomyxo]

Go to college, major and minor in whatever you want, so long as you have the prerequisites for the medschools you're applying (typically general chemistry 1, 2, organic chemistry 1, 2, two semesters of physics, biochem, a couple more semesters of biology, maybe statistics or english). Because all these prereqs are present in premed majors, that's often what folks go into, but is not required.
In med school, you spend the first two years doing book work, learning as much as your mind can digest about medicine, and in the second two years of school you have the opportunity to start applying what you learned in rounds through a variety of different clinics.
After medschool you commit to a specialty and start resedency, where you practice in said specialty for a few years pretty much nonstop (see: 80 hour weeks).
After residency you're done.

Fellowships?

 

[statesideuser]

Fellowships?

i have never heard of this term, what is it?
adding to my question above, oppose to college in philippines then med school in u.s., would med school in the philippines then residency here be less difficult (it's my understanding that med schools and residency program are somehow connected so there would be more difficulties getting residency if the school was halfway across the globe)

 

[loveoforganic]

Phillipines to med school would be harder. Phillipines to residency I think may be impossible, but at least definitely harder

Fellowships are subspecialties after residency, e.g. Internal medicine to heme onc

 

[echolalia16]

Fellowships?

Not all paths require a fellowship so I wasn't really thinking about it, but perhaps I should have threw it in there. Thanks

 

[URHere]

OP, to answer your questions:

1) Like others have said, a medical specialty (like Rad Onc) comes into play many years down the line. You must finish undergraduate (usually 4 years) and medical school (4 years) before starting specialty training.

2) Fellowships are usually a chance to further subspecialize or add research training after residency. For example, if you go into something like neurology you may choose to complete a fellowship in something like pain medicine or neuromuscular disorders.

3) Medical schools vary on how many international applicants they accept, but your best shot is to apply to and attend college in the US if you have that option.

 

[statesideuser]

ok so it seems going abroad puts me at a disadvantage if i wanted to come back to the u.s. but its where i should go due to some family reasons
and radiology oncology is not a sub specialty but rather its own practice separate from every other sub specialty practice that umbrellas under diagnostic radiology, correct me if im understanding this wrong please

i just learned that my godmother took med school in the Philippines and came here to the u.s. to do her internship/residency in ob/gyn. shes working at a hospital in the bay area now, i believe. im planning to talk to her soon but shes pretty busy so it might be a bit.
from what i heard, she had problems with citizenship (which i wont have to worry about) and she had to take a couple extra classes here in the u.s. before she could practice medicine here

would there be any reason her experience would differ from mine if i took the same path? (because our fields in medicine are different?)

 

[ButImLETired]

ok so it seems going abroad puts me at a disadvantage if i wanted to come back to the u.s. but its where i should go due to some family reasons
and radiology oncology is not a sub specialty but rather its own practice separate from every other sub specialty practice that umbrellas under diagnostic radiology, correct me if im understanding this wrong please

i just learned that my godmother took med school in the Philippines and came here to the u.s. to do her internship/residency in ob/gyn. shes working at a hospital in the bay area now, i believe. im planning to talk to her soon but shes pretty busy so it might be a bit.
from what i heard, she had problems with citizenship (which i wont have to worry about) and she had to take a couple extra classes here in the u.s. before she could practice medicine here

would there be any reason her experience would differ from mine if i took the same path? (because our fields in medicine are different?)

A couple of things:

1) Radiation Oncology is a separate specialty, the way that anesthesiology is or neurology or general surgery. In order to become a radiation oncologist, you have to get into a radiation oncology residency after medical school- not radiology, not internal medicine, but specifically rad/onc (this may not work the exact same way in other countries). There are subspecialties within radiology (you'd have to do a fellowship after a radiology residency) such as neuroradiology or interventional radiology, but rad/onc is not one of them.

2) The problem with taking advice from people who got residencies here many years ago is that things have really changed. The number of residency spots available has remained roughly the same, while there are far more medical students applying for them, both here in the US and abroad. It is therefore EXTREMELY difficult nowadays to go to an unknown med school abroad and come back for residency. Not to mention the fact that each state decides which schools it recognizes, so you may have a degree in another country and then come here and have it not be recognized. So there are many complications.
Another issue is that ob/gyn is not a super competitive field, and there are many, many spots throughout the country. Rad/onc is different: it's a relatively new field, very research-heavy, and there are few spots throughout the country- and you'd have to find a place that is in a state that recognizes your med school in the first place. You would be competing against the very best US medical students because it is such a competitive field to get into. So really, it's no contest. You have essentially no chance of getting into a rad/onc residency in the US if you go to the Philippines for med school.

On the other hand, you are REALLY young still. You may change your mind about med school (statistically this is very likely) and you almost definitely will change your mind a few times about what field you want to go into IF you choose medicine. So don't worry about this stuff yet. Focus on exploring your options in college and see what else is out there.

 

[GoronMD]

Go to college, major and minor in whatever you want, so long as you have the prerequisites for the medschools you're applying (typically general chemistry 1, 2, organic chemistry 1, 2, two semesters of physics, biochem, a couple more semesters of biology, maybe statistics or english). Because all these prereqs are present in premed majors, that's often what folks go into, but is not required.
In med school, you spend the first two years doing book work, learning as much as your mind can digest about medicine, and in the second two years of school you have the opportunity to start applying what you learned in rounds through a variety of different clinics.
After medschool you commit to a specialty and start resedency, where you practice in said specialty for a few years pretty much nonstop (see: 80 hour weeks).
After residency you're done.

Nicely Said 🙂

And Phillipines... do not go that route unless you have to. It's a whole different can of worms.