How long does it take to get an MD?

[tick]

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4 years Undergrad and then 4 years of medical school? If that is correct, can anyone tell me if there is a way to shorten it? Like if I did 4 years of work in 2 years during my Undergrad time if it's possible.

 

[JamesBond15]

Don't forget the 3-4 year residency.

How fast you finish undergrad is up to you. It is very unlikely that anyone can finish in just 2 years (unless of course you took a ton of CC classes in high school and such) but finishing in 3 years is likely.

 

[JaggerPlate]

4 years Undergrad and then 4 years of medical school? If that is correct, can anyone tell me if there is a way to shorten it? Like if I did 4 years of work in 2 years during my Undergrad time if it's possible.

There are combined BS/MD programs that are six years. From what I know ... very tough to get into. You could also go over seas or something ... but good luck practicing in the US. Your best bet is to suck it up - if it's what you want - and just go 4 undergrad + 4 med school + residency. It's long, but it's what you gotta do.

 

[eagle34]

There are BA/MD programs that are 7 years, and I think even a few that are 8 years. But cmon, why would you want to really shorten your college careers? Those years of your life are awesome, especially important ot have a lot of fun before starting med school and settling down with work.

 

[tick]

Ok some questions.

So in 3 years of Undergrad I did 4 years work, that wouldn't hurt my chances to get into medical school?

Is there any chance you can do the same thing in Medical School? (Possibly cut 4 years down into 3)



Also I plan to head into an Ophthalmology residency after Medical School.

 

[tick]

Can you tell me or link me to where I can find out more about what BS/MD is? I'd like to know about it and how to get into it.

I just want to get things over and start with surgery, guys! That's the only reason I want to speed things up at the moment. I want to get to my main dish.

 

[eagle34]

Ok some questions.

So in 3 years of Undergrad I did 4 years work, that wouldn't hurt my chances to get into medical school?

Is there any chance you can do the same thing in Medical School? (Possibly cut 4 years down into 3)



Also I plan to head into an Ophthalmology residency after Medical School.

From what I know, it is def not possible to do 4 years of med school work in 3. You have NO idea what it's like to be in med school in terms of work amount until you're the one doing it, and trust me, you don't want to do 4 years in 3, plus it's prob just impossible.

Btw, how old are you? If you're talking about college and medical school, are you in high school? How do you already know that you want to go into Ophthamology? Come on man, don't cut yourself short by deciding what kind of doctor you want to be before you're even in college. Most med students cant decide what kind of doctors they want to be after their third year.

 

[deleted74029]

So in 3 years of Undergrad I did 4 years work, that wouldn't hurt my chances

It might, I hear some schools really don't like applicants who are much younger than around 21.

Is there any chance you can do the same thing in Medical School? (Possibly cut 4 years down into 3)

No.

Also I plan to head into an Ophthalmology residency after Medical School.

I don't think optho residencies are all that long but I may be mistaken. FYI, you will have your MD after med school so during residency you'll be called "doctor."

 

[eagle34]

Can you tell me or link me to where I can find out more about what BS/MD is? I'd like to know about it and how to get into it.

I just want to get things over and start with surgery, guys! That's the only reason I want to speed things up at the moment. I want to get to my main dish.

Trust me, it'll be a long time before you get to do things in surgery. And maybe it's good that it takes a while so maybe you can learn what you need first? Especially when it's just so much to learn...

 

[JaggerPlate]

Can you tell me or link me to where I can find out more about what BS/MD is? I'd like to know about it and how to get into it.

www.google.com

If you've already done undergrad ... then a BS/MD program would be a HUGE waste of time. If you're still in high school ... then this discussion is a HUGE waste of time.

I just want to get things over and start with surgery, guys! That's the only reason I want to speed things up at the moment. I want to get to my main dish.

Go volunteer at a hospital or shadow a doc. You can't cut without knowing what you're doing. Everyone has to pay their dues ... it's unlikely you'll find a way around it.

 

[bryce]

Can you tell me or link me to where I can find out more about what BS/MD is? I'd like to know about it and how to get into it.

I just want to get things over and start with surgery, guys! That's the only reason I want to speed things up at the moment. I want to get to my main dish.

If your an Ohio resident, then check out neoucom.edu. It's a good program, however, it is tough to get into. My brother got in there last year, but opted to go and party at Cornell for the next three years instead! Smart kido

 

[JamesBond15]

In HS every year seems so important, but honestly, it isn't. If you take an extra year to do something it is really nothing compared to your whole life. Don't try to cut corners, not worth it.

 

[searun]

4 years Undergrad and then 4 years of medical school? If that is correct, can anyone tell me if there is a way to shorten it? Like if I did 4 years of work in 2 years during my Undergrad time if it's possible.

Has your mother taught you how to iron a dress shirt properly? You need to acquire certain essential skills in the proper sequence. Do not get ahead of yourself.

 

[TheBateman]

Has your mother taught you how to iron a dress shirt properly? You need to acquire certain essential skills in the proper sequence. Do not get ahead of yourself.

lol nice.....

 

[TheBateman]

I have a feeling tick is still in high school...

 

[deleted74029]

I think you should worry about getting accepted to medical school first.

Yeah but I'm pretty sure when most people actually set out to be a doctor they had some specialty in mind, which was usually during high school.

For me it was:

High School-"I wanna be a dermatologist"
College Freshmen-"I still wanna be a dermatologist"
Sophomore-"I'm not sure I wanna be a doctor at all"
Junior/Senior-"Okay yeah I still will be a doctor but not sure what"

 

[patekpremed]

Can you tell me or link me to where I can find out more about what BS/MD is? I'd like to know about it and how to get into it.

I just want to get things over and start with surgery, guys! That's the only reason I want to speed things up at the moment. I want to get to my main dish.

What in the world is your rush? Why are you in such a hurry to start working? Live life man. Jeez...

 

[HumidBeing]

Hey tick, I realize from your other posts that you are freshman this year and just trying to sort out what it it's going to take you to get where you want to go. Don't worry. I had no idea what it took to be a doctor until I started reading here, either.

Since you're already in college, I think it's too late to get into one of those 6 or 7 year combined programs. Don't worry, they have several medical schools in Florida. The reason you haven't been able to find any schools near you specifically for ophthalmology is that there isn't such thing. All of the various types of specialist doctors go through medical school and only start focusing on their specialties after that is over when they are residents.

Even though you are already in college, you can a lot of the information you need to know on the hSDN forum. We have threads in there that explain the answers to many of your questions. Read through those and you will learn a lot.

Don't expect to hurry through college. It can make it harder to get into medical school, because it's a very competitive process. If you take all four years of college it gives you a chance to build a stronger application and have a better chance of getting in. There are no short cuts through medical school and residency. Sorry.

 

[bcat85]

4 years Undergrad and then 4 years of medical school? If that is correct, can anyone tell me if there is a way to shorten it? Like if I did 4 years of work in 2 years during my Undergrad time if it's possible.

You can do BS/MD if you want, but let me lend some advice to you.

Don't get in such a hurry. College is REALLLLLY fun. you may not think so initially, but retrospectively, I loved being in college. It was a great time and I have a bunch of great friends from the experience. Take your time, do four years of college, and then move on to medical school. Chill.

 

[Law2Doc]

You can do BS/MD if you want, but let me lend some advice to you.

Don't get in such a hurry. College is REALLLLLY fun. you may not think so initially, but retrospectively, I loved being in college. It was a great time and I have a bunch of great friends from the experience. Take your time, do four years of college, and then move on to medical school. Chill.

Agreed. This is not a race. In fact, it's sort of the opposite of a race -- the person who gets through fastest loses. You lose out on what could be the best 4 years of your life by not experiencing college to the fullest. That is your time with limited responsibility, tons of free time and the total ability to try new things, network with people with diverse interests, take all the courses you are never going to have the opportunity to take again, go to a ton of blowout parties, etc. You will never have anything close to this opportunity again. Med school will still be there two years later. The light at the end of the tunnel really is a train, so it's pretty silly to rush towards it. Enjoy life on the tracks for a while. You will be a better doctor for it, because in a personal service industry like medicine, what you learn outside of the premed courses is as important as what you learn in them

 

[airplanes]

tick, you'll soon realize your gun ho mentality about speeding through undergrad and medical school ASAP won't last. stop kidding yourself...

 

[TehDoc]

4 years Undergrad and then 4 years of medical school? If that is correct, can anyone tell me if there is a way to shorten it? Like if I did 4 years of work in 2 years during my Undergrad time if it's possible.

I used to be like this in my freshman year, needless to say, it is a sort of ridiculous idea to speed through your wonder years. ( loved that show)
Socialize and thank yourself later.

 

[QuaerensIntelle]

It's 5 years in China to do undergrad + medical school. I know, scary. I met a girl while I was in CHina who was from Cali and was going to medical school there (the medical school is for foreigners and is taught in english), she was planning on applying for residencies in the US as a foreign medical graduate.

 

[Lukkie]

Don't forget the 3-4 year residency.

you're an MD before residency 🙄

 

[GoldShadow]

I just want to get things over and start with surgery, guys! That's the only reason I want to speed things up at the moment. I want to get to my main dish.

You're in high school. Forget about all this stuff and go enjoy yourself. Hang out with friends. Play video games or something. Seriously.

 

[JRJ26]

he's not in high school. he's a freshman in college.

 

[usermike8500]

Aren't there schools that let you begin medical school without first earning a bachelors? In theory, you can apply after having only completed the prerequisites. Then you'll get your M.D. by age 24. That would be pretty sweet.

 

[bcat85]

The light at the end of the tunnel really is a train, so it's pretty silly to rush towards it.

Well played.

 

[pianola]

tick, if you're a first-year at certain Florida schools (UF or UM I know for sure), you'll have the option of doing two years of college and starting med school early. It's not too late to pursue that option if you're still a first-year. PM me for more details.

 

[lrkoehle]

Honestly, why rush the process? As I have told others considering this same thing, take your time! You can easily get through college in 3 years with a high GPA (>3.8) and a good MCAT, but with all that focus on studying when would you do extracurriculars? A 4.0 and a 40 are great, but no school will want you if you don't have clinical experience. Those experiences will help you discover if medicine is even right for you.

 

[GoldShadow]

he's not in high school. he's a freshman in college.

Ah, my bad.


Well in that case, why on earth would you want to rush through it so fast?!

 

[coldweatherblue]

study enough to learn the material and get good enough grades so that med school remains an option, but don't stress about how long it's gonna take cause you're a long way away and if you focus too much on the destination (ie. being an attending at ~32) you won't enjoy the time you have now. Undergrad is AMAZING.

Try to find what you're interested in, and maybe you'll like it so much that you'll focus on how great these four years are and then they'll fly by and then your senior year you can apply if that's still what you want to do.

 

[Wylde]

Have you ever performed a surgery?

If so, can you imagine yourself doing this for the rest of your life?

Even if you do enjoy performing a surgery, why do you want to perform eye surgery instead of thoracic, urological, plastic, etc.?

If not, how can you even begin to decide that you will love doing something for your entire career if you have never even tried this thing?

My point: Slow down buddy. There is zero benefit to deciding you want to perform a specific operation when you are years and years away from having to make this decision.