Info on Medical School

[rishid]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I am really interested in Medicine, but don't know what the process of medical school is. Like what is med school? how many years are required etc... what you do during the years?

Are there any websites / book that can give me a general overview of medschool and residency?

I am going to be a Sophomore at Northeastern Univ this Fall.

Thanks,

Rishi Dhupar

 

[Gleevec]

4 years medical school then residency (and perhaps fellowship)

Generally 1st two years of med school are book-learning, last two are clinical. But schools are moving towards more clinical exposure early.

You have to take a standardized test called Step I (and people will also take Step II towards the end of med school, depending on how their Step I score turned out).

www.studentdoctor.net (the actual site, not this messageboard) has a "big guide to medical school" thats pretty good

 

[rishid]

So what is the difference between residency and clinical experience? Residency required?
Do you have to pay for residency?
And during last 3-4 years do you get paid for clinical? or you still paying school?

Thanks for the fast reply.

 

[asianpride]

So what is the difference between residency and clinical experience? Residency required?
Do you have to pay for residency?
And during last 3-4 years do you get paid for clinical? or you still paying school?

Thanks for the fast reply.

clinical experience usually refers to clinical experience obtained during completion of medical school (4 years) - usually during the last 2 years or so of medical school
then after you graduate from medical school you start residency training (this is when doctors specialize in a certain aspect of medicine (family practice, surgery, ear/nose/throat, pediatrics, etc))
you do not have to pay for residency (the hospital pays you ($35,000 - $45,000 or so))
you pay for medical school for the entire 4 years and thus you do have to pay for the clinical experience obtained during medical school

 

[rishid]

I found that guide you were referring to:
http://www.studentdoctor.net/guide/index.html

Great info. Actually got me a bit scared at what I will have to have memorized. Seems like way too much information I would ever be able to handle. Is med school just reading books and memoriing everything you read?

 

[plp4141]

first year is a lot of memorization, but after that it gets less and less. mind you there is still a lot of learning of different diseases and all that, but no more "memorize all the muscles of the arm" etc. more mechanism of disease that can be applied to several different diseases. medical school is a ton of info and you will never know it all, but you need to know where to find it. you will adjust, everyone does. dont let it scare you. just make sure that being a physician is the ONLY thing that will make you happy. there is a lot of heartache, hardwork, debt, and sacrifice. sometimes it is worth it, sometimes it isnt.