US-American Medical Study System?How works?

[Enhancer]

HI,
this is my first entry to this board.
Im a medical student from germany.

I would like to know about the US-American System of Studying Medicine.
I dont really understand what happens in the US after you have graduated in highschool.
What happens then if you want to study medicine?

By the way, i dont really understand whats Medschool. In Germany everything happens in the university and if you have passed your pre-clinical time (2 years) then you will have to study in the university clinic, not in an outside special school for medicines. Im confused.

Maybe someone can explain to me what happens step to step after highschool till you get a real doctor.

Thanks in advance.

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[leorl]

after high school, you go to College to complete an undergraduate bachelor's degree. After graduation from college, you go to medical university. Medicine is a post-graduate course in the US, not an undergraduate one like in Europe. Traditionally, your first two years in medical school are pre-clinical and the last two years clinical.

 

[prefontaine]

In the US, medical school is considered to be undergraduate medical education. Residency is graduate medical education.

From the ACGME:
Graduate Medical Education: The period of didactic and clinical education in a medical specialty following completion of a recognized undergraduate medical education, which prepares physicians for the independent practice of medicine, also referred to as residency education.

What is graduate medical education?

GME is simply the clinical training that follows graduation from medical school (undergraduate medical education); i.e. residency and fellowship.

Other examples:

http://www.hmc.psu.edu/ume/

http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/home/med/curricul/index.html

http://dms.dartmouth.edu/cfm/education/UME.shtml

http://www.med.mun.ca/ugme/

http://hsc.unm.edu/som/education/ume/

 

[efex101]

In Europe you study medicine right after high school. In the US you first must go to college (university) and study for four years in anything you like (psychology, biology, sociology, etc) although there are some classes you *must* have before starting medical school like organic chemistry, physics, etc...and then AFTER your diploma you apply for medical school another four years in the US after which you do residency. The shortest path to be completely done in the US from high school to a working paid job as a family medicine doctor or internal medicine is 11 years.

 

[prefontaine]

Absolutely not true.

One can enter medical school straight from high school and an applicant certainly does not need a college diploma to enter, let alone apply.

One can be board qualified in family medicine or IM nine years after high school.

http://research.med.umkc.edu/education/default.html

 

[Enhancer]

In Germany after highschool you immediately can study medicine in university if you have good marks or if you dont have good marks you have to wait some years until you get accepted.

In the university the first two years are pre-clinical, there you learn stuff like chemistry, physics, physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, sociology, psychology and biology.

After these 2 years of pre-clinic you have to succeed in an exam which is called "First Doctor Exam".

If you were successfull you have 4 years of studying left in the university. This is the clinical period. There you learn subjects like Pathology, Statistics, Human genetics, Internal, Pharmacology, Radiology, Clinical Chemistry Microbiology, Surgery, Dermatology , Pediatrics.. and some other.

Then you have to succeed in another final exam that is the most difficult one therefore its called here "hammer exam".
Then you are a Doctor, whithout an MD title. To get the MD title you have to do research.

To sum up: In germany you only study 6 years of medicine then you are a doctor and you can specialize yourself in anything you like.

Depending on what you specialize yourself you have to work for another 2 years till to another 6 years in hospital

 

[efex101]

In the US there are a "few" schools that allow students to go from HS to medical school BUT this is NOT the norm. The majority of applicants *first* get an undergrad degree and THEN apply to medical school.

 

[efex101]

BTW almost ALL medical school applicants that actually get IN have a full four year degree. Yes, some schools state on their home page that you do not need a four year degree but with almost all applicants having one it puts those NOT having one at a great disadvantage.

 

[neurodoc]

In the US, medical school is considered to be undergraduate medical education. Residency is graduate medical education.

You are correct in stating that in the US med school is considered "undergraduate" medical education. However, med school here is also considered to be "graduate school," i.e. a program that confers a doctoral level academic degree. A few US med schools have 6-year programs for HS graduates, but these are still considered "graduate" programs as they offer doctoral degrees. In the US, the bachelor degree is an "undergraduate" degree. The ACGME refers to med school as "undergraduate medical education," but in general US academic terms it is considered "graduate" education.

 

[prefontaine]

I provided the correct usage of the terms and you provided the often used, but incorrect ones.

Additionally:
"The term "graduate school" is primarily North American, not being used in the United Kingdom. It also does not usually refer to medical school (students are called "medical students") and only occasionally refers to law school or business school."

Simply because a word or phrase is often misused does not make it right.

Feel free to provide a source for "general US academic terms." Your definitions are not considered acceptable or accurate at the academic medical center that employs me.

 

[lilraskal]

im still in high school.
just wondering, is there a link to a list of 6-year med programs straight out of high school? can't find any

thanks

 

[ZAZA67401]

There are quite a few medical schools that take kids straight from high school, but most of them are still 7 or 8 years with a few exceptions like UMKC which has only high school kids. Here is a link to the AAMC and different programs that exist (BS/MD, MD, MD/PHD, etc) . Since you are starting straight from high school you would want to search for BS/MD programs http://services.aamc.org/currdir/section3/degree2.cfm

Hope that helps.