Читать книгу The Complete Medical School Admission Guide: From High School to Doctor - Dr. Paul Jr. Toote - Страница 5

One of the first questions I’m asked by those wanting to be a doctor is just how long it takes to become a fully licensed practicing physician. In most cases, the process will require 8 years of higher education (i.e., past high school), as well as anywhere from 3 to 8 additional years of internship and residency, depending on what you intend to specialize in.

Obviously, this is a significant investment of time and effort. In fact, the requirements for becoming a physician are probably the most demanding of any occupation. That is why you must feel very certain you want to be a doctor, so you are able to make the proper commitment to the goal. Otherwise, you will be traveling a very long road to a destination you don’t really believe in.

In order to even qualify for admission into a medical school, you need to complete 3 years of college. The overwhelming majority of applicants, however, will have at least a bachelor’s degree, while still others will have another advanced degree.

While we will get much more specific about gaining acceptance to medical school, it is, as I’ve already noted, highly competitive. Applicants have to submit their school transcripts, they must take the MCAT (the Medical College Admission Test), as well as solicit and send in letters of recommendation. Character, leadership qualities, and personality will also be considered, and participation in extracurricular activities will be examined. A personal interview with members of the admissions committee is also usually required.

Once in medical school, the bulk of the first 2 years will be spent taking coursework in various aspects of the human body and the study of medicine. The final 2 years will mark a shift over from the theoretical to the practical, as students begin to work with patients under the supervision of experienced doctors.

Following medical school, almost all M.D.s enter a residency program, which is basically a paid on-the-job training program and usually accomplished in a hospital. Most D.O.s, in contrast, will serve a year-long rotating internship after completing medical school, and then enter into their residency period.

For those who want to become a board-certified specialist, a much longer residency period of up to 7 years is required. Passing a final exam after the residency (or after 1 or 2 years of practicing in the specialty) is also necessary for certification by a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialists (ABMS) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). Both of these organizations represent a number of boards (24 in the case of the ABMS, 18 in the case of the AOA) that represent the complete range of medical specialties. If the doctor wants to pursue a subspecialty, he or she will usually need yet another 1 to 2 years of residency.

Becoming a doctor is not only a long and demanding process, it’s also an expensive one - especially for a young person, dealing with a full schedule that will not allow many free hours to earn extra money. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, around 85 percent of medical school graduates were in debt for educational costs.

Once you’ve completed all the educational and training requirements, you must obtain your official licensing in order to actually practice medicine. That licensing is done by the state in which you intend to practice medicine (all states, as well as the District of Columbia and all state territories, license doctors). In addition, would-be physicians must also pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) or, for osteopathic physicians, the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Exam (COMLEX). You are only eligible to take these exams if you graduate from an accredited medical school. Those who graduate from a foreign medical school must usually complete a residency in America before they can take all parts of the USMLE or COMLEX.

Once you are licensed in one state, you can usually get a license in another without having to go through another round of tests, although some states do make it more difficult than others. The medical board of each individual state can provide you with more information regarding their particular licensing criteria.